How these sustainable eCommerce businesses set the standard
Carly Greenberg
·April 9, 2024
You could say that taking care of the planet is trending: Seventy-eight percent of consumers say that living a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. They’re passionate about eating organic, recycling, composting, and avoiding single-use products. They know that overconsumption is wasteful – so when they do make purchases, they’re making sure that the brands they buy from share the same commitment to sustainability that they do.
In fact, more than 60% of customers said that they’d be willing to spend more on sustainable brands, showing that they’re willing to put their money where their mouths are.
But what does it take for a brand to embrace sustainability fully?
Eco-friendly brands share a true commitment to sustainability through their entire supply chain, from the materials they use all the way to their reverse logistics process. They prioritize using renewable resources and minimizing their carbon footprint. These brands also make sure that the packaging they use is recyclable and/or biodegradable, reducing waste in landfills.
They don’t settle for the status quo, either. Sustainable brands are transparent about their practices and strive to continuously improve their sustainability efforts. This includes regularly conducting life cycle assessments to identify areas for improvement, investing in renewable energy sources, and partnering with other environmentally conscious organizations.
Sustainable brands also prioritize ethical labor practices and social responsibility. This means ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions for all workers involved in the production process. They also support local communities and give back through charitable initiatives.
When choosing sustainable brands to support, customers should look beyond greenwashed marketing initiatives, and focus on the businesses that are truly putting in the work.
Here at Loop, we’re lucky to count some of those brands among our customers. Here are some of our favorite sustainable brands:
ALPAKA
ALPAKA produces beautifully-designed, made-to-last, bags, wallets, apparel, and accessories from recycled and upcycled materials. Many of their products are made from repurposed waste, including recycled plastic bottles and sailcloths, and they’re transitioning their packaging to 100% recyclable and compostable products. ALPAKA also prioritizes giving back to the environment through partnerships and donations, including a membership in 1% for the Planet and a partnership with the Surfrider Foundation. The business also launched a partnership with Recurate, a reselling marketplace that gives a second life to gently used products that customers have returned or sold back to the brand. ALPAKA demonstrates the value of sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Amour Vert
This French-inspired brand born in California focuses on purposeful product design, with artisan-crafted garments that are made from sustainable fabrics. The store sells beautiful blouses, sweaters, dresses, and other classic apparel, made from materials including recycled cashmere, recycled sateen, and high-quality bluesign-certified silk. Through their “Tees for Trees” partnership, the brand plants a tree in North America for every purchase of a tee from their shop – they’ve planted more than 373,382 trees to date. Amor Vert also operates a second-sale marketplace with Recurate, where they’re able to resell returned and gently used products that would otherwise end up in landfills. And, for customers interested in learning more about sustainable living and style, Amour Vert creates engaging content that showcases other eco-friendly brands they love, as well as useful tips for embracing sustainability in daily life.
Brooklinen
Brooklinen, a renowned name in bedding and bath products, stands out for its strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. Brooklinen uses high-quality, ethically-sourced materials, such as Canadian Hutterite White Duck Down certified by Downmark and Feather Industries. The brand offers an Organic Collection crafted with consciousness and comfort in mind. Made with 100% organic cotton, these products provide an eco-friendly and sustainable upgrade to traditional bedding options. And all of Brooklinen’s sheets are OEKO-TEX® certified, guaranteeing that they are free from harmful chemicals.
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi crafts durable packs, gear, apparel, and accessories using deadstock, recycled, or responsible fabrics in 94% of their products with the goal of hitting 100% by 2025. They believe that truly sustainable design doesn’t stop at fabrics or certifications—it also comes with a backup plan, which is why all of their products are Guaranteed for Good™. If there’s a problem with your gear, they’ll happily repair it, replace it, or reward you for trading it in through their Cotopaxi Más Vida resale program. As a certified B Corp, Cotopaxi continually improves their sustainability performance and demonstrates that they’re using their company to create a net positive impact on their community and environment.
Lo + Sons
At age 65, founder Helen Lo un-retired after realizing the need for airline-approved “companion bags” that she could bring on her frequent travels. With her sons, Jan and Derek, Lo launched her travel bag brand in 2010, and set out to reinvent the travel carryon bag – sustainably. Lo + Son’s bags are created from at least 70% eco-friendly materials, including plant-based fibers, organic & recycled cotton, and recycled nylon and poly. They’ve audited their packaging materials to shift to primarily recycled materials, and they upcycle used and excess materials into limited edition product styles. Every year, the brand looks for new opportunities to optimize their supply chain towards a more sustainable future.
Monos
Monos’ trademark product is their “light and unbreakable” luggage, available in a range of size options, from light carry-on to large check-in. Monos designs products that are built to last, made from eco-friendly and cruelty-free materials, including vegan leather and recycled materials. Monos is Climate Neutral Certified, showcasing their commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions through their manufacturing process and supply chain.
Marine Layer
Marine Layer is a brand built around producing apparel so soft that you’ll never want to take it off. And they’re as committed to sustainability as they are to comfort: They produce 45% of their products with sustainable materials, including fabrics like recycled poly, recycled nylon, and organic cotton. They’ve replaced single-use plastic bags in their packaging with recyclable Vela bags, and use other responsibly sourced paper products in their packaging materials. Through their recycling program, Re-Spun, which recycles customers’ donated clothing items, they’ve diverted over 575,000 total tees from landfills and saved 2.6 billion gallons of water.
For all of these brands, Loop’s customizable post-purchase return options make the journey to sustainability easier to manage. With Loop, merchants can choose the most eco-friendly return strategy for any item, whether that means encouraging the customer to keep or donate the item, sending it to a recycling plant, or shipping it to a donation partner.
Merchants know that returns are an often inevitable part of the customer journey – and by setting up customized workflows in Loop that meet their ethical and sustainability goals, they can keep products out of landfills and ensure their materials see a second life. Loop also seamlessly integrates with the other apps they use, like EcoCart and Recurate, so that ecommerce operators can get a 360-degree view of their sustainability efforts all the way through the supply chain.
Want to learn how Loop can help your brand move the needle on sustainability?
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