Last updated on November 22nd, 2023 at 02:03 am
I absolutely love home decor! Making empty spaces into something special is so much fun. Filling it up with things and memories we love and treasure, Over the years, though, I’ve witnessed the amount of waste that builds up due to home decor projects. This, coupled with my increasing adherence to sustainability and fairtrade principles, has led me to a much more considered approach to home decor. Looking for for affordable ethical home decor? This post is for you.
If you’re in Europe, here are 13 eco friendly home decor brands there.
Nowadays, when looking for things to buy, there are three factors I mainly consider, in this order:
- Try to reuse existing items (or buy second hand items);
- If I’m buying new items, I go for sustainably made, long-lasting options; and
- Definitely try to buy from local sellers and businesses and ethical makers if possible.
The goal is simple: to minimize the damage to the environment. This means minimal waste and minimal new resources (hence the second hand option). If you’re looking for a study table lamp, and you can make do by repurposing your mom’s old lamp stand, then that’s ideal. Or, you can wander around your local thrift store for unique pieces. If you’d rather buy something new, then this post is for you: sustainable, ethical home decor brands that sell affordable and stylish products.
Affordable Ethical Home Decor
Now here’s a harsh reality check: if you want ethically made home decor items, you will need to pay more than you would at Amazon or Walmarts. A mass-produced vase or throw blanket may seem tempting to buy due to the low price, but it isn’t ethically made (or environmentally friendly). And if you want ethically and sustainably made home decor options, then you will have to pay more – to cascade that amount back to the actual artisan. That’s the promise of an ethical company: they will pay fair wages to their employees and partnering artisans. Which means you, the customer, will pay a higher, and fairer, price for the product.
Having said that, though, there are still affordable ethical options and less affordable ones. I’m not in the category of people who can pay 2,000 dollars for an ethically made statement rug in the living room (and I wouldn’t want to, either). What I would happily do, though, is save up for months for the lovely, artisan-crafted, eco-friendly, long-lasting rug for my bedroom-cum-living room that I fell in love with at first sight and that costs $350.00. If i really, really wanted it! I want a nice, eco-friendly piece, yes, and I do want to help pay the creator of it a fair price (especially since I really appreciate the artistic process). But I’m also not a fool to toss a crazy amount of money on a decorative piece when I can put that money away for paying off my debt. Balance, my friend. Balance.
So this post tries to find that balance. Different folks find different numbers to be “affordable” for them. The brands listed in this post have a healthy range of prices, and they all happen to have sustainably made products and ethical business practices. Beyond that, the choice is yours!
Top Tips for Choosing the Right Home Decor
But how do you know what type of home decor stuff is ethical and eco-friendly? Here are some quick tips for selecting the best items for your home.
1 // Opt for Natural Materials
Natural in this case usually means plastic-free, so you can choose from wood, glass, clay, etc.
2 // Go for Recycled / Reused / Reclaimed Materials
Ah, the stories they’ll tell. Even the stories you can imagine they’re telling;) An interesting piece from god-knows-where, but found in a thrift store can be the ideal piece to complete your dining room. It could happen! Or a piece of driftwood you found in your garden can be turned into a plant stand. The point here is, there’s more than enough decor items floating around in your friends’ homes, relatives’ homes, thrift stores, or even abandoned on the curbside, that you can buy or take, and can be exactly what you need. Just keep an eye out for that ideal piece, and reduce your carbon footprint just like that.
3 // Low Toxicity
Now, whether you’re bringing new stuff or reclaimed stuff into your home, make sure it’s free of harmful toxins. Even reclaimed products are sometimes processed with tons of chemicals, so look out for possible off-gassing from your latest decor items. BTW, you even get non-toxic, eco-friendly paint for walls.
4 // Durability
You want something that is long-lasting. Using up the planet’s resources is bad enough, but discarding them and using a new bunch of resources because of bad quality (or an obsession with novelty) is just…disrespectful to Mother Earth. Focus on quality and durability. You don’t want to be returning again and again to the store for something that should last a lifetime!
5 // Company Values
If you are in a position to be able to consider this point, then please do consider it. Is the company treating all its employees, suppliers and all the human beings they work with well? Then it’s an ethical business. Does it have a transparent supply chain? Does it get its materials from sustainable sources? Support companies that have the best interests of the environment and communities at heart. (How would you even check for all this?! Look for their credentials on their website.)
6 // Design and Aesthetics
You gotta go for the stunning items. Beauty is what we’re after, right? Who wants to design their home to look ugly? And go for carefully selected pieces, not the impulse purchases. You want items that you will be happy with in the long run, not something you regret buying the very next morning. (This whole point is a no-brainer, but I’m including it to make the list more complete.)
7 // Prioritize Local Businesses
Why prioritize local businesses? Well, apart from supporting your own community members, there’s also the important element of transportation. If you’re buying something from Thailand, it’s going to fly halfway around the world to get to you (depending on where you are, of course. If you are in Thailand, then by all means buy Thai home decor!). But do consider the environmental effects of actually transporting the goods to you before you click on BUY.
Looking for other eco-friendly home goods? Check out our posts on sustainable furniture, organic bedding brands, and kitchen essentials.
Ethical Home Decor Brands
Remember Anko? They were an adorable sustainable and ethical home decor brand that sadly went out of business in 2020. However, there are other brands you can check out. These ethical home decor brands listed below are committed to fairtrade principles in their sourcing, production and employment functions. They’re inspired by, and support, artisans around the world, are designed flawlessly for your modern home, and enable stories. Stories of creativity, hope, community. I’ve segregated them into two categories – less famous ones and the more famous ones.
Brands You Need to Know
These brands are not yet in the mainstream (well, not as much as a brand like Anthropologie, anyway). They may not be new, but they need a shoutout now and then to get people to stop by. Most, if not all, of their products are affordable, but a couple of these brands do have products that are on the pricier side. So ignore the expensive ones and check out the affordable products only!
1 // Accompany | USA
Accompany showcases eclectic, artisanal, limited-edition pieces made by hand, and is a fair trade home decor brand. They use their sales to help global philanthropic efforts, particularly marginalized communities. Plus, their products are so gorgeous!
2 // Apartment F | USA
Apartment F “seeks to disrupt the world of mass production by ethically sourcing small batch goods that support and empower independent artisans worldwide.” They work with artisans in
Morocco and Turkey and design their textiles in-house in the US. Their key focus areas are slow production, workmanship, and environmental and social responsibility.
3 // Archive New York | USA
From New York to Guatemala, and back. Archive NY wants to collect antique and rare fabric samples from areas where such weaving traditions are dying out. They work with artisans in those locations to create the designs, all while aiming to honor the integrity of the Mayan culture & heritage. They follow fair trade principles.
4 // August Sage | USA
August Sage recognizes the challenges faced by artisan communities around the world due to the ubiquity of cheap, mass-produced goods. Founder Rowena Lei is determined to “bypass that and provide you with goods you’ll value for a lifetime.” The company values relationships, stories and human expression.
5 // Equal Uprise | USA
At the intersection of responsible production and modern design, you will find Equal Uprise. EU works with unique art methods and artisans to create and curate one-of-a-kind products. Founder Denise values dignified employment, and EU’s work has created and sustained jobs for marginalized artisans in Ecuador and Tunisia.
6 // Etsy | Worldwide
Etsy has a host of small businesses and artisans selling on its platform. Plus, they recently went carbon-neutral by offsetting 100 per cent of carbon emissions from all their shipping, so it’s a great platform to find unique, handcrafted items that are less burdensome on the planet.
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
7 // Goodee | USA
Goodee is an inclusive marketplace that has been built around transparent sourcing, upcycling, diverse representation, ethical treatment of its employees, and more. Find several makers here, selling their lovingly crafted wares.
8 // Itemerie | USA
Skilled artisans make Itemerie’s offerings, and they’re all made from natural materials (think clay) and recycled ones (think reclaimed glass). Sustainability, durability and elegance are their touchstones in business.
9 // Jenni Kayne | USA
Their products are beautiful and functional, and Jenni Kayne’s focus on quality and craftsmanship is their badge of honor. They have built lasting relationships with their artisans and suppliers.
10 // Knaughty Log Co. | USA
Their carefully handcrafted end tables are made from reclaimed Eastern Red Cedar logs, and a similar level of through and planning goes into each of their products. They also plant eight trees for event one they use, so that’s a great bonus.
11 // Magda Made | Columbia
Their carefully curated collection is handmade by Colombian artisans working for fair wages. Magda Made’s pillars of business also include cultural exploration and preservation.
12 // Mango and Moose | Canada + worldwide
Founder Tanya Donahue’s Mango + Moose is a socially conscious company. Their gorgeous products are all exclusively created and developed through ethical practices in collaboration with 19 artisan groups in 11 countries.
13 // Minzuu | USA
Minzuu is a social enterprise working with globally curated, ethically made home goods “rooted in artisanal craft traditions.” They work for the benefit of both people and nature.
14 // Not Boring Home | USA
Founder Mel Kelly’s Not Boring Home is about design but with fair wages and less waste. Most of their products are certified fair trade, and they source products that are made using local natural, upcycled and sustainable materials.
15 // Wearth London | UK
Wearth London’s ethical homewares are high-quality and sustainably made. They source most of their products in the UK, thus supporting local makers there (and also minimizing the carbon footprint).
16 // Zeal Living | Ethiopia, Ghana + several other African countries
Stunning handmade goods that have a big impact on artisans’ lives and livelihoods? Zeal Living is all about that, working with local artisans in several countries in Africa. Their values include fair trade principles and environmental sustainability.
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
Eco-friendly Home Decor Brands: The Usual Suspects
Listed below are home decor brands that are more widely known. Some of these are standalone home decor brands, and some are marketplaces for several home decor brands. But you’re likely to find affordable and ethical options here.
1 // Crate & Barrel
2 // Made Trade
3 // Ruggable
4 // Ten Thousand Villages
5 // The Citizenry
6 // Viva Terra
7 // We Are Pampa
8 // West Elm
Unique Ethical Brands with Eco-friendly Home Decor Products
These home goods brands offer a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted, modern spin on traditional craft techniques. Which makes some of them quite expensive. But they’re worth checking out, if only for looking at the beautiful product lines!
1 / Bolé Road Textiles // handwoven, from Ethiopia
2 / Casa Ojo // handmade home goods from Oaxaca, Mexico
3 / Cuttalossa // home goods from around the world
4 / Here & There Collective // modern takes on traditional goods, from Indonesia, Guatemala, and Mexico
5 / Kazi // woven baskets and wall art
6 / MINNA // ethical decor in contemporary designs
7 / Pokoloko // ethically-made, handcrafted items by independent artisans
8 / Quinta Esencia Studio // slow-made goods from El Salvador
9 / Soil To Studio // handwoven home goods and botanically dyed collections
10 / Tierra y Mano // handcrafted home and lifestyle items
11 / Tribe by Sonal // unique bohemian twist to home goods
That’s it for now! My top favorite (affordable) ethical home decor brands. Remember, your first option should be to use up existing pieces – be it from your family and friends, or from a stranger through the thrift store. If these options don’t work out, these ethical, sustainable brands will be sure to help and inspire you.
If you liked this post, please share it with your friends. Thank you!<3
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
NOTE: All brand photographs belong to the respective brands/businesses.
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