5 Sustainable brands to watch out for in 2022

Being green is anything but dull… to prove it, we spoke to founders and brand leaders from five exciting new sustainable startups. We talked challenges, trends and opportunities for sustainable brands in 2022. 

Hirestreet

What is it?

Hirestreet is the UK’s leading Fashion Rental Platform that makes style and sustainability accessible for all women. 

What they say

“There is a lot of consumer doubt and uncertainty around how sustainable rental really is (due to a number of recent press articles which used very unrealistic data). So, right now, it’s about educating our target audience on what we know; that rental is far more sustainable than buying items and wearing them once or only a handful of times. To do this, we need to start seeing better data being circulated on the impact of rental vs buying. 

“According to many studies, rental and re-sale are projected to significantly grow their market share. In line with this, we expect that rental will become very much “the norm” for many consumers, particularly for items in the occasionwear, outerwear and babywear categories. We also expect to see a shift from 3rd party rental platforms to many of the world’s leading retailers offering rental direct to consumers. This will not only increase supply (of which the market is currently lacking) but will also lead to normalising rental as a whole and therefore be a major contributor to growing demand further.”

Yoppie

What is it?

Yoppie makes menstrual care convenient, and menstrual symptoms easier to manage.

What they say

“A current challenge is making sure we communicate everything we do in terms of staying as sustainable as possible. I am so proud of our supply chain and the hard work that goes into sourcing the right suppliers. We’ve had sky high standards from day one, and this year we are getting B Corp certified.

“When it comes to sustainability trends, especially within the femtech industry, we will see more customers seeking reusables as an alternative to their monthly period routine and more innovative packaging. Hopefully, the mainstream consumer will once and for all say ‘no’ to period products containing harmful chemicals and plastics, and switch to organic period products as their first option always.”

Egglife Foods 

What is it?

Egglife Foods is reimagining the future of food by harnessing the power of eggs to transform traditionally flour-based foods.

What they say

“Continued pressures for more sustainable ingredients, materials, and practices are challenging for manufacturers on many levels. At egglife, we are pushing ourselves to ensure we grow our sustainability efforts through all touchpoints beyond just ingredients, with a more sustainable packaging solution being one of the big challenges we are currently working through.

“Consumers are becoming more and more conscious of not just the goods they are consuming, but how they get to them. More sustainable packaging constructs, regenerative agriculture, reducing food waste through upcycling, and more eco-friendly means across supply chains will continue to emerge to meet the demands of the more conscious consumer.”

Whirli

What is it?

Whirli is a sharing economy for parents to borrow children’s toys.

What they say

“We think owning toys is so 2020. Whirli lets parents keep swapping for age or skill appropriate toys (or just for the latest must-haves) without breaking the bank or costing the earth. Right now, we’re focused on navigating the current climate of logistical challenges, especially for the Christmas season!

“In the coming months, I think consumers are going to get more savvy about “greenwashing” especially from larger brands / traditional corporates and we’ll see more importance placed on independent sustainability audits or accreditation.” 

Better Nature

What is it?

Better Nature is all about tempeh: a naturally nutritious and delicious plant-based food from Indonesia. 

What they say

“Greenwashing is all around us, which makes it really hard for consumers to actually know what’s going on and what to believe. We try to be really open about our sustainability efforts, including our challenges and shortcomings, but this isn’t always the case for other businesses and it can lead to a very uneven playing field. 

“However, we believe there will be more transparency and monitoring of claims across the industry in 2022 and beyond, making it easier for consumers to shop sustainably.”

Want to find out more about sustainability trends?

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