B Corp Brands: Top 12 companies that should be on your radar

If you haven’t heard the news, we have officially become a certified B Corp in January 2022! This is such a crucial step for us, as a brand on a mission to leave our planet better than we have found it. So, what on earth is a B Corp certification and, why is it a goal for many companies?

B Corp is an initiative that took off in the UK in 2015. It shows that a for-profit business takes the necessary measures to meet high social and environmental standards. B Corp is a hard certification to achieve; with a rigorous application process. When a company gains a B Corp status it means that they have proven to look after the community, the environment, their employees, suppliers and customers. However, this is not the end for us, the certification is not forever. It is reviewed every three years, which forces businesses to keep to the lofty standards laid out in the B Corp Agreement. Read about our journey to B Corp and why it is so important to us.

 Spruce’s top eco-friendly companies

 1. Doisy & Dam

I think many of us can agree that chocolate is delicious, but it can be tricky to know which chocolate brands are sustainable. We love Doisy and Dam chocolate for several reasons; their chocolate is vegan, cruelty-free, additive-free, palm-oil free and has ethically sourced cocoa beans. What’s not to love? They have an array of delicious dark chocolate that you can purchase, such as salted caramel truffles, good eggs, peanut D&Ds, buttons and more. It is a favourite for us at Spruce HQ!

2. Mama Bamboo 

One of the reasons Spruce’s founder Mahira Kalim started the brand, is because she realised how much plastic waste is created after having a baby. Mama Bamboo sells bamboo nappy pants, bamboo baby wipes and compostable nappy bags. They also support Home-Start and Porch Box with nappy donations to underprivileged families in the UK. Their products are free from harsh chemicals and, their packaging is 100% compostable - a dream company, don’t you agree? Mama Bamboo donates 20% of earnings to charity, helping the future of our children and the environment. They are also a Platinum Friend of the ‘Bamboo Village’ in Uganda, which means they help create local jobs within the bamboo plantation and community.

3. Pukka 

As we all know, the UK loves a good cuppa. At Spruce we also love a feel-good morning routine to get us started for a day of work, and there is no better way to do that than with a cup of tea in a cute mug. So, we highly recommend the B Corp brand Pukka tea. They stand by organic farming, fair trade and conservation through commerce. Their packaging is made from card and paper, their tea bags are compostable and plastic-free. We love a plastic-free brand. A cup of tea with a slice of sustainability - bliss!

4. Cru Kafe 

If you prefer to start your mornings with coffee, then we do highly recommend CRU Kafe’s organic and ethical coffee. It comes in 100% recyclable packaging. They are signed up with Podback, a nationwide recycling scheme for coffee pods. If you have a CRU Kafe aluminium recycling bag, you can fill this with coffee pods and drop them off at one of the collection points for them to be recycled or, you can recycle them from home.

5. Rebel Kitchen 

And of course, we had to include a plant-based milk brand to add to your coffee. The B Corp brand Rebel Kitchen don’t just sell milk or “mylk” like they put on their products, they also sell some tasty sweet snacks such as chocolate and caramel coconut bytes. They sell barista mylk as well, which is great for coffee! They also have an assortment of different flavours; organic whole mylk, banana, chocolate, chocolate hazelnut and coffee – all of which are vegan and don’t contain any artificial additives or preservatives.

6. Who Gives A Crap

The amount of plastic waste we have in our homes is insane. One culprit that many might not think about is toilet roll. First of all, we adore their branding. It's fun and humorous while having an important message behind it. The company started because in 2012 they learnt that 2.4 billion people (which they point out is now 2 billion)didn’t have access to a toilet. They also state on their website that 289,000 children under five years old die every year from diarrhoea disease due to poor water and sanitation. So, they set out to change this. The company is one of a kind, they donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in developing countries. All of this, plus their products are sustainable. Their rolls are made from natural bamboo, their packaging is made from paper and is compostable, plus they went plastic-free in 2021. Their rolls also contain no inks, dyes, or scents – and we are here for non-toxic chemicals!

7. Nutricare Patch Plasters 

This is one you may not have thought of... PLASTERS. Are you going on holiday, have children that fall over a lot, or are you just a clumsy person? Then, this is for you. Nutricare’s plasters are made from organic and sustainable bamboo, they are biodegradable, home compostable, vegan and cruelty-free. Plus they are hypoallergenic and free from irritants, plastic, silicone, latex, and paraben. The company likes to point out that chemicals you find in a lot of plasters on the market can make wounds worse. We love their ethos about people’s health and the planet’s health.

8. Beauty Kitchen 

We LOVE Beauty Kitchen. They are a natural beauty brand that has won lots of awards for their array of conscious skincare, accessories, hand and body care, hair care, and vitamins. They are a self-care brand that cares deeply about their customers and the environment. From night facial creams, facial oils to shampoo and conditioner bars to vitamin gummies, the list is endless of what they have to offer. They use the hashtag “reuse revolution.” When customers are finished with their bottles, they can send them back to Beauty Kitchen and the company will wash them out and reuse them in the next batch they sell. Although they are not fully vegan yet, 95% of their products are certified by the Vegan Society and are Leaping Bunny certified. For their packaging they use compostable pouches, vegetable inks, FSC approved cardboard and recycled containers. They also have a partnership with the charity, Plastic Soup Foundation, to help ban microplastics in cosmetics and help our oceans.

9.  Ocean Bottle

You cannot go wrong with a reusable bottle. For a run, for a picnic, for work, for university – whatever you may be doing. These are sooooo handy to have. Not only do Ocean Bottle’s water bottles look chic, but they are also long-lasting, vacuum insulated, dishwasher safe and have a dual opening lid. Every time someone buys one bottle, Ocean Bottle ensures that this pays for 1000 ocean-bound plastic bottles to be collected. These plastic bottles are exchanged by local collectors for money and items they may need. The best thing of all is that the water bottles have a chip inside which you can scan at various readers across the UK and the world, and each time you refill your Ocean Bottle they will fund the collection of even more plastic bottles. Genius idea. 

10. DAME 

If you want to make your periods more sustainable, DAME is the way to go. The founders of DAME realised one day when they were packing orders that they were using a lot of plastic; products wrapped in plastic, plastic applicators, chemical dyed coloured strings etc and this made them have a light bulb moment where they decided to make a change. So, they ditched the plastic and ditched the toxic chemicals. Now the brand sells vegan certified organic cotton tampon machine washable period pads, and even  created the world’s first reusable tampon applicator in 2018. 

11. Scrumbles

If you’re looking for gut-friendly cat, dog or puppy food that’s also kind to the planet, look no further than Scrumbles. They create ethical pet food, so even your furry friends are well looked after whilst you are saving the planet! 

12. Spruce

Spruce offers refillable cleaning products hat aren’t just plastic-free but non-toxic too, so they don’t contribute to indoor air pollution. The starter kits come with a break-proof aluminium eternity bottle that you can keep refilling forever with concentrated refills packed in plastic-free paper packaging. It’s a hassle-free, low-waste swap because even the refill packets are 100% home compostable. Along with a range of harsh chemicals, we have also removed petroleum, palm oil and any trace of synthetic fragrance from our non-toxic formulations.

If we listed all of our favourite B Corp UK brands, let’s face it, you’d still be reading this blog for the next 3-5 working days! But I hope this short list of some of our top picks has given you some insight into what brands you can try to further your sustainable living journey.

We believe that change starts from the home and investing in B Corp Brands, such as our refillable cleaning products, and the others on this list, can help you make a positive impact on the planet, on communities and on your own wellbeing. One of the most exciting things about being able to choose B Corp UK brands is how it empowers us to take powerful action with even small everyday decisions. If many people across the country or planet make a simple switch, the impact is far greater than we’d imagine. 

Written by Zara Huxley