In tandem with my recent post about supporting small, local vegan restaurants, I thought it would be fitting to share some local eco-conscious brands and businesses that are paving the way for more ethical and sustainable consumption in Hong Kong. While consumption, or “green growth,” will never be the solution to climate change or environmental degradation, these are great alternatives for when you are already searching for shoes, soap, food, or whatever it may be. I haven’t shopped from most of these brands myself, but after doing some research, I’ve compiled this list of businesses that fit the criteria of being small, local, eco-conscious, and—particularly during this phase of economic downturn—deserving of your support:
1. Lacess
These are your basic white sneakers, except made from “waste”! They’re not ‘vegan’ because they utilize animal materials such as leather, but they’re arguably far more sustainable than ‘pleather’ shoes because they repurpose leather scraps (which would otherwise be sent to landfills and thus, wasted) and post-consumer plastics. Their insoles are also made of natural cork and recycled rubber. You can read more about their sustainability practices here.
https://bathetobasics.com/collections/spring-essential/products/basic-hand-soap-rain
Bathe to Basics is a handmade organic skin care brand whose products are all natural and handmade. With a focus on ‘simplicity’, their shop ranges from hair to house products.
Where to find them?
S403, Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St. Central, Hong Kong
Room 1601 Good Hope Building
5 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok
Shop 104, 1/F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
3. Live Zero
Reusable Straws from Live Zero, Sai Ying Pun
Starting out as Hong Kong’s first zero-waste bulk food store, Live Zero now supplies all that you need—from beauty to food products—all package-free!
Where to find them?
LIVE ZERO BULK FOODS
LIVE ZERO BULK BEAUTY
Read about my experience working with Live Zero here!
4. Slowood
Similar to Live Zero, Slowood is another zero-waste bulk food store. With an emphasis on simplicity, Slowood was born from the goal of helping people “walk the talk of sustainability.” From bulk powders, to grains, to nuts, you can find all the staples you need to stock up your kitchen.
Where to find them?
The Hudson, 11 Davis Street, Sai Wan (Kennedy Town Station, Exit C)
Opening soon: Discovery Bay
5. Purearth
Pure Earth is an award-winning certified cruelty-free skincare and wellness brand that prides itself on creating beauty products that are “equal, ethical, [and] ecological”. With a desire to “reconnect with the earth” and “rejuvenate simplicity,” most of their ingredients are gathered from the Himalayas by micro-credit and women self-help groups, enabling marginalized producers to engage with urban markets on fair terms.
On the sustainability front, they also run recycling and refill programs, whereby Purearth bottles may be collected and repurposed for free in noncommercial ways. For every jar returned, they plant a tree.
Where to find them?
Coconut Matter’s Zero-Waste Philosophy
6. Coconut Matter
Coconut Matter is a natural beauty product line that operates under the motto: “pointless plastic is not fantastic”. Handmade in every step, their products are vegan and cruelty-free, and all their packaging is completely compostable. Some of their most popular products include the natural deodorant and coconut oil lip balm.
Where to find them?
Their list of partners would be too long to include here, so please refer to this page to locate a store where you can find their products. Coconut Matter also appears at many green festivals and pop-ups in Hong Kong throughout the year!
Woods Deodorant Push up Stick from Zero Yet 100
7. ZeroYet100
Founded under the principle that “natural is better,” Zero Yet 100 creates products made with ingredients derived from nature, with “potent innate properties” and no toxic or harmful chemicals. Their products are all formulated and tested in a workshop in Hong Kong, and their packaging is all recyclable or upcyclable, with plastic free paper product stickers.
Where to find them?
Similar to Coconut Matter, their list of partners would be too long to include here, so please refer to this page to locate a store where you can find their products. Zero Yet 100 also appears at many green festivals and pop-ups throughout the year!
8. Luüna Naturals
Organic Cotton Tampons from LUÜNA
In response to the lack of feminine care products that valued transparency, ethics and purpose, Luüna Naturals was launched to combat the “myriad of dangerous consequences that the [common sanitary product] materials have on the health of our bodies and the planet.” Using organic, degradable materials grown without toxic pesticides or fertilizers, their pads, tampons and menstrual cups are free from toxic fragrances, odor neutralizers, cooling gels or chlorine bleach. As a social impact business, they also support many social impact initiatives, including a donation of a period cup and educational workshop to low-income women and girls for every period cup purchase or subscription to their organic cotton period care.
Where to find them?
They have stores all over Hong Kong, and their online store also ships internationally to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai. Use my code ‘EUGENIALUUNA’ when checking out to receive a 15% discount on your purchase!
9. Tove & Libra
Tove & Libra is a women’s minimalist clothing brand that specializes in 'Thoughtful Design, Feel-Good Materials, and Smart Production. At least half of their collections make use of leftover designer fabrics that would otherwise be sent to landfill—including synthetic fabrics for the purpose of longevity. They own their own sourcing and production facilities to ensure ethics and sustainability goals are achieved along the process, and their carefully selected materials are luxurious to wear, easy to care for and either sustainably produced or saved from landfill. You can read more about their different fibres here.
Where to find them?
You can shop their online boutique here.
10. Sunday Bedding
Sunday Bedding is a company dedicated to responsible textiles production. They’re committed to providing ethically and sustainably produced bedsheets, which are safely made without any harmful chemicals or synthetics in Hong Kong. They hold full ownership and control over their factories—which have “reduced [their] oil, coal and carbon emissions footprint by 7-8% every year, and a 10-14% annual reduction in electricity and water consumption since 2017.” They minimise the use of plastic in their packaging as much as possible, and opt for cardboard and paper packaging that are 100% recyclable. While their factory's fabric utilization rate of 95% is much higher than the industry standard, some fabric wastage inevitably still occurs, which is why they are also hoping to incorporate the use of deadstock fabric from their factories to replace cardboard packaging in the form of a Furoshiki wrap—which can be re-used by customers in a variety of ways. By late 2020, Sunday Bedding products will become even more transparent, featuring a unique product ID and/or a QR code allowing you to trace the article’s production. Each product ID will give customers insight into the various stages of production as well as the countries in which textiles were manufactured.
You can read more about their sustainable production process here.
Where to find them?
You can purchase Sunday Bedding’s unique products online.