- Dec 19, 2022
- 11 min read

10 Eco-Friendly Companies to Look Out for in 2023

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the devastating effects of climate change, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One way to do this is to support businesses that are committed to being eco-friendly and spearheading sustainable innovation. There are many eco-friendly companies out there doing amazing things to help the planet – from developing sustainable products to offsetting their carbon emissions.

To help you make more environmentally-conscious choices in the coming year, and to spread awareness of some inspiring initiatives, we’re highlighting 10 eco-friendly companies to look out for in 2023. These businesses are leading the way in sustainable practices and doing their part to improve the world.

1. Forever Coffee Pods

According to a recent study by McCrindle, 75% of Australians drink at least one cup of coffee daily (with 28% enjoying three or more!). And with 48% of Australians owning a pod coffee machine, that’s a lot of single-use pods ending up in the trash each day (totalling about 320,000 tons per year globally). Some companies, like Nespresso, offer coffee pod recycling programs, but only about 30% of users actually take advantage of that, while the rest just throw them in the trash. The main reason is accessibility. Although Nespresso does send out free recycling bags, customers still need to take those to a nearby UPS or Nespresso boutique, which seems to be too much effort for 70% of Nespresso users. And that is where Forever Coffee Pods comes in.

Forever Coffee Pods sell refillable, reusable coffee capsules that are compatible with Nespresso, Aldi Expressi, Dolce Gusto, L’or XXL, Vertuo and Lavazza machines. They are a 100% green and eco-friendly solution to single-use coffee pods, both reducing waste and helping customers save money. The pods are made from food-grade recyclable stainless steel, which is highly durable so that each pod is basically indestructible. Forever Coffee Pods also plant one tree for each sale and have planted over 3000 trees to date, but we expect a lot more from them in the years to come!

2. ABeeC Hives

The global population of bees is on a steep decline, with human activity and development leading to habitat destruction, and climate change disrupting nesting behaviour. Bees play a vital role in maintaining the health of our planet by helping to support global food supply, medicine creation and raw material production. Australia alone has upwards of 1700 native bee species, with the majority of those being solitary, meaning they don’t live in hives, have queens or store honey. Solitary bees typically live in holes they find in wood or inside hollow or dead plant stems. But social bees (those with a queen and large hives) require more substantial areas to build their hives, such as hollow trunks. But with fewer natural areas to nest, many build hives under roofs or in manmade cavities where they end up being destroyed and removed. The bee populations have been on a consistent decline since the 1990s and need some extra support if we want to continue enjoying foods like almonds, apples and avocados. And ABeeC Hives in Brisbane is providing a way to offer that support.

ABeeC Hives crafts handmade bee hotels for solitary bees and other insects and native bee hive boxes designed for stingless honey bees. This small, locally-run business is helping the Australian bee population to thrive with their range of different bee hotel styles and configurations that serve as both a home for homeless bees and a decorative addition to the backyard. They sell everything you need to support a happy, healthy hive of bees, including seeds for their favourite flowers and how-to guides. All their hives and hotels are made from sustainably sourced hoop pine, grown on plantations that allow undergrowth to develop, providing a habitat for many species of plants and animals. All their shipping is 100% carbon neutral, and manufacturing power is offset with a solar panel system. On top of that, they use a carbon-neutral web hosting provider for their website.

ABeeC Hives also offer a beehive babysitting program for those who want a honeybee hive but don’t want to manage the bees. Customers can benefit from having the bees in their backyard to pollinate their gardens and gardens in the area, and they can also keep any honey that is produced. They also save hives by relocating unwanted hives from people’s backyards and garages to safe locations where they can still thrive.

3. Green Tomato Cars

Transportation accounts for 1/5 of global CO2 emissions, and London is responsible for a considerable portion of that, even with their low emission zones. Although the city has one of the most advanced and intuitive public transportation systems in the world, many people choose to travel by car. And while Uber and Bolt are often the most popular picks when it comes to ride-hailing apps, there’s a new player on the field that offers an eco-friendly alternative. And that is Green Tomato Cars.

Green Tomato Cars is London’s only sustainable car service. This environmentally-friendly passenger car service is for business and leisure travel around London, enabling users to instant-book or advance-book rides from their fleet of zero and low-emission vehicles. They started with only four vehicles and now operate over 600 cars in London alone, making them the largest zero-emission passenger fleet in Europe. But how can a car service business be zero emission? They double offset all CO2 emissions, meaning that the company is more than carbon neutral; they are carbon negative. They offset emissions by investing in projects that reduce emissions and improve air quality, including Solar Water Heating in India and Coastal Reserve Conservation in Chile.

Some of the cars in their fleet include the Tesla Model 3 and Toyota Mirai, plus luxury vehicles like BMW 7-Series and Mercedes V-Class). Beyond the car services they offer in London, they also have 178 cities in their international partner network, allowing them to arrange eco-friendly airport pick-up services for customers who are travelling outside of the UK. And for those requiring courier service, Green Tomato Cars partners with Santis, a London courier service with its own sustainability practices.

4. BLUEVIEW Footwear

The quality, comfort and durability of the shoes we buy is incredibly important since not only do we put them through daily wear and tear, but they directly impact our physical health. Often the most sturdy and durable materials used to craft shoes are not environmentally-friendly and definitely not biodegradable. An estimated 22 billion shoes end up in landfills each year, each taking an average of 50 years to biodegrade (with many taking much longer). And that’s what drove Tom Cooke and Stephen Mayfield to create BLUEVIEW.

BLUEVIEW is the world’s first biodegradable sneaker. They are made from plant-based ingredients that have no negative impact on our planet, nor will they clog up landfills for years to come. These revolutionary shoes break down in compost and even seawater, meaning that even if they end up in the ocean, they won’t be there for long. One of the co-founders, Tom Cooke, is an expert in the shoe business, having previously worked with Reef and Vans. As a surf enthusiast, he wanted to combine his love for the ocean with his expertise in shoes. And when he met the director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology, Stephen Mayfield, it all clicked. Plant-based technology is the future of the shoe industry, and they worked out how to make it a reality through the use of Soliec. Soleic is a renewable, biodegradable, high-performance plastic material made from algae oil. Not only is the polyurethane foam produced from algae oil similar in function to petroleum monomers, but the algae itself helps to trap harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Soleic is used to produce the foundation of all BLUEVIEW shoes, while the uppers are made from Plant Knit, a yarn created from eco-friendly and biodegradable hemp and eucalyptus. The styles are simple, lightweight and cushioned, with a supportive sole. So even though the shoes are biodegradable, you don’t need to sacrifice on comfort or style.

5. PLOYS

When was the last time you saw a pool toy with a lifetime guarantee? Likely never. That’s because pool toys and inflatables inevitably end up with holes, rendering them unusable (many after only a few uses). They are frequently purchased for children, who get bored of them quickly, or they are purchased solely for one-time events or vacations. All of these circumstances mean that many of them end up in landfills. The plastic itself is designed to be durable, meaning that they take hundreds of years to biodegrade. So PLOYS has developed another solution to that.

PLOYS is an Australian company making unique handcrafted items from recycled and repurposed inflatables. They are a Profit for Purpose business operating on a circular loop system with all items handcrafted in either the PLOYS studio in Queensland or by contracted mums in SE Queensland. Some of the things they construct from the inflatables include flowerpots, storage baskets, cushion covers, laptop cases, bumbags, purses, book bags, totes, earrings, reusable straw cases and more. Their innovative collections are functional, water-resistant and fun! Since their launch in January of 2020, they have recycled and repurposed almost one tonne of inflatables and have been nominated for the Oria Awards and Women in Waste 2022 Awards. PLOYS also donates a percentage of all sales to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

6. Switch Packaging Specialists

Almost all products come in some form of packaging. We don’t buy products for their packaging, so its only purpose is to get the product from the warehouse to us. And once that job is completed, it’s immediately discarded, accounting for about 28% of total municipal solid waste, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. And because of this jarring statistic, many companies are innovating new, eco-friendly solutions to the packaging problem, and UK company, Switch Packaging Specialists have created some fantastic sustainable options. After winning the “One to Watch” for the product of the year in the 2022 Global Good Awards, Switch Packaging Specialists have begun to gain some more attention.

They provide custom, sustainable and eco-friendly packaging made from moulded pulp, sustainable corrugated cardboard and solid board. Paper-based packaging is biodegradable, made from a renewable natural resource and incredibly versatile. It can easily be recycled and reused to make new packaging too. Eventually, when the fibres are weakened to the point that they cannot be repurposed, they can be used to produce renewable energy. Many companies want to move away from cheap plastic packaging but don’t know where to start. Switch Packaging Specialists both consult companies on packaging options and then provide them with the solution to help them replace plastic packaging. This is one of the most incredible aspects of Switch Packaging Specialists, as not only are they an eco-friendly company themselves, but they are helping so many other brands ditch plastic and polystyrene packaging to become eco-friendly companies too.

7. Samudra Skin & Sea

Finding eco-friendly skincare products can often be a struggle. Most of them are packaged in plastic and contain chemicals that end up down our drains and in our waterways. That’s why finding brands like Samudra Skin & Skin is so exciting. Samudra Skin & Sea is a California-based eco-luxe skincare brand with an ocean-firth ethos. They are entirely vegan, cruelty-free and plastic-free, with products packaged in recyclable glass jars (although they encourage customers to reuse or repurpose them as vessels for spices, plants or candles. All their products are made in small batches, with organic ingredients that contain no synthetic fragrances or dyes. The primary ingredient used as the base for their soaps, creams and masks is wild seaweed that’s hand-harvested off the Mendocino coast in California. They trim the seaweed, not uproot it, ensuring that it can continue to regenerate and grow. Products like the Sea Soap, which is made for both hair and body, eliminate the need for bottled shampoos and body washes.

The company’s founder has a background in ocean conservation and marine science and is also the executive director of People Over Plastic and leader of the #breakfreefromplastic movement. They partner with many eco-friendly initiatives including the Blue Business Council, 5 Gyres, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Berkeley’s Ecology Center and UPSTREAM Solutions to help with plastic pollution reduction efforts. They package products in recycled paper and in boxes that are both recyclable, compostable and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. A feature we love about this company, and one that makes them one of our favourite eco-friendly companies is their minimalist mentality regarding skincare. They stock only a few products and don’t plan to add any additional ones to maintain that integrity.

8. Everycycle

Single-use period products are the fifth most common type of waste that washes up on European shores (even more common than straws or plastic bags). Although there are a variety of reusable options available, such as menstrual cups, absorbent panties and reusable liners, no option is as comfortable or versatile as tampons with applicators. When it comes to tampons as a sanitary product, the cotton core itself isn’t the main problem; it’s the single-use plastic applicator. The average woman throws away approximately 10,000 plastic applicators over the course of their lifetime. Periods can be uncomfortable enough as it is, so rather than face added discomfort, Everycycle is providing a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative, without having to sacrifice comfort or protection.

Everycycle offers plastic tampon applications that are compatible with most brands and varieties of digital tampons. Simply pop in the cotton tampon and use it as you would a normal applicator. But instead of throwing it in the trash, you can reuse it an unlimited amount of times. It even has a storage area, allowing users to store an additional tampon for later. This helps to dramatically reduce the waste created by single-use applicators and the negative environmental impact they have. Everycycle also offers 100% certified organic cotton tampons with no dyes, no chlorine bleach and biodegradable wrappers.

9. Watson & Wolfe

The environmental damage caused by the fashion and leather industries is almost immeasurable. An increased demand for convenience and fashion trends that change daily has led to extreme overproduction and exponential growth of the fast-fashion industry. In fact, according to The World Bank, the fashion industry is responsible for more carbon emissions than all maritime shipping and international flights combined. And that’s without mentioning the extreme usage of water, contribution to microplastics and ethical implications of the leather industry. These concerning statistics inspired Helen Farr-Leander to establish the UK company Watson & Wolfe. After years of experience in the luxury leather industry, she experienced the impacts first-hand and knew there had to be a better way.

Watson & Wolfe makes wallets, bags, belts and other accessories from plant-based leathers. One of the primary materials used in production is corn leather, which comes from non-food grade corn crops that don’t divert any resources away from the corn produced for animal feed or human consumption. The corn leather Watson & Wolfe uses for its accessories comes from a renewable source, is non-GMO and entirely carbon neutral. The leather itself is made in Italy in a factory that is powered by solar energy. Watson & Wolfe also uses cork, which is harvested in Portugal and comes from cork bark. The bark is harvested without harming the tree, allowing it to be sustainably harvested throughout the tree’s lifespan (up to 150 years). The third material used is cactus leather, sourced from Mexico and grown with a USDA-certified organic farming system. They only source from suppliers who are also eco-conscious, and they constantly strive to source raw materials that are as close to factories as possible to reduce transportation emissions. But for emissions they do create, they offset with tree planting initiatives.

10. Ozeano Vision

Ozeano Vision is an Australian, plant-based eyewear company that was established because of the need for a more environmentally-friendly alternative to cheap, plastic sunglasses, which can take hundreds of years to decompose. When they first began, they used recycled plastic to craft their glasses, but soon realized that even using recycled plastic still creates a lot of waste in the recycling and manufacturing process. They then began the shift to more natural and sustainable materials, using 100% biodegradable bio-acetate made entirely from plants. This bio-acetate is made from cotton and wood pulp fibres that are responsibly harvested and made from renewable resources. Ozeano Vision are carbon neutral, PETA-approved and certified by third parties like Organic Waste Systems, Global Organic Textile Standard and Forestry Stewardship Council. They were also recently B Corp Certified at the end of 2021.

Ozeano Vision has a variety of sunglasses, blue light glasses and even prescription glasses to choose from, and your purchase will do more than just reduce your plastic consumption. With each sale, Ozeano Vision will donate $6 to Seabin, a revolution in ocean cleaning technology, which funds the operation of 1 bin to remove 6KG of plastic from the oceans (that’s equivalent to 500 plastic bottles!). They’re also a member of 1% for the planet, meaning they donate 1% of all annual sales to support eco-friendly initiatives. All products are shipping carbon neutral, in 100% biodegradable packaging. Ozeano also operates a circular economy, meaning customers can send old sunglasses back, and Ozeano will recycle and repurpose them into a new pair. To incentivise this, customers get 25% off all future glasses when they return their old pair.