Online shopping has acutely transformed the retail landscape. Many companies within the e-commerce domain — motivated by growing consumer expectations for efficiency and convenience — prioritize profitability over sustainability. Considering the environmental and human impacts of many online goods, a product’s price tag doesn’t always reflect its true cost.
Fortunately, the availability of sustainable options is rapidly growing, empowering many consumers to choose products and companies that align with their values, all from the comfort of their homes.
In this interview published on B the Change, Deana Becker, Director of Stakeholder Operations at Preserve, and Danielle Jezienicki, Director of Sustainability at Grove Collaborative, share tips for shopping your values online.
Read the interview with Preserve and Grove Collaborative here.
“The incredible volume of online shopping also means there is a huge opportunity for people to inform themselves and vote with their dollars for the kind of businesses we want in this world,” says Becker.
But how can people tell which companies are green and which ones are just green-washed? With a bit of Internet research, shoppers can educate themselves by looking out for a few hallmarks of ethical business.
“Reliable third-party certifications are invaluable,” says Becker. “B Corp status is a great shortcut for understanding if a company walks the talk around being a business committed to doing good.”
As B Corps, Grove and Preserve have not only responded to the demand for responsibly made goods and sustainable business practices; it’s part of their company DNA. Both retailers offer eco-friendly products at the intersection of convenience, quality and consciousness, without having to sacrifice one for the others. Shoppers don’t have to, either.
“Plenty of online retailers are committed to sustainability and curating collections focused on making a positive impact that don’t come at a premium and, in many cases, can even be more affordable,” says Jezienicki. “Internet research makes it easy to search for whatever you are shopping for coupled with an adjective that captures a priority — whether ‘sustainable,’ ‘recycled,’ ‘upcycled,’ ‘Fair Trade’ or otherwise.”
To learn more, read the interview with Preserve and Grove Collaborative.