Imagine a world where innovation is not driven by profit, but by ethics. These five green brands are paving the way, proving that building a fairer, environmentally-conscious future can be the main focus.
Priormade
Priormade creates bold and contemporary homeware, lighting and accessories using sustainable and recycled materials. Attention to detail, skilled craftsmanship and responsible fabrication is at the forefront of every design. From a range of 17 colours across their lighting and planter collection to rich earrings made from recycled wood, Priormade is the go-to independent brand for eco gifts that are made to last.
For over 10 years, founder Rebecca Prior has been designing and creating minimalist geometric planters, lighting and jewellery straight from her Bristol workshop. Her Geo Pendant lamps are particularly popular; endorsed by TV personality Kirstie Allsopp, they come with a three meter cable and can be moved around the house whenever you may need that cosy corner and a pinch of colour. Made using layers of eco birch plywood and hand painted, they are sanded wonderfully smooth and finished with a natural based wax. The leather straps are surplus waste from factories, the braided cable is Italian linen and the bulb (included) is LED.
In 2019, as the business grew, Prior opened Prior Shop, a carefully curated space showcasing exceptional craftsmanship. It is a not-for-profit independent store and workspace that prides itself on stocking unique and eco-conscious designs, made to last. ‘I wanted to create a modern lifestyle store that only sells sustainable handmade goods. I ask each of our 34 artists and designers to fill out a form for transparency, ensuring their responsibility across sourcing materials, packaging, suppliers and the making processes,’ Prior explains.
Priormade products are made in-house and customers can choose their lamp colour combinations (17 paint choices and 17 cable choices) and have them wired while they wait. They can also participate in a lamp making workshop to make their own from scratch. Those living outside of Bristol UK can order online.
Krylik
In 2020, a group of creative, environmentally-minded fashionistas were searching for a new way to disrupt the single-use, fast-fashion world. They set out to develop a stick on nail that can compete with any other nail brand on the market without damaging the planet. After extensive development, they did it, creating Krylik Nails – plant-based, reusable and made in the UK. Sustainability in the beauty industry is the way to go.
Krylik Nails come in an array of stylish designs, from the classy Dune to the the extravagant Bull and Roses. They really do make a statement. Standing out, reusing and recolouring are the focus of Krylik. Repaint your nail for the fifth time, and reapplying it for the tenth – Krylik Nails are light but strong, and could truly last you a lifetime. Reuse, recolour with your favourite nail polish, be yourself and have fun.
‘Join us on our adventure, let’s be ourselves, let’s care and let’s make an impact,’ says Clementine de Geuser, Brand Manager of Krylik London. Clementine has a wealth of marketing experience within luxury fashion, and understands the need for sustainable changes within the beauty industry. At her side stands Archie Sladen, Lead Developer and Head of Procurement, who works tirelessly to offer you the best product possible. Having been with Krylik since the beginning, he understands the need for sustainable fashion and that now is the time to change single-use plastics within fashion.
Each Krylik London set includes 24 nails in 12 different sizes, nail glue, and a cuticle stick, all packaged in 100 percent recyclable materials.
Roscomar
A global sneaker brand founded in 2017 and headed by CEO Johan Olsson has committed to a new carbon-neutral model. After seeing growth through 2018 and 19 Olsson decided to hit pause on the brand in its original form, partly due to the effects of Covid on the industry, but mostly to take time for introspection and sustainable improvement.
Whilst the industry average sneaker carbon footprint is 12.5kg C02e, Roscomar’s sneakers have smaller footprints of 6.5kg for Rv3 and 9.7kg for Court, but that’s not small enough. That’s why Roscomar give detailed material descriptions and meticulously measure their environmental impact (via an accredited third-party environmental consultancy). Until Roscomar’s emissions are zero, they offset all remaining footprint with the UN program Climate Neutral Now. They hold themselves to account and strive for improvement at all stages of design and production to ensure the Roscomar product is the highest sustainable standard it can be.
The afterlife of a sneaker is just as important as the birth and life, a traditional sneaker sole can last up to 1,000 years in landfill. Afterlife is the Roscomar-recycling program, they offer free end-of-life returns, which means that they can take your old Roscomars and reincarnate them into a variety of new materials, both within fashion (closed loop circularity) and other industries such as for construction materials (open loop circularity) ensuring nothing ends up in landfill or incineration.
Aphrodite Razors
A brand born out of the determination to help women make eco-friendly lifestyle choices, the work of Aphrodite Razors means that beauty regimes don’t have to impact the beauty of the planet.
Entrepreneurs Emma and Dan were drawn to the overlooked statistics on plastic-containing razor usage and noticed that there was an opportunity to encourage women to make a difference by changing the way they shave. In 2019, over five million people in the UK alone were using disposable razors, with over 13 million using plastic-containing cartridge razors. These are pretty big numbers, and when multiplied by the number of disposables are thrown away daily, that’s a lot of single-use plastic to wrap your head around.
Aphrodite Razors is the UK’s first 100 percent plastic-free razor subscription service specifically for women. The sophisticated razors look better than disposables, but also offer a more luxurious shave without contributing to plastic production and, ultimately, pollution.
As well as being a plastic-free brand, Aphrodite Razors advocate zero-waste living, with the blades and packaging being easily recyclable. To further contribute to giving back to the planet, the brand works closely with sustainability charity One Tree at A Time, and plants a tree with every order. The brand is ambitious to make plastic-free shaving the everyday way and to inspire women to seek new, sustainable practices to incorporate into their beauty regimes.
Reconciliation
When the world feels like a dark place, a gesture as simple as lighting a candle can spark hope. The #Reconciliation project can help overcome global crises and bring positivity back into our lives; help us create a place of calm, of harmony with nature, with each other, and within ourselves.
The #Reconciliation Luxury Scented Candle comes with a twist: it represents a noble cause. Set up by Sublime Magazine, #Reconciliation is a crowd-funding i
nitiative, aiming to raise money for the creation of an editorial site, where we will share stories of hope from around the world.
We believe that reconciliation narratives can stop wars and displacement, that the reconciliation message could bring prosperity to the poor, and that reconciliation stories could transform fighters into peacemakers. If your values align with ours, we invite you to purchase a candle and join us. We want this message to be visible.
The candle itself is hand-crafted in Lombardy, Italy. It’s vegan, natural, sustainable, and plastic-free, with a guarantee of 92 hours of burn time – perfect for shedding some light when winter nights feel almost never-ending. The candle is currently available in one scent: Amber. Warm, musky, and rich, it complements its sleek, black glass casing nicely, bringing a taste of Italian class into your home.