Environmental issues and climate change have been in the media spotlight for a while now and many consumers, especially millennials, are increasingly choosing brands that focus on corporate environmental responsibility. From greentech startups working to clean up traditional industries to large companies dedicating time and resources to environmental initiatives, here are 20 companies that are helping lead the way in sustainability.
4Ocean
4Ocean creates bracelets from plastic waste. The company was born after the founders, Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper, went on a surf trip to Bali, Indonesia and found the beach covered in plastic bottles. To date, the company has cleaned up over seven million pounds of plastic around the globe.
Aptive Environmental
According to Entrepreneur, Aptive is the fastest growing pest control service in America. Most pest control services use toxic chemicals or pesticides to get the job done, but Aptive prides itself on using environmentally responsible and safe solutions.
Amour Vert
Meaning “green love” in French, this company is committed to producing sustainable fashion in an industry that generates 4% of the world’s total waste — that’s 92 million tons each year. Amour Vert only produces clothes in limited production to help eliminate waste. The company also partners with American Forest to plant a tree for every tee shirt they sell.
Aqua-Yield
Aqua-Yield is helping to revolutionize the agricultural industry. The company specializes in nanotechnology to deliver more nutrients to crops helping to increase the sustainability of the soil.
Back Market
Back Market is a tech refurbishing startup that buys and sells used electronics. The tech industry uses many minerals to produce devices, like smartphones, that are often sourced from conflict zones. Back Market helps reduce this waste by recycling tech products.
Beyond Meat
Beyond is taking the food industry by storm. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that livestock production uses one-third of the world’s freshwater supply. With Beyond Meat’s focus on plant-based protein, the company aims to help reduce the strain on the planet’s natural resources.
Blue Jeans Go Green
A part of Cotton Incorporated, Blue Jeans Go Green recycles denim products into insulation that can be used in buildings and homes. The company has diverted more than 1,200 tons of denim from landfills and turned it into over four million square feet of insulation.
Choose Energy
Choose Energy has created a marketplace to educate consumers about their energy options and help residents or businesses switch to clean energy with an easy, user-friendly experience.
FireClay Tile
The average residential renovation produces 22 pounds of waste, but FireClay helps to reduce that using sustainable manufacturing practices and recycled material to make tile, glass, and brick.
Freight Farms
Most of the produce people eat is shipped from across the country or around the world, which produces a harmful carbon footprint. Freight Farms’ goal is to bring people closer to their food by recycling shipping containers and turning them into self-sustaining farms.
Gotham Greens
This New York-based greentech startup specialized in growing sustainable produce in urban settings using greenhouses powered by clean energy.
Holganix
Holganix specializes in organic soil and lawncare by utilizing natural microorganisms as opposed to harmful pesticides.
Lush Cosmetics
A well-known name in the beauty industry, Lush creates clean and sustainable cosmetic products. Lush has earned its reputation as an eco-friendly company and grown a cult following by creating products that are not tested on animals, are created with vegetarian and ethically sourced ingredients, and use reduced plastic packaging.
Notpla
Notpla specializes in making biodegradable packaging. Instead of plastic, their bottles and containers are made from seaweed and other plant materials that dissolve naturally in a matter of weeks, as opposed to plastic which can stay in landfills for years.
Patagonia
The well-known activewear company dedicates millions of dollars to environmental initiatives and repairs and recycles their clothes to help reduce their carbon footprint.
Preserve
Since the 1990s, Preserve has been making household items, like toothbrushes and bowls, from 100% recycled plastic. In an effort to further reduce even more plastic from reaching landfills, they have a takeback program to collect plastic which can be recycled into new products.
Radiator Labs
Anyone who lives in a home with a radiator knows how quickly the space can overheat. Radiator Labs came up with an innovative solution to help make steam-heated buildings more energy efficient.
Seventh Generation
For more than 30 years, Seventh Generation has been creating plant-based cleaning products that are eco-friendly and free from harsh chemicals. They’re also a certified B-Corp.
Steelcase
Steelcase offers furniture and technology products that are produced on a closed-loop system, which helps decrease the amount of material needed to make products and allows them to be easily recycled.
TOMS
The footwear brand is famous for donating a pair of shoes for every pair they sell, 60 million across 70 countries to be exact, but they also create their shoes from vegan and eco-friendly materials. Recently the company has also launched campaigns to help bring eyeglasses and clean water to communities around the world.