Ecobags: Leading the Reusable Bag Movement Since 1989

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Based in Ossining, New York, Ecobags is a woman-owned business that has been offering well constructed, responsibly produced, eco-friendly reusable bags since 1989. Founded with a simple mission to produce high-quality bags at great prices so that “reusable” becomes a way of life, Ecobags introduced its products at the 1990 Earth Day celebration on Sixth Avenue in NYC. The lightweight, expandable cotton bags that had been used in Europe for generations were a hit and sold out in four hours.

Ecobags has been working to create a world with less waste since then and has been called a “pioneer” and “social change agent.” Company founder and CEO Sharon Rowe and the Ecobags team want everyone to understand that there is no “away” when we throw away single-use plastic bags, and that each one of us has to do our part if we want to live in a clean environment. Bringing your own bags to the store is the first step of many steps towards a cleaner world.

Currently, Ecobags products are available through its online store and in retailers across the US. The company also makes custom totes for brands and events. Products have always been manufactured in a socially responsible manner, even before “social responsibility” was a buzz term. Ecobags’ production partners in India adhere to local labor laws and go beyond the minimum requirements by providing extended health coverage, pension plans, retirement benefits, vacations, and holidays. Rowe has personally visited India several times and has formed close relationships with the partners and their families.

Ecobags’ supply chain and manufacturing process are reviewed by third party agencies. The company’s organic materials are certified through the Global Organic Textile Standard, its factory holds SA8000 certification, and its products are fair wage and fair labor certified.. All inks used in printing the bags are PVC and phthalate-free and the dyes are AZO-free.

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Sharkey’s: Award-Winning Hair Salon for Kids

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The fastest-growing children’s hair salon chain in the US, Canada, and Europe, Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids provides super haircuts in a clean and fun-filled environment. Children can watch Netflix or their favorite cartoons and sit in fun chairs that look like a Mini Cooper, Barbie Jeep, Dodge police cruiser, Lightning McQueen race car, Hummer, Buzz Lightyear vehicle, or #8 Dale Earnhardt NASCAR race car while their hair is being washed, cut, and blow-dried by experienced stylists. Tots who get their first haircut at Sharkey’s even get a first haircut certificate. Meanwhile, tweens and teens can play video games on 40-inch screens or watch their favorite music shows or sporting events through satellite TV as they’re getting their haircut.

Other services offered by Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids include updos, makeup, manicures, and birthday parties. Sharkey’s was voted the number one kids’ salon by readers of Nickelodeon Magazine for five consecutive years. The company has also been named to the Franchise Times’ “Fast 55” and Red Hot Franchises’ “Hot 100 Franchises” lists.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks: Doing Good From the Comfort of a Hammock

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A 2014 B Corp Best for the World for Overall Impact honoree, Yellow Leaf Hammocks is encouraging people to do good by relaxing. The San Francisco, California-based company offers 100 percent handwoven hammocks that are engineered for supreme comfort and durability and directly support artisan jobs in Thailand. Founded by “hammock-preneurs” Joe Demin and Rachel Connors, Yellow Leaf sells bright, colorful hammocks in three sizes – hanging chair, classic double, and family-sized. Customers can also design their own hammocks.

The mission of Yellow Leaf is to change the world from the comfort of a hammock. Each product directly empowers the company’s hill-tribe artisan weavers and their families in rural northern Thailand, who previously worked as indentured field laborers and made only a few dollars per month. Children worked with their parents instead of going to school, and pesticides and land clearing destroyed the regional environment. Yellow Leaf Hammocks seeks to empower these families and communities by creating safe, high-wage jobs that enable them to leave the toxic slash-and-burn agriculture industry, escape the cycle of poverty, and join the middle class.

Instead of charity, Yellow Leaf Hammocks provides its weavers with the tools and dignity to build a better future. A Yellow Leaf weaver can earn as much as a college-educated teacher. The company takes a comprehensive approach to economic development, social impact, and sustainability by promoting environmental stewardship, social equity, economic health, and cultural autonomy. Yellow Leaf has been featured in The Huffington Post, Martha Stewart Living, Forbes, Good, and Elle Decor. The certified B Corporation is a partner of Kiva, Toms Marketplace, Carbonfund, and Youth Trade.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks was started to save the Mlabri tribe from extinction. When the land around them was claimed and deforested, they were impoverished and without citizenship. Yellow Leaf has played a significant role in developing a sustainable micro-economy in the region.

Naja: Underwear With a Purpose

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Naja (pronounced “na-ya”) is a rebellious lingerie brand seeking to make the world a better place. Launched in 2013, Naja empowers women by offering bras and panties that make the woman who wears them feel good about herself. Naja products are meticulously crafted using high-quality materials such as hand-harvested Peruvian pima cotton, nylon lace, and memory foam cups, with thoughtful detailing like interior bra prints and ultrasonic sealed bra straps. Though the products integrate the kind of artistry and attention to detail found only in luxury brands, Naja doesn’t believe women have to pay a high price for premium-quality lingerie. Bras retail for $45 to $68, while panties go for $14 to $24.

Naja is underwear with a purpose. The company has partnered with the Golondrinas Foundation in Colombia to train single or head of household mothers to sew. Naja then employs them so they can help themselves and their children. A percentage of every purchase at Naja goes toward supporting these women.

Matt & Nat: Stylish Vegan Bags and Wallets

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Matt & Nat (Mat(t)erial + Nature) is a vegan accessories brand founded by Inder Bedi in 1995. Based in Montreal, Canada, Matt & Nat offers chic bags and wallets for men and women made without any animal products. Sustainable materials such as cork and recycled plastic bottles are also used.

A vegetarian since he was a teenager, Bedi got the idea for Matt & Nat while he was in university and had to write a business plan. That business plan, which combined fashion and sustainability, would later become the basis for Matt & Nat. Bedi was actually studying to apply for law school, but felt frustrated with the lack of interesting vegan products as a consumer. He decided to scrap his original plans and try entrepreneurship instead.

Today, Matt & Nat is sold at retailers across Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US. The brand has also been creating an exclusive line for Apple since 2010. Celebrity fans of Matt & Nat include Emily Deschanel, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, and more.

Avilan: 100 Percent Eco Ethical Diamonds

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Diamonds are generally regarded as a physical representation of human love and commitment. The process of mining these gems, however, is an entirely different story. Diamond mining has a huge negative impact on the environment and societies. To uncover a diamond, a staggering amount of earth must be moved – over 1,750 tons of earth and ore are extracted to find one carat’s worth of rough diamond. This requires large quantities of energy, water, and petroleum, and vast areas of important habitat for animals and vegetation are cleared to build new roads and infrastructure. Additionally, such methods unearth toxic materials and cause water and air pollution, potentially altering ecosystems for at least decades to come and contributing to climate change.

Diamond mining has also led to corruption and violations of basic human rights. Diamond profits fund wars and support rape, murder, child labor, and other atrocities – this is where the terms “blood diamond” and “conflict diamond” come from. In fact, the number of deaths caused by diamond-fueled civil wars is 8 times greater than all US military deaths from the past 70 years. In 2003, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KP) was launched to regulate the diamond mining industry. However, the KP has several loopholes and its requirements are difficult to enforce. Meanwhile, diamonds that are marketed as “conflict-free” are still obtained via operations that devastate the environment.

Founded in 2010, Avilan is the first and only provider of truly ethical, responsibly sourced diamonds that are upcycled from the existing world inventory. By buying and selling post-consumer diamonds. Avilan prevents the need for newly mined gems. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company’s Storied Diamond is the world’s only third-party certified responsibly sourced diamond, as guaranteed by Scientific Certification Systems.

Standing for sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible practices in the diamond business, Avilan is committed to creating positive change in the industry by breathing new life into previously owned diamonds. Moreover, Avilan donates a percentage of each purchase and sale to charity partners that share its mission.

One Small Business for a Big Change

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One Small Business

One Small Business is an Arizona-based for-benefit company dedicated to nurturing young entrepreneurs around the world. One Small Business creates fun, smart, and amazing entrepreneurial products and services for kids to inspire them for life. The company’s launch product is a simple startup kit that gives a child everything they need to start their first lemonade stand, car wash, or dog walking business. Each kit includes business cards, custom marketing stickers, a mini business plan, and a parent’s quick start guide.

One Small Business is the brainchild of Chris Ronzio and Russ Perry, who both had some great childhood experiences that set them on their path to entrepreneurship. The duo is passionate about giving similar experiences to as many kids as possible and believes that the world would be a better place if a whole generation of children got excited about making a difference. Running a business, no matter how large or small, teaches key life skills such as working hard and being resourceful.

Freedom of Animals: Cruelty-Free Luxury Bags

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Freedom of Animals

Based in New York, Freedom of Animals is a sustainable and ethical luxury bag line made in the USA and without any animal materials. Founded in 2012 by stylist Morgan Bogle and her photographer boyfriend Scott MacDonough, Freedom of Animals seeks to provide conscious consumers with distinct and purposeful designs that are cruelty-free. Combining form, function, and style, the company’s products are made with the highest quality, eco-friendly materials to offer more ethical choices in the luxury accessories market. The young brand has already gained celebrity fans such as Anne Hathaway, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kerry Washington.

Bogle and MacDonough decided to start an ethical accessories line as animal skin is usually the default material for bags and shoes. After years of research, they have found a more sustainable fabrication that is just as luxurious. While they look and feel like leather, Freedom of Animals bags use EPA-approved fabrics and materials such as post-consumer polyurethane and organic cotton. A safer alternative to PVC, polyurethane is not filled with harsh chemicals, does not emit carcinogenic dioxin, and requires 70 percent less energy than other synthetic fabrics to finish. Furthermore, all Freedom of Animals products are lined with organic cotton and plastic water bottle lining, have recycled hardware, and are colored with recycled vegetable-based dyes.

Freedom of Animals was born out of the couple’s love for animals. “We got to the point where we felt that all our volunteering with animals – taking dogs in and working at wildlife sanctuaries – wasn’t enough,” explains Bogle.

The company also respects nature and thus uses only sustainably sourced materials from vendors who use green facilities and practice environmentally friendly production when possible. Additionally, a percentage of profits is donated to wildlife conservation efforts.

“What you purchase and consume is the biggest voice that you have in the world – the biggest way to make a change,” says Bogle. “We hope to give people an option to participate in positive change.”