7 Sustainable Brands to Support this Earth Day

The following post was written by Heinen’s partner Alex Miles.

With Earth Day around the corner, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the ways that we can preserve and protect our precious planet. While the food, beauty and wellness industries have had their fair share of work to do related to minimizing waste and decreasing negative effects on the environment, many brands have stepped up to the sustainability plate, putting Mother Earth at the forefront of their activities.

At Heinen’s, we deeply care about our planet and actively partner with brands that follow strict social and environmental standards. Whether it’s how their products are sourced, produced, packaged or distributed, they prioritize sustainability and help our valued customers do the same. Ahead, we’ve rounded up seven eco-conscious brands that you can shop for this Earth Day – and year-round – to support our environment.

1.Dr. Bronner’s – “We Are All-One”
Well-known for high-quality household products, you may be surprised by this brand’s unique history. Founded in 1948 by German-Jewish soap maker Emanuel Bronner, Dr. Bronner’s famously used the soap labels to promote unity across religious and ethnic divides, often incorporating the message, “We Are All-One or None!”

To this day, Dr. Bronner’s honors its founder’s vision of making the world a more united and better place. The brand’s Special Operations Team partners with small farmers and suppliers around the world, including third-world countries such as Ghana, India, Samoa and Sri Lanka, to advance fair trade while also regenerating soil. Soil regeneration is a byproduct of shifting the farming processes to methods of dynamic agroforestry improve which naturally enhances soil health and fertility and helps to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. It offers the dual benefit of increasing returns for the farmers and shielding their communities against extreme heat and storms. Soil regeneration has been so successful that Dr. Bronner’s and other regenerative allies created the Regenerative Organic Certified™ (ROC™), a third-party certification that holds farms and products to the highest standards for soil health, animal welfare and social fairness.

In addition to these practices, Dr. Bronner’s exclusively uses 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene plastic bottles for all liquid and pump soaps. Not only does this conserve resources, but it drastically reduces landfill waste. Whether you’re purchasing Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap (offered in 8 natural scents), an Organic Lip Balm or All-One Toothpaste, you can feel extremely good about your purchase. By purchasing products like these, you’re perpetuating the Dr. Bronner’s principle of, “Treating the Earth like Home.”

2. Stasher – A Better Planet Is in the Bag
Plastic lunch bags and trash bags are part of everyday life, but do you ever consider how they impact the environment? For example, one year of plastic bags used and thrown away by U.S. families weighs as much as 400 blue whales. Another crazy stat: From grades K-12, one student’s plastic bags can span the length of 1,000 sea turtles. That’s a LOT of trash entering our oceans and landfills.

Fortunately, this woman-founded, mission-driven brand, founded by Kat Nouri, is working to replace the millions upon millions of single-use plastic bags and containers discarded every year. With a background in designing and developing silicone textiles, Kat produced the world’s first patented, self-sealing platinum silicone storage bag that gives back to the planet with every sale, and every time it’s used. Since the original launch, Stasher has grown its movement and product line, offering different sized bags and bowls for diverse needs. You can try the brand’s sandwich bags, mixed lunch bundles, storage bags and more when shopping at Heinen’s. Best of all, Stasher bags can be reused for years and years; all you have to do is wash them by hand or in the dishwasher. It’s that easy. When your bag is damaged or reaches the end of its life, you can send it back to the company to be recycled through Stasher’s partnership with TerraCycle®, a social enterprise dedicated to creating easy-to-use recycling programs and sustainable shopping experiences.

A simple scroll through Stasher’s customer reviews will show you just how much people LOVE these low-waste bags. Best of all, you can feel good knowing that a portion of your Stasher purchase goes to to high-impact nonprofits working to protect our planet.

3. HiBAR Plastic-Free Hair & Skin Care
Frustrated with wasteful plastic packaging, four good friends decided to set a higher bar for the hair and skincare industries. Together, they launched HiBAR, a brand that delivers salon-quality products sans the plastic containers.

You might be wondering: How do you create plastic-free shampoos and conditioners? Most people are so used to these items coming in bottles that it’s hard to consider the alternatives. But did you know that nearly half a billion shampoo and conditioner bottles get thrown away every year? You read that right – half of a BILLION bottles.

Inspired by the smooth rocks you find on the shores of lakes or rivers, HiBAR developed long-lasting shampoo and conditioner bars. The bars are formulated to address different hair needs such as Volumize and Moisturize. Unlike traditional soaps, they’re safe for color-treated hair and are free of harsh sulfates, parabens, silicones and phthalates. If you’re concerned about using a bar for shampoo or conditioner, you’ll quickly come to love the performance, experience and natural ingredients of HiBAR products.

Best of all, the shampoos, conditioners and skincare come in beautiful, plastic-free packaging. Even the shipping packaging is 100% plastic free with no bubble wrap or plastic tape. When you go for HiBAR, your hair will look flawless, plus you’ll be doing a great service for our planet.

4. ACURE – Leaving You & The Planet Calmer & Cleaner
There’s a lot to love about ACURE®, a skin and hair wellness brand that’s on a mission to help you – and our planet – shine brighter than before. The team behind this eco-friendly brand believes that in order for people to feel and act their best, they need to utilize clean, safe products. That’s why you won’t find parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, paraffin, mineral oils or animal testing in any one of their products.

One of our favorite ACURE products, the Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream, uses a blend of natural argan extract, peony extract and sunflower amino acids to boost skin hydration while also leaving your face feeling calm, clean and collected.

Another reason to support ACURE is the brand’s work with TerraCycle® to create a national recycling program. TerraCycle recycles and repurposes ACURE bottles, ensuring they don’t end up in our oceans and landfills. Not only do these products help you look good, but you’ll feel good knowing that you’re contributing to a healthier, stronger planet.

5. Everyone – Elevated Everyday Self-Care Products
Everyone, part of EO Products, is a family-owned brand with high values such as obtaining the EWG Verified mark for personal and environmental safety.

The brand researches, develops, tests and blends self-care products including hand soaps, sanitizers and lotions infused with pure essential oils made from plant extracts.

Everyone products originate in a zero-waste factory in San Rafael, California. The amber colored bottles are 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, so plastic that would’ve gone to a landfill gets a second life.

You can feel good about using the products every single day, as the brand remains committed to staying away from animal testing, synthetic ingredients, parabens and phthalates.

Did we mention the soaps and lotions have amazing scents, too? Their Ruby Grapefruit Hand Soap and Coconut + Lemon 2in1 Lotion create an aromatic experience with every hand washing. You’ll find yourself washing for no reason at all – just so you can enjoy the fresh scents!

6. Rebel Green – Sparking a Green Revolution
Rebel Green was born out of an ambition to deliver highly effective, natural cleaners with a chic, rebellious flair. Knowing that their customers work hard around the household, they deliver equally hard-working, plant-based cleaning products. For instance, the Fresh & Clean Hand Soap – Lavender & Grapefruit is infused with natural oils and healing aloe vera to keep hands hydrated with every wash.

In addition to hand soaps, they also deliver tree-free bamboo paper products, Super Deluxe Dish Soap made with natural essential oils, non-toxic household cleaners and fruit and veggie cleaners.

Beyond using only responsibly sourced and sustainable ingredients, Rebel Green practices eco-friendly production methods – and only partners with manufacturers who are committed to doing the same. While they produce a lot of their inventory locally to minimize waste, their vision extends worldwide. As a B Corp with a desire to minimize the impact of their business operations on the natural word, Rebel Green runs their headquarters on 100% renewable electricity. They also donate a percentage of their sales directly to clean air, water and food initiatives.

7. Green Goo – Spreading Green Goodness
Women-owned and operated, Green Goo® creates all-natural body care, skincare and first aid products that are literally made from the earth with sustainably sourced plants and fresh and dried herbs. We love their line of natural, plant-based skin salve sticks, including Free to Breathe decongestant, First Aid, Skin Repair and Dry Skin for clean skincare on-the-go and, for those who may struggle with the occasional poison ivy outbreak, they offer a soothing Poison Ivy Skin Salve tin .

In addition to making customers feel clean and refreshed, Green Goo dedicates time and money to a number of noteworthy causes. As part of their 1% for the Planet initiative, Green Goo gives 1% of annual sales of Animal First Aid to select animal charities. They also contribute 1% of the purchase price of their natural Foot Care to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, which protects and maintains the 2,650 mile-long trail that runs from California to Washington. If that wasn’t enough, Green Goo leverages eco-friendly sugarcane packaging and other recycled containers to reduce harmful waste.

So, if you’re thinking of going greener this year, you should start with Green Goo products!

If you’re ready to fight for a more eco-conscious world, you can shop Rebel Green products at Heinen’s stores and contribute to their noteworthy cause.