As a virtual assistant for businesses with heart, it’s important to me to not only work with businesses that are making a difference, but to also use my platform to share & celebrate businesses who are making this world a better place. Whether big or small, each of these businesses are taking steps towards making this planet a little healthier for all of us.
Oak & Willow
Location: North Bay, Ontario
Products/Services Offered: Eco-friendly and zero-waste products. Car air fresheners, dish brushes, dishwasher tablets, essential oils, laundry pods, floor cleaner, hand soap, soy candles & wax melts, all purpose cleaner, room cleansing spray, and toilet pods.
How They’re Making a Difference: They use an equalized wage model and profit share equally among their entire team. This ensures that every team member is properly compensated, and are equally as passionate in the success of the business. They ethically source raw materials, make all products in their workshop, and offer “reject” products for a discounted price to minimize waste. They are an inclusive & diverse workplace with members of their team being autistic and apart of the lgbtqia+ community.
Good Food for Good
Location: Ontario
Products/Services Offered: Condiments & sauces that are certified organic and free of refined sugar, soy, corn syrup, gluten, dairy or preservatives. Keto, paleo, vegan, and Whole30 approved.
How They’re Making a Difference: For every product bought, they donate one meal through their partnerships with food banks (Food Banks Canada, Akshaya Patra, and Los Angeles Region Food Bank). They only use all-natural and certified organic ingredients. They use environmentally sustainable materials, such as glass jars that you can reuse time & time again. To top it off, they are a B Corp Certified company.
Sḵwálwen Botanicals
Location: Squamish, BC
Products/Services Offered: An Indigenous brand that offers botanical skin care products using high quality ingredients that are sustainably sourced & harvested.
How They’re Making a Difference: They are connected to the land and plant medicine. Creating healing products using sustainable & natural ingredients.
They give back- through their Ceremony Series, they donate 10% of proceeds from each Ceremony release to organizations that support Indigenous causes (such as The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Tr’ondek Hwech’in Youth Centre, Indigenous Women Outdoors, and Lytton First Nation). Their hiýáḿ Project facilitates thousands of seeds being planted on Indigenous lands.
Life Unpacked
Location: Vancouver, BC
Products/Services Offered: Plastic-free alternatives to traditional bathroom products, which are one of the biggest culprits for plastic waste. A variety of items including bamboo toothbrush, re-fillable tooth powder in glass or bamboo containers, metal razors & razor blades, soap bars, and bamboo cotton swabs.
How They’re Making a Difference: They’re on a mission to eliminate plastic. They walk the talk & are climate change activists, protesting for our planet. They plant two trees for every order received to help offset their carbon footprint. They use everything; for example, personally using soap scraps or giving them as gifts rather than letting them go to waste. Through their products, they remind customers on a daily basis to choose plastic-free alternatives.
Pela
Location: Kelowna, BC
Products/Services Offered: They created the first compostable phone case made with 100% Saskatchewan flax. That’s right- a phone case made from plants! Compared to the usual plastic mobile accessory, they use 34% less water, 80% less waste during production, and 30% fewer carbon emissions.
How They’re Making a Difference: They are on a mission to keep 1 billion pounds of waste from ever being made. They donate a percentage of every sale to Ocean Cleanup and Preservation Initiatives. They have provided a compostable & plastic-free alternative to phone accessories. They collaborate with other sustainable brands to make an even bigger impact! Their values – community (commit to a culture that builds a vibrant community), creativity (foster creativity to inspire innovation), consciousness (live with awareness and consciousness of the impact of our choices) and courage (embrace courage by taking action despite uncertainty).
My goal is to turn this into a series so that we can regularly celebrate businesses together, and to also inspire & show you ways to make a difference in your own business.
Do you know a business that is making a difference, and deserves some recognition & celebration? If so, leave their name below in the comments and they might just make an appearance in the next post!
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