One of the reasons I love Wellington is because the people are so innovative, resourceful and so conscious about doing the right thing when it comes to the environment and ethics.
I have been meaning to write this post for a while because I keep discovering really great Wellington sustainability companies who are doing new and interesting things with an eco-friendly focus, and I really want to share them!
So here is a list of those companies, groups and people doing some great sustainable things that Wellingtonians can enjoy. And if you know any more, please comment below and share the love.
Also, not to miss, is my blog post 19 Easy Ways to be More Environmentally Friendly in Wellington.
12 Amazing Sustainability Initiatives for Wellingtonians
1. Nude Grocer “Groceries without the bad wrap”
How great does package free weekly groceries sound? It sounds pretty good right, but also very hard! Even for the most conscious shopper, grabbing your weekly shop with no plastic whatsoever is virtually impossible. So, Nude Grocer an amazing new company in Wellington has developed a plastic-free groceries delivery service.
How does it work? You make your order via their online order sheet, they deliver your goods using glass jars and boomerang bags and will then pick these up creating a reuse and recycle loop.
On offer is dry foods, cleaning products, fruit and veg, fresh bread and eggs and they deliver to the whole Wellington Region. To check them out you can visit the Nude Grocer Website HERE.
2. smartass “Tree Free toilet paper”
smartass is a toilet paper company with a difference. Their paper is completely tree-free. This is what they say:
“With the equivalent of 27,000 trees flushed down the toilet every day we wanted to produce toilet paper that would have little if any impact on our environment. That’s when smartass was created using a combination of sugarcane (bagasse) a waste product and the fast growing bamboo that can be grown year on year with little wear and tear on soil quality, just rainwater and lots of sun. We thought this had to be a smarter way to take care of our bottom line.
smartass is cushiony soft, strong toilet tissue made from sugarcane and bamboo fibres free of bleach, inks, dyes and perfume. So it’s kinder to the planet that grew it.”
Sounds pretty good to me. smartass are also super handy as they offer a subscription and delivery service. Depending on the number of people in your household you can arrange to have the toilet paper delivered so you never have to think about it again!
I love it, so convenient – plus the packaging is pretty.
Check them out on the smartass Tree Free TP Website HERE
3. Toothcrush – “Bamboo toothbrush subscriptions”
Similar to smartass, Toothcrush is a convenient subscription delivery service that is also eco-friendly, but this time on delivery is toothbrushes!
Forget plastic toothbrushes that just end up in the landfill, Toothcrush send a new biodegradable bamboo toothbrush every month. This may seem like a lot of toothbrushes, but using 12 Toothcrush brushes creates 18 times less environmentally damaging waste than buying 4 plastic toothbrushes from the supermarket.
The service is only $40 per person for an entire year and they deliver anywhere in NZ. Check out Toothcrush HERE.
4. Isla and Olive.nz “Beautiful natural online store”
Isla and Olive is the most divine online sustainable and plastic free goods store, managed by Leigh and her family in Gisborne. Starting with their beautiful organic skincare range the online store has grown into selling mindful and beautiful everyday products, reusable and earth friendly items.
To put it simply, everything sold is simple and gorgeous, helping to tackle single-use bags and disposable plastic galore.
Check out the IslaandOlive.nz Website HERE and they are 100% worth a follow on Instagram because it is so beautiful and ispiring.
5. Little Bit Daily “Zero waste enthusiasts”
I have to share the beautiful little initiative, Little Bit Daily with you. Little Bit Daily is an Instagram account and sustainable goods store run by two friends based in Wellington who are passionate about reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfill.
Raewyn is the zero waste enthusiast behind the amazing and beautiful @littlebitdaily Instagram page sharing hints and tips for all things eco and little ways of doing things every day to reduce the impact on the environment and Kieron is the maker behind the beautiful LBD soapkeepers (see photo below).
LBD is a beautiful and easy inspiration for everyday eco and sustainability. I LOVE them.
Check out the LIttle Bit Daily Website HERE.
6. Conscious Consumers “Conscious choices”
Conscious Consumers is an awesome Wellington-based initiative that supports businesses to meet a minimum accreditation by adopting sustainable practices. This way consumers can make informed choices that match their values.
This accreditation from Conscious Consumers has encouraged 63 businesses to start recycling and composting, 25 businesses to make supportive donations to the community and 35 businesses to start offering incentives for customers to use BYO containers, saving 36,000 disposable containers from landfill. AMAZING.
Check out @consciousconsumers on Instagram and online HERE for all the latest in Wellington conscious sustainable businesses taking action to help you choose where to go, what to buy and try.
7. Sustainability Trust – “Creating warm and healthy homes”
Sustainability Trust is not new on the block but they are certainly an important one for this list. Sustainability Trust is a social enterprise supporting people of Wellington to create warm and healthy homes, reducing their impact on the environment.
They provide advice and sell products to create warm, dry and healthy homes for all. They have an eco shop online as well as in-store at the Wellington Eco Centre just off Taranaki Street that provides people with the products and information they need to live sustainably.
They are SO helpful. Check them out via the Sustainability Trust Website
8. Au Natural Skin Food – “Waste free natural skincare subscriptions”
There are a lot of great skincare brands working in sustainable ways, (check out my previous post Where to buy NZ Natural Skincare in Wellington ) but this is a new favourite of mine with a twist. Another subscription – Au Natural Skin Food is a brand new company offering a ritual skin care routine that is eco-friendly.
They recently kindly sent me a starter set which includes stainless steel bottles with their 100% natural skincare routine for morning and night. This can then be bought on subscription and they will send refills throughout the year that can be decanted into the original bottle, creating a heck of a lot less waste!
The products are waste free, cruelty-free and chemical free and I haven’t used them much yet but so far they seem lovely. Worth a look!
Check out the Au Natural Skinfood Website HERE
9. Good Housekeeping – Cuba Street – “Make do and mend”
Make do and Mend, Sustainable Household Products, DYI, Craft + EcoStore Refill
Opened in March 2018, Good Housekeeping is Cuba Street’s newest eco store, tackling waste in a variety of ways.
Good housekeeping wants you to stop throwing your broken things away and bring them into the store to find all the bits needed for a repair job. As well as this mending and fixing service, they also provide a refill station and a place to buy eco-friendly products and items,
Good Housekeeping is the perfect antidote to today’s fast-paced consumerism, encouraging people to remake and reuse in whatever ways possible.
Check out the Good Housekeeping Instagram HERE and find them on Facebook HERE.
10. Nisa Clothing – Ethical Underwear
Nisa clothing is an AMAZING and beautiful brand based in Wellington selling sweet ethical underwear. Nisa employs former refugees who have made Wellington their home. Of this employment, they say: “Our mission is to provide them with meaningful and interesting paid work, while at the same time making kick-ass undies.”
The job making undies with Nisa is often the very first job the makers have in New Zealand, providing them with the skills to get their foot in the door and moving on with life in NZ.
On top of this, the underwear is super simple, stylish, comfy and certified organic. There is nothing not to love about this beautiful brand.
Check out the Nisa Website Here
11. The Remakery – The Community Unity Project – Lower Hutt
The Remakery is a new space in Lower Hutt offering local residents with a space to make things from waste material, aiming to reduce waste and support the local community to share skills and ideas. They also offer events and courses and access to a supply of rescued materials.
Projects in this space include Beeple Honey Collective, ReCycled Rides and Sew Good.
Check out everything going on on the Community Unity Project Website HERE
12. Naked Lady Socials – Clothes Swap Club!
Naked Lady Socials are an AWESOME group of ladies focused on reducing waste and consumption by holding monthly “clothes swap” meetups in the Wairarapa.
So whats the deal? Basically, you bring the clothes you don’t want and you can take away clothes you do want! You are given tokens relating to the number of items you brought to swap and you can use these against items that others have brought.
The aim of Naked Lady Socials is to bring together like-minded people and to promote sustainable fashion while raising money to improve NZ waterways.
The membership programme $12 per month gets you entry into each event with a plus one. Or you can pay $20 per event “on the door”.
The next swap is on Sunday, August 26th and for all the info following check out the Naked Lady Socials Website HERE.
Know any more people doing awesome sustainable things for Wellington? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to get them on to
the list :-. Thanks for reading and come back soon!
For more posts about sustainability, check out:
19 Easy Ways to be More Environmentally Friendly in Wellington
Where to buy NZ Natural Skincare in Wellington
Tips for Second Hand Shopping Successfully
10 NZ Ethical Fashion Brands I Love
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Peace
Josie x