Ethical wellness brands with a purpose
The wellness brands that are doing it well
Change
The general public are becoming more and more sceptical when it comes to wellness brands.
Within the wellness industry trends seem to come and go. What is good for you one day seems to cause damage the next. Superfoods come in and out of fashion like skinny jeans and flares. Consumers are searching for ways to gauge whether brands actually care about the wellbeing of society as a whole or whether they just care about profit.
One way that consumers judge a brand’s authenticity and commitment to wellbeing is by searching for their corporate responsibility schemes or the ways in which the brand is helping the wider community.
More and more customers are looking for a brand with a purpose. They are looking for the humanity that lies behind the product. They are looking for truly ethical wellness brands that hold similar values to their own, who’re going the extra mile to fight some of society's greatest challenges.
Here are some ethical wellness brands that are making a real difference.
Within the wellness industry trends seem to come and go. What is good for you one day seems to cause damage the next. Superfoods come in and out of fashion like skinny jeans and flares. Consumers are searching for ways to gauge whether brands actually care about the wellbeing of society as a whole or whether they just care about profit.
One way that consumers judge a brand’s authenticity and commitment to wellbeing is by searching for their corporate responsibility schemes or the ways in which the brand is helping the wider community.
More and more customers are looking for a brand with a purpose. They are looking for the humanity that lies behind the product. They are looking for truly ethical wellness brands that hold similar values to their own, who’re going the extra mile to fight some of society's greatest challenges.
Here are some ethical wellness brands that are making a real difference.
Mindful Chef
Mindful Chef is based in the UK. They deliver high quality healthy ingredients to households all over the UK with the aim of encouraging healthy eating and general wellbeing. Their website is chock full of exciting healthy recipes for their customers, making healthy eating delicious and convenient. As of 2019 they are an officially recognised B Corp. If you don’t know what a B corp is it’s time to clamber out from that rock you have been living under. A B Corp is a business that is legally required to consider the impact that their decisions have on people and the planet. B Corps are companies dedicated to using business as a force for good. To use the case of Mindful Chef, their business supports local producers in the UK and for every meal they sell, they donate a meal to a school child who is living in poverty. Since starting their business they have donated millions of meals to children in need.
Not only is Mindful Chef going above and beyond to encourage healthy lifestyle choices and address problems like a rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease, they are also helping to alleviate symptoms of poverty. It’s a win-win for customers buying from this company. They feel health benefits for themselves whilst also knowing they are helping to feed a child with their purchase.
The Soap Co.
Pampering has become a necessary part of all of our wellness routines. What if you could have a pamper night and also rest in the knowledge that your toiletries and cosmetics have helped to provide employment opportunities to people with disabilities?
The Soap Co. creates soaps that smell so delicious you could eat them. Their workshops in the Lake District create high quality soaps packaged in minimalistic bottles made from recycled materials. The company hires people with impaired vision as well as other disabilities and 100% of the profits are pumped back into the business to ensure that work opportunities can be given to even more people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Having their workshop in the Lake District, an area of outstanding natural beauty in the UK, is coherent with their insistence upon using only natural ingredients. The use of recycled plastics shows that they are actively working to protect this natural environment and hiring those with disabilities shows their dedication to creating a more accessible and equal society for all.
When customers are buying their products they aren’t just buying a bottle of soap. They are buying an idea and supporting an ethical wellness business with similar values to their own.
Tala
This athleisure brand was started by fitness influencer and Oxford University graduate Grace Beverly. Her personal brand has encouraged women everywhere to hit the gym and to feel better about their bodies. The TALA range is made from recycled materials and is now rivalling huge athleisure brands like GymShark, all whilst making fitness fashion sustainable. The brand is size inclusive, with their products being accessible to women of all sizes and campaigns inclusive of all body types, skin colours. What’s more, they operate on an anti-retouching policy too.
This ethical clothing brand has been designed for a new generation that’s more body positive and wants to make fitness accessible for all. It’s also for the environmentally conscious women who are sick of buying gym wear made from synthetic materials. TALA tells the story of a new era in the fitness industry that prioritises real health and fitness over body weight or aesthetics.
Riverford Organics
Riverford Organics is committed to actionable and ethical principles. Everything they grow is organic and packaged in compostable bags and reusable boxes. Their website is full of sustainability reports outlining all the ways in which their business remains climate conscious. Not only this, but they are a certified B Corp, partner with a number of charities, and were recently voted one of the Top 100 companies to work for in the UK. This is not surprising given that in 2018, Riverford became an employee owned business. Now, 74% of the company is owned by an Employee trust with the owner retaining just 26%. Employee owned businesses have been found to increase well being of employees, as well as productivity in the workplace. Riverford is one of those businesses that takes great efforts to operate consciously with staff and the planet in mind.
Social responsibility and wellness brands
As well being becomes more of a focus for all of us, we are looking for proof of these commitments in wider social responsibility programs. It’s not enough to be a successful business with huge profits anymore, especially in the wellness industry where prioritising profit over all else can often lead to unsustainable production methods or exploitative work contracts. Consumers are holding brands up to their higher ethical standard by leveraging their purchasing power. Changing the market and encouraging authentic businesses that are good for employees, customers and the planet.
Are you looking for ways to make your business more ethical? It’s not enough to just link up with a charity and consider your ethics quota met for the year. You need to dig deep. What do you truly care about? If you are truly passionate about a cause it will shine through and attract the right audience.
