Good Everything

Top 20 Eco-Friendly Shopper Trends

This Earth Day, we’re especially excited to be rallying around brands and goods that are better for our environment!

My journey towards more eco-friendly living, and commitment to sharing my discoveries with the Good Everything community, is so rewarding because I get to constantly discover inspiring brands and new and exciting approaches to reducing our impact on the planet. There are some incredible brands out there that are really raising the bar for the ethical and environmental accountability we should be demanding from businesses.

Since we’ve started following the rapidly growing landscape of eco-friendly, sustainable and recycled goods brands and product lines, we’ve noticed some trends that are starting to really pick up steam.

Here are the top 20 eco-friendly trends hitting the streets:

1. 100% Organic Cotton Clothing

   Gone are the days when we had no idea how harmful clothing production was on our environment. Fast fashion is under pressure to offer more sustainable alternatives, and 100% cotton is rising in popularity because of its significantly reduced environmental impact. Brands like Pact are bringing the 100% organic trend to the mainstream, with reasonable prices and a great selection of options for men, women and kids.

2. Bamboo-based Clothing

   >Bamboo is a highly sustainable crop due to its rapid growth rate and ability to flourish without chemicals or irrigation. Many brands are finding ways to create textiles from bamboo as a more sustainable alternative.

3. Recycled Plastic Leggings & Shoes

   With seemingly endless plastic waste available, many brands are coming up with inventive ways to incorporate plastic waste like water bottles into their fabric production process. Girlfriend Collective was the first brand I discovered that was doing this some years ago, and I assure you the fabric quality is fantastic! Rothy’s is hitting its stride with its recycled water bottle shoes.

4. Bamboo-based Paper Products

   Who Gives a Crap is my new favorite brand playing in this space. Producing toilet paper, tissues and paper towels from bamboo and recycled paper, this is an easy way to make a dent in the resources your household requested.

5. Upcycled Clothing

   The secondhand clothing market is becoming a popular way to refresh your wardrobe, and some brands are leaning into this. Olivia Wilde just launched her “Choose Used” clothing line with ThredUP through her sustainability campaign company Conscious Commerce, and people seem to be moving past looking down their noses at the idea of shopping at a thrift store.

6. Glass & Insulated Water Bottles

   A simple swap, and possibly one of the best for your health as you’re almost guaranteed to hydrate more – bringing a reusable water bottle with you everywhere can help greatly reduce the volume of plastic water bottles we collectively consume. And as more and more refill stations are being put in at gyms, schools and other high traffic areas, we can together make a real impact with this one swap alone.

7. Reusable Metal, Glass & Bamboo Straws

   Another easy swap, with more more hitting the marketplace daily. If you have to choose, paper straws are also a better option than plastic, though they are single-use so investing a few bucks in reusables will go a lot further at home. I do appreciate restaurants that serve with paper straws though!

8. Reusable Zip-Loc Replacements

   Stasher Bags first caught my attention, but since I’ve noted many other brands offering comparable products that ensure we never need to use a single-use zip-loc again.

9. Metal Lunch Tins

   So many great pack-your-own lunch products are becoming on-trend. My big challenge is just remember to pack the lunch before heading to work… we can all strive to do better.

10. 100% Recycled Paper Products

    Who Gives a Crap tops my list here, but it’s fantastic to see 100% recycled paper towels and toilet paper options also hitting nearly every shopping store shelf. I was even able to find some 100% recycled paper plates from Amazon the other day (fingers crossed they ship without any plastic packaging!)

11. Plastic-Free Shipping

    This growing trend just makes me so happy. Pulling back on my oh-so-convenient Amazon Prime orders due to overly wasteful packaging was tough, but Of late, I’m pleased to say many of the ethical and eco-friendly brands I’ve ordered from have been really focused on this. Top of mind for me based on my most recent eco-friendly orders include CAUSEBOX, Who Gives a Crap, Imperfect Produce.

12. Eco-Friendly Subscription Boxes

    CAUSEBOX, Imperfect Produce and Who Gives a Crap again top this list as great ethical brands offering subscription services with a focus on eco-friendly solutions. (sorry for the repeats, I’m totally showing my hand on my current favorite eco-friendly brands!)

13. Shampoo & Conditioner Bars

    Reducing plastic waste is a major trend amongst conscious consumers, and companies are being founded to deliver on this mission. These bars are a great start to reduce your plastic waste in the bathroom.

14. Toothpaste Tabs & Powder

    Another great way to reduce plastic waste in the bathroom, these tooth powders even purport to do a better job than traditional toothpaste. Less mess too! I haven’t found one yet that tastes as good, but I’m sure they’re out there!

15. Bamboo Toothbrushes

    Every household goes through at lease a few plastic toothbrushes annually (on the conservative side), and this plastic waste remains in landfills or worse, our oceans, forever. Switching to bamboo toothbrushes is another easy waste reduction change anyone can easily make.

16. Cognac Face Scrubs

    My recent CAUSEBOX delivery came with a cognac scrub, and I’m in love. I don’t know if it’s the combination of the rose water spray, or the medication I’ve been taking finally kicking in, but for possibly the first time in my life my skin feels great without makeup!

17. Laundry Detergent Alternatives

    Dissolvable pods that come in plastic-free packaging, and better-yet, the zero waste eco-balls that literally require no soap and instead just use the natural

18. Bamboo-based & Biodegradable Kitchen Sponges

    The kitchen sponge is a seemingly innocuous everyday item, but it contains plastics and non-biodegradable materials – and we use a LOT of them. Bamboo-based handles and naturally derived scrubbing materials are hitting

19. Throwback Wooden Kid’s Toys

    Tired of seeing plastic toys hit the market and then the trashcan just as fast, brands like Wild Dill are brining back classic wooden kids’ toys for a more sustainable and unnecessarily overcomplicated play experience.

20. Biodegradable Plastic Alternatives

    With items like plastic phone cases piling up in our landfill at rapid rates, brands like Pela is tackling this issue with their innovative plastic alternative material. Derived from flax seed and strong yet flexible, these phone cases will biodegrade naturally into the environment once disposed of.

Anything super trendy eco-friendly items I totally overlooked? Let’s hear it in the comments, happy to go beyond the top 20 with your help!