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Shopping green in the UK appears to be gaining momentum since the start of Covid-19. According to Circular, consumers are demanding greener products in the wake of the pandemic.
Another survey by tech company Shopmium found that 74% of those in the UK have changed shopping habits to be greener and that almost everybody (97%) views climate change as an issue.
Shopping green in the UK is on the rise
“We need to act now and say no to mass consumerism and plastic pollution. By supporting small, planet-friendly handmade brands based in the UK you can help save our planet and buy something unique, made with love” – Anne Morgan, Founder Bijou Concierge
Although it’s generally more expensive shopping green in the UK as green products are more expensive, I genuinely believe that the future for small, planet-friendly businesses in the UK is bright!
Since Covid-19 people seem to have become more concerned with the future of our planet and want to support small, local businesses. It seems that this is the ‘green’ era of ethical consumerism and ecopreneurs.
Non-ethical brands will get left behind if they don’t act fast and appeal to the more environmentally conscious British consumer. Indeed, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic plastic-free and low-waste startups said they saw a massive spike in sales and long may it continue!
But, it seems we need to educate the men in our lives about buying green products though as they are mainly marketed to and bought by women!
Gen Z & Millenials leading the way in ethical consumption in the UK
Gen Z and Millennials, in particular, are leading the charge in ethical consumption. 62% of Gen Z prefer to shop with sustainable brands, and 73% of Millennials will pay more for sustainable goods.
Editor’s Note: Although this post is about supporting small, ethical handmade businesses, original green brand Lush must surely be an inspiration for many of the small planet friendly brands. After all it invented the first solid shampoo bar and offers packaging-free products instore. It’s also in the process of eliminating palm oil from its products.
Before we dive into the reasons you should shop green in the UK and support ethical, handmade brands , let’s briefly look at the difference between ethical, eco-friendly and sustainable brands plus the impact Covid-19 has had on consumers.
Difference between green, ethical, eco-friendly and sustainability
- Green – green brands are those brands that consumers associate with environmental conservation and sustainable business practices.
- Ethical – an ethical product is one in which morality is the basis of the creation of the product. All ethical products are ones that are created without using any type of process, material, person, or animal in an unethical or moral way.
- Eco-friendly – means ‘not environmentally harmful.’ Everything from production, manufacturing, and packaging should be favourable and safe for the planet in terms of products.
- Sustainability – refers to ‘the practice of ensuring we don’t harm our natural resources while promoting and maintaining a good economy yet being conscious about the future.
Has Covid-19 made us more ethical consumers?
According to Deloitte’s Sustainable Consumer research, 85% of consumers in the UK have adopted a more sustainable lifestyle last year during the Covid-19 pandemic and a third of consumers look for sustainable businesses when buying.
BBC News recently wrote an article which looked at whether Coronavirus has made us more ethical consumers and I’m pretty sure you can take a wild guess what conclusion they came to!
Also, according to a report by Deloitte in 2021, a third of consumers look for brands with strong sustainable (34%) and ethical (30%) credentials.
Small businesses in the UK need to cut down on plastic
Many of the big brands are becoming sustainable (including packaging) and it appears the UK’s small businesses are catching on! Plastic pollution is a real concern and small businesses as well as the global giants need to take collective action.
In my hometown, Tunbridge Wells, The Zero Waste Company has recently opened The Ethical Emporium to showcase local, ethical handmade brands. And I’ve just launched ‘My Little Green Directory’ – a curated online directory to showcase some of the UK’s best planet-friendly handmade brands.
Handmade brands are usually more sustainable
Handmade brands are usually more sustainable and if you’re looking for planet-friendly, handmade candles, jewellery, stationery, fashion and skincare from UK based makers there are lots of amazing brands to choose from.
Shopping green in the UK: supporting small, handmade brands
Unlike some of the larger retailers, small brands are less likely to mislead consumers when it comes to green claims, known as ‘greenwashing’.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority, found that 40% of green claims made online could potentially be misleading.
Personally, I am far more inclined to believe small businesses
Shopping green in the UK: top 4 reasons you should buy from small green handmade brands
Here are my top 4 reasons why you should buy from small, ethical handmade brands in the UK.
1. You are helping to save our planet
By shopping greener, you’re showing you care about the future of our planet and are doing your bit to save it! Wearing sustainable clothes, using eco-friendly cosmetics and burning ethically made candles and so on means you are part of the empowering and positive change we need for our planet’s survival.
Our beloved Mother Earth is battling so many issues including plastic pollution, climate change, deforestation, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity and so on. If you buy unethical products, you are indirectly harming the planet!
2. You are buying something unique
Mass produced items are identical whereas handmade and small-batch items are unique. It’s their intrinsic originality which makes them so special. Every item is truly a ‘one off’ and you won’t find another product which is exactly the same.
3. Handmade products are usually better quality
Handmade products are made with love – many crafters are making a living doing something they love and it shows in the care and attention to detail they pay when making their products.
4. You are supporting a family and boosting the local economy
When you buy a product from a local independent business you’re supporting a family, a dream and boosting the local economy as well as reducing your carbon footprint.
Did you know that of every £1.00 spent in a small, local business, 63p stays in the local economy?
Buying local also helps employment rates. The more successful small businesses there are, the more jobs become available.
Maker businesses in the UK on the rise since Covid-19
The UK craft sector saw a boom in lockdown as many hobbyist crafters on furlough started craft businesses. As a result, it saw the biggest increase of new handmade artisans in a decade. This included a 33% increase in self-employed crafters recorded between 2019 and 2020 alone. And this growth contributed to an overall rise of 21% more makers setting up a handmade business over the last ten years!
Handmade doesn’t always mean ethical!
Products made by local businesses can often be found in local shops. Local Makers will often buy from local suppliers as well. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ethical. Make sure you check before you buy!
A recent study looked at the key relationship between local businesses and the communities in which they operate. More than half of UK consumers say it’s important to shop locally because they know how much it means to them, and 43% report that they are happier.
Join my little green directory if you’re a planet-friendly handmade brand based in the UK
I’m really excited to discover more planet friendly handmade brands based in the UK and if you would like to join my little green directory please click here.
Here’s to
a greener future!
