14 Black-Owned Businesses Focused on Sustainability

Here is a list of thoughtful, sustainable companies founded or led by Black business owners. Each has taken innovative steps on the mission towards cleaning up the planet, bettering our communities, and paving the way for a more sustainable future. Check them out here!

The Honey Pot Company: In the words of founder Bea Dixon, this plant-based feminine hygiene company was started “to solve for what other brands wouldn’t, using the power of herbs.” This awesome company provides washes, wipes, menstrual products, and all sorts of other products for all times in a woman’s life. Even more impressive, is that it provides these products while staying herb-powered and chemical, toxin, and synthetic free. All of these products are made and tested by women, backed by science, and completely biodegradable + cruelty-free!

Blue Daisi Consulting: According to founder Moji Igun, “Blue Daisi Consulting is the result of me thinking it would be cool if more small businesses embraced sustainable and inclusive practices.” Blue Daisi’s vision is to create the world we all want to live in, by connecting small businesses with the tools to become more eco-conscious. This helps these businesses reduce waste, implement sustainable business practices, and become zero waste facilities. Blue Daisi also holds sustainability workshops that anyone can sign up for, and works with businesses to come up with their own individual sustainability plans!

Linear Beauty: Founder Tasha Gear believes that “skincare should be simple, and that nature has everything we need to nourish our skin.” Linear Beauty’s products reflect this belief in full, with simple and natural products designed to care for the skin the way mother nature intended. Their all-natural Baobab face oil, Shea body butter, and Oatmeal turmeric soaps are made from high-quality organic oils, butters, and CO2 extracts. And since most ingredients are in more than just one of their products, you can trust that Linear Beauty is truly committed to sustainable “skincare, made simple.” Get a whiff of their beautiful products today!

Soul Fire Farm: Leah Penniman co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission of finding the agency of Black and Brown people within the food system, and to reclaim their right to belong to the earth! Since 2010, the folks at Soul Fire have used Afro-indigenous agroforestry, polyculture, spiritual farming practices, and many other types of historic growing methods to regenerate80 acres of mountainside land. They also sustainably produce fruits, plant medicine, pasture-raised livestock, and all sorts of good stuff for their greater community! And through Soul Fire’s farming immersion program, this wonderful collective also serves as a resource for education in ancestral farming practices, support for communities in healing from racial trauma, and an inspiration for imagining bolder futures! Stop by their website to see available on-site programming, find the network of Soul Fire farms supporting BIPOC, or to find informative resources on the history of our country’s food system.

OUI The People: Karen Young kicked off this bold, empowering company to change the language surrounding beauty products. The folks at Oui the People say no to words like “flawless” and “anti-aging” and “YES to thoughtful beauty that does good by you, and the world around you!” Oui the People is not only committed to making the personal care industry healthier and more inclusive but also to eliminate the 2 billion plastic razors (and other personal products) that end up in landfills every year! Their sleek and sustainable products consist of reusable and recyclable glass bottles for gels, bio-cellulose for bikini masks, and stainless steel for their chic-looking razors. And with such a personal and sustainable message, why wouldn’t you want to support the “reConstitution of Beauty?”

Blue Sage Eco Boutique: Christina Arenas founded Blue Sage Eco Boutique in 2013 to promote personal growth, peace, and prosperity. Her product line includes all-natural, hand-poured soy candles made with essential oils, premium fragrance oils, and love. And with sustainability as a key priority, Blue Sage uses recyclable materials for all candles and shipping materials, and instructs customers on how to dispose of or reuse product materials in the most eco-friendly way! Check out Blue Sage’s collection of candles, and if you love their alluring, replenishing aromas, you can even sign up for a subscription!

Clare: As an interior designer featured on HGTV, Oprah, and several other media outlets, Nicole Gibbons was known for her expertise in décor. But when she saw that paint brands were not providing customers with easy ways to shop for paint, she knew it was time for a redesign. And so she started Clare, a company dedicated to making it a breath of fresh air to add some color to your walls and trim. Clare offers designer-curated colors of paint, an easy to use web interface to help you find what you need, and speedy home delivery! And since all of Clare’s paints are premium quality, Zero VOC (free of carbon-based toxins and pollutants), and GREENGUARD Gold certified (a rigorous emission and air quality standard), you have every reason to repaint with Clare!

Breedlove Beauty Co.: Kelli Palmer started the all-natural Breedlove Beauty Co. in 2016, to take the complexity out of skincare through a minimalist approach. This Baton Rouge-based company is committed to hand-making their small-batch products with sustainable ingredients like natural oils, plant-based Vitamin E, and 100 percent natural clays. They offer soaps (like an African black soap), cleaners, conditioners, scrubs (avocado sugar, anyone?), and oils. And all of their products are made without alcohol, artificial scents, preservatives, or animal testing. So if you want to find a new, holistic approach to natural beauty, check out the eco-friendly gems on their website!

EcoVibe: Established in 2010, EcoVibe is a Portland-based boutique born of the collaboration of Leonard and Andrea Allen (a.k.a. Len and Dre). Offering all sorts of plants, furniture, décor, and apparel, EcoVibe brings together chic design and sustainable, ethical practices. They consider the source and ingredients of every product they sell, and they support local minority-owned designers and makers! EcoVibe also joined 1 Percent For The Planet’s global network of business, donating a percentage of their online sales to a multinational non-profit that protects our planet! So whether it’s a silver-splash Pothos plant or an olive jumpsuit, you can shop easy knowing that a purchase from EcoVibe is good for your wardrobe (or living room) and the planet!

Jungalow: This fun, bohemian-style company started as a design blog in Justina Blakeney’s tiny, plant-filled living room back in 2009. Since then, Jungalow has grown into a funky, jungle-themed lifestyle brand dedicated to connecting with nature, bringing good vibes home, and fostering sustainable business practices. Jungalow offers everything from furniture, planters, and all-around home décor. As part of their mission to foster the human/nature connection, they also plant two trees with every purchase! They work with vendors to eliminate single-use plastics in their packaging, and they even give back to non-profits which help our environment and the people who live in it! So if you want to tap into your own wild creativity, visit their website to get the lowdown!

Soko: According to Forbes: “Gwendolyn Floyd, Catherine Mahugu, and Ella Peinovich have designed a proprietary smartphone commerce app that transforms the mobile phone into a tool enabling global artisans in underserved communities access to international markets.” But these aren’t the words the women of Soko use to describe themselves. Instead, they describe Soko as “an ode” to the many meanings of being strong. They like to define it as a platform led by powerful women, dedicated to empowering artisans from all over the world to enter the global economy. And in bringing these artisans together (and offering every type of jewelry under the sun), they also display a commitment to using sustainable materials such as recyclable brass, sustainably harvested wood, reclaimed horn and bone, and even silver made from other recycled metals! So if you want to use Soko’s “virtual factory” to buy some jewelry from artisans all over the world, you can do so knowing you’re supporting global small businesses and sustainable business practice!