Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Finds: Mother’s Day Gift Edition

Every month, Brightly co-founders Laura Wittig and Liza Moiseeva highlight a handful of their favorite eco-friendly finds. They’ve tried thousands of sustainable products, and the ones they choose to spotlight are nothing short of the real deal. 

In the latest Good Together podcast, Wittig and Moiseeva focused on their favorite brands to shop for Mother's Day gifts. "According to the National Retail Federation, people are planning to spend $205 in Mother's Day gifts and celebrations," said Moiseeva during the episode. "So there's going to be a lot of spending, and—as a reminder—every dollar spent is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in."

Every brand highlighted on Brightly meets our high standards for sustainability. Here are eight of Wittig and Moiseeva's favorites to shop for Mother's Day.

8 Sustainable Brands to Shop for Mother's Day Gifts

1. Thrive Market

Why Liza Loves It: "My favorite part about them is that the price is very reasonable and you can find your favorite eco-friendly brands and products cheaper on Thrive Market than on the brand sites themselves. But most importantly, they have this one-for-one program, so for each membership you buy or get for yourself, they give a free membership to a family, person in need, veteran, or first responder."

2. Otherland Candles

Why Liza Loves It: "They have really strong, nice smells. Except for Yankee candles, I honestly haven't found a candle that has a nice, strong smell, and I was really looking for more eco-friendly options to support. They burn for a while, the packaging is gorgeous, and you can reuse them."

3. The Little Market

Why Liza Loves It: "It's a nonprofit, which is great. And it's women-founded. Hannah [Skvarla] is the second co-founder, [and Lauren Conrad is the first co-founder]. They're members of the Fair Trade Federation. I personally have met some of the artists and groups they work with, and their product designs are absolutely gorgeous. Check them out; it's a great brand and cause to support!"

4. Farmacy Beauty

Why Laura Loves It: "I'm obsessed with them and I know they have amazing, cute gift sets. They also harvest ingredients directly from local farms. They give back to bee conservation groups and the products themselves work super well!"

5. MZ Fair Trade

Why Liza Loves It: "I love this brand. It's a woman-owned brand as well. And, of course, what's near and dear to me is the artisans that this company is working with. It's both men and women, and they're based in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I've been multiple times. I worked with artisans there as well from my previous company, and it's just such high-quality."

6. Genusee

Why Laura Loves It: "The thing that's so cool about Genusee is they make both optical glasses and sunglasses, and they're actually made of recycled plastic that's coming out of Flint, Michigan. So they're literally using the plastic that these residents are required to drink out of because they still don't have clean drinking water in parts of Flint. People have to get most of their water from bottles or boxes, which is insane, and we have to work on fixing that. This community has been affected by that for entirely too long."

7. The Bouqs Co.

Why Laura Loves It: "A company I love is called The Bouqs, and the reason why I like them is they're innovators. The packaging they send the flowers in—everything is recyclable. They're also not a middleman. Most of the places you buy flowers from act as middlemen—working through a system that's really quite damaging to the environment. But The Bouqs work directly with farmers themselves. They have some beautiful bouquets."

8. Gardener's Supply Company

Why Liza Loves It: "Basically, they have everything from glass to tool—anything you need for your garden. But the one thing I actually realized after I already made a purchase from them is that they're also a B Corp, too. So if your mother, grandmother, sister, or girlfriend is into gardening, definitely check them out. They'll have thousands and thousands of options for you."