For many people, shopping online isn't only therapeutic; it is the easiest way to get some rare handmade products. But then, online shopping comes with issues like packaging waste, shipping emissions, and plastic waste. It creates problems for online shoppers trying to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle.
If you are looking for zero-waste stores online, you can try Etsy. It offers a platform-wide carbon offset on delivery emissions. And as an excellent place for smaller independent outlets, Zero Waste Etsy shops provide some brilliant options where you can shop for eco-friendly products and zero-waste essentials with sustainable packaging.
Zero waste is a concept that reimagines the circle of production, consumption, and disposal. Zero waste calls for redesigning single-use products to be reusable, opting for materials with low environmental impact and responsible consumption.
The zero-waste philosophy aims to avoid sending waste to landfills or incinerators. Also, plastic is replaced with biodegradable alternatives in the ideal zero-waste world.
Zero-waste products are alternatives to everyday disposable products. Paper towels, for example, are used once and disposed of, but reusable paper towels and wipes last for many uses. Similarly, zero-waste makeup comes packaged without all those plastic bottles and tubs. Some zero-waste products are innovative new ideas, and others are zero-waste alternatives to traditional products.
Read more: What is zero waste?
(in no particular order)
Below are our picks of a range of Etsy shops that sell zero-waste products to help you get on with your zero-waste lifestyle. Click around some of these great little (and not so little) stores to find beauty products, body products, self-care products, fashion items, kitchen accessories, and other stuff for green living.
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If you want to swap single-use items for reusable products, Marley’s Monsters has it all going on! They sell all kinds of reusable items made with natural materials. Their most popular products are UNpaper towels and toilet rolls. These cotton flannel napkins come in print and solid colors. They also offer the perfect accessory in the form of a birch plywood towel holder too.
Other products are mesh laundry bags, nursing pads, cotton facial rounds, unbleached linen tea bags, coffee filters, bin liners, plushy sponges, dusters, and fabric bowl covers. All these products are washable and reusable.
The brand doesn't stop there; they use all the waste fabric scraps that UNpaper towels generate to make a new material. They call it Scrap Felt. They make dishcloths, mop pads, placemats, and drying mats from the material.
Disposable baby wipes typically have plastic fibers that won't decompose. And even when they use organic materials, it's still a waste because of their single use. Many eco-conscious parents opt for reusable cloth wipes (further reading: cloth vs. disposable diapers)
This Etsy shop offers a huge collection of soft wipes in various colors and patterns. The cloth wipes also make excellent washcloths and dish clothes, although they offer mitten washcloths too. You can also get reusable facial rounds, reusable towels, nursing pads, birdseye weave napkins, and panty liners.
Creekside Kid uses natural fibers like organic cotton, bamboo, and hemp. Some of their zero-waste products use unbleached or undyed fabrics.
This Etsy shop offers various reusable items in place of disposables. It stands out for its nature-inspired print designs and tie-dyed items. Their star products are sandwich bags with food-safe PUL lining and cosmetics purses.
They also carry reusable make-up remover pads, table and toilet napkins, and coffee filters.
Their unique insulated cotton bowl holders and fridge door cover handles would add a colorful touch to any kitchen or place setting and come in their unique colorful style. The terry cloth-bamboo-burlap sponge is a customer favorite. Additionally, this brand uses scrap fabrics to create fabric-covered buttons for crafts and sewing.
Remiusables posts your zero-waste choices in Kraft envelopes and uses recycled and recyclable paper for packaging invoices and business cards. Their poly mailers are made from recycled materials and are reusable. The labels and stickers are recycled as well, and not leaving an eco-friendly detail out, they use eco-friendly vegetable ink for all their printing.
This skincare brand uses the finest natural skincare ingredients to formulate safe products for you and the environment. They started with the Healing Salve, which helps to manage diaper rash, rashes, eczema, rashes, insect bites, and scrapes.
Today, they have an extensive range of products, including perfumes, hair and body mists, vegan soap, and bath and body oils. They also produce natural eyeshadows, concealers, lip balms, shaving soaps, solid shampoos, and baby powder.
Balsam, pear, coconut, pomegranate, cocoa butter, wild rose, bergamot, timber, and cedar are natural ingredients that regularly feature in their lineup of items with rave reviews. Rainwater Botanicals uses screw-neck containers for liquids. You can easily reuse them when the product runs out.
This brand uses wildcrafted and organic ingredients to make nontoxic hair care products. They produce hair oil, flaxseed gel, sea salt spray, hair conditioners, shampoo, and hair protein elixir. Other products are a special gel for curly or wavy hair, a curl revitalizer, a detangler spray, and a frizz smoothing spray.
As a zero-waste shop, the store offers refill pouches. So after your first purchase, you can simply restock without adding new empty containers to your trash. The brand sanitizes and reuses the pouches. So it includes a return label on each pouch so you can mail it back to them.
Also, the company is one of the few Etsy shops that use only pre-used shipping fillers donated by individuals and businesses.
Check out our guide to some of the best zero-waste shampoos for more choices.
This shop on Etsy carries reusable mesh produce bags, scrunchies, wool dryer balls, face clothes, eye masks, snack mats, etc. They also offer lavender sachets, wooden soap holders, hot plate pads, and eco stickers.
However, it mainly sells zero-waste products for self-care. Its weighted aromatherapy eye pillows, chai teas, and bath teas are great for your me-time. Their handcrafted cupcake-shaped sea sponge soap makes for a relaxing bath time.
SaidoniaEco mainly uses vegan leather, plant-based fabrics, and natural ingredients. Only a handful of products contain plastic in the form of elastic bands.
The shop is your best bet for a cotton bag that's durable and well-made. They have produce bags, shopping totes, gift bags, multi-purpose fashion totes, lunch totes, and so much more. The paperboard-reinforced collapsible shopping bag is one of their popular innovations.
Other products include eco-friendly yoga mats, cheesecloths, throw blankets, bed sheets, kitchen napkins, and swaddling. All the goods this brand offers are made with GOTS-certified cotton. The cotton is ethically sourced in India.
At EcoARShop you can buy zero-waste essentials like reusable cotton produce bags, steel straw sets, and bamboo toothbrushes. You can also shop for a zero-waste cotton tote or bamboo pen.
Their most popular products are the compostable eco-friendly phone cases for iPhones, AirPods, and AirTags. They make biodegradable cases with cellulose and wheat straws. This product line is a huge hit with customers who say the sizing and style are excellent.
The brand's zero-waste packages are plastic-free.
This UK-based shop sells food wraps, eco-candles, and ear wax removers they make using cruelty-free natural beeswax. Its magnetic spice jars make kitchen organization easy and fun. It also carries reusable cotton bowl covers with elastic bands.
Try Little Foxy's products for self-care without all the waste that regular brands generate. They come wrapped in eco-friendly paper. Their offerings include bath oils, essential oils, shower bombs, sugar body scrubs, and eye pillows.
Beeswax wraps are an eco-friendly alternative to saran or plastic wraps. They are biodegradable, washable, and reusable. Beeswax wraps are also durable and can last a year or more.
This shop on Etsy sells cruelty-free beautiful wraps with motifs of birds, picket fences, bees, and flowers. The wraps come in large, small, and medium sizes. When your Wildflower Bee Wraps become too old, you can use them as fire starters. If you love supporting small businesses, check out this new shop on Etsy.
If you're looking for zero-waste alternatives to paper towels and your organic fabric of choice is linen, then you'll love this shop on Etsy. Bico Estonia carries reusable linen towels, amongst many other linen products.
They have curtains, pillowcases, bedspreads, oven mitts, hand towels, aprons, and cushion covers. All are made with linen. Some of their more artistic linen products are bread baskets, lampshades, door draft stoppers, and window blinds.
Interestingly, you can find all sorts of vintage goods like enamel kettles, metal coat hooks, glass jars, steel cutleries, and tins. These vintage items are second-hand goods from the 1960s or earlier.
Based in Annecy, France, this shop sells zero-waste kits for people who want to try the zero-waste lifestyle. The zero-waste kitchen box contains a stainless steel tea infuser, reusable dish sponges, and stainless straws.
Their Discovery Bathroom box contains solid organic shampoo, washable cotton pads, and bamboo toothbrushes. They include solid toothpaste tablets, traditional Japanese ear picks to replace cotton swabs, and zucchini loofahs.
There is a bar of eco-friendly Marseille soap in both kits. Green Alternative uses a textile pouch to package its kits. We love that the packaging is plastic-free, minimal, and reusable.
What if instead of buying bottle after bottle of cleaning liquids, you could get soap tablets? You just need to dissolve them with hot water in bottles you already have at home, shake thoroughly, and your liquid soap is ready. It saves you from dealing with empty bottles at all.
This zero-waste shop sells soap refill tablets. They have an all-purpose cleaner, hand soap, bathroom cleaner, and glass cleaner tablets. All the tablets are formulated by hand using plant-based ingredients and won't hurt sensitive skin. You can get them in floral, citrus, and sea breeze scents.
0-waste Cleaning tablets come in plastic-free, compostable packaging that you can toss in your backyard.
For more information, check out our guide to zero-waste cleaning.
If you enjoy zero-waste handmade goods, you can find many fabulous artisans on Etsy whose products are eco-friendly. There are also Etsy shops that offer innovative new products that help you reduce waste and adopt green living in every aspect of your life.
Moreso, if you love supporting small businesses, many of them are on this list.
Jen’s a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert. With a science degree from Babcock University Jen loves applying her research skills to craft editorial that connects with our global changemaker and readership audiences centered around topics including zero waste, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
Elsewhere Jen’s interests include the role that future technology and data have in helping us solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges.
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