8 Black owned sustainable brands in the UK
Sustainability isn’t a buzzword. This movement has caused an expansive awakening of passive shoppers - leaving behind the norm and choosing to become conscious consumers. What’s far more gripping is that the catalysts behind this shift aren’t big businesses, but rather smaller more authentic brands, reimagining the way we make purchase decisions whilst centring our eco-friendly pursuits.
As we progress towards a more environmentally and socially conscious consumer experience, it’s imperative that these brands are supported and accessible. Making it easier for us to sustain these practices and make better long-term decisions. Businesses with sustainability at their core, like the 8 Black owned brands we’ve listed below will continue to lead us towards a future that is no longer naive about our environmental impact.
Here are 8 Black owned sustainable businesses shifting the needle with their brands:
Yala
Yala is award-winning African jewellery for the modern woman, ethically and sustainably made in Kenya by artisans working in the informal sector. The very first jewellery company in the UK to become a Certified B Corporation and winner of "Jewellery Brand of the Year" in the 2019 Sustainable Lifestyle Awards.
Yala’s brand is built on social values, to improve the lives of others by creating financial opportunities for the skilled artisans who make our products. Their jewellery embodies intricate design, sustainable materials, ethics and transparency.
As a B Corp, they have made a legal commitment to treat our suppliers, customers and the environment with the respect they deserve. Yala focuses on small batch, limited collections not just to ensure excellent quality, but also to make every customer feel special and unique. Their pieces give the customer confidence that their piece was made by artisans in a safe, healthy workplace and that they were paid enough to improve the lives of themselves and their families.
Yala aims to make it easier for consumers to make sustainable buying decisions. They believe that transparency should be the default for every brand, not a special feature.
Named after a play on the French words for Mother Earth, MAMATER makes ethical sophisticated adornments for spirited women who want to look good and live well. Founded by Marilyne Kékéli in 2018, MAMATER has established itself as an honest jewellery and art atelier by committing itself to sustainable production methods and ethical trade practices.
Marilyne's lifelong passion for nature, plants and their conservation have been important guides in MMATER's approach to trading and transforming precious metals and stones.
Using purely earth sourced materials and working with Parisian based demi fine goldsmiths, the range consists of striking pieces incorporating elements such as brass and silver alloys. Porcelain also features heavily throughout the collections as a vibrant centre to many of the pieces. Rooted in earth, strong abstract shapes are a common theme inspired by the distinctive bold postmodernist architecture and cubist symbolism Marilyne observed in her younger years in Lomé on the Gulf of Guinea.
It was the Winter of 2013 and besties Tara and Susan were having a classic bathroom chat in between classes at university. Susan was daydreaming about starting a business together - Tara wondered why she couldn’t find organic tampons anywhere. Loads of research, a masters dissertation and heaps of terrible period-pun business names later, FLO was born!
‘We're Here We Flo and we make shamelessly natural care for life's messiest moments!’
From organic cotton tampons and organic bamboo pads to Regenerative Rubber, CO2-neutral condoms, Flo has got your back with their plant-based personal care that features 100% compostable, biodegradable or recyclable materials and ingredients. Their cheekily-packaged, sustainable products also give back: 5% of our profits go to people and planet!
Bouclème is the revolutionary range that was created out of a desire for a product that delivered healthy, frizz free curls using plant powered ingredients. Curl Expert and Founder Michele Scott-Lynch, battled against her hair until she was into her 30s.
Michelle formulated the Bouclème plant powered collection to be packed with high performance natural actives that restore moisture and life to dry lack lustre hair, Bouclème’s 3-step system aims to give you beautiful, shiny, frizz free curls using 0% sulphates, silicones, parabens, petroleum, propylene glycol, parabens, PEGS, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colours, just as nature intended.
Through Boucléme, Michelle’s ultimate ambition is that everyone celebrates their curls. This is about learning to love your natural and beautiful hair type and feeling empowered.
Amschela is an affordable luxury accessory design brand, born in the UK. Focused on encapsulating the intrinsic charm of the modern day contemporary woman. Amschela strives to use high quality, environmentally-friendly, certified materials that are sustainable, serve to reduce our carbon footprint and are not harmful to animals. Embracing our social responsibility is embedded in our future roadmap.
Amschela launched by Keri Andriana sets out to create positive change in the fashion industry, for a fully inclusive accessories brand that is diverse and inclusive of all women around the world, removing the status quo that luxury is non exclusive. Keri Andriana combines her business acumen acquired from a legal background to navigate the brand through the fascinating and complex fashion industry, with a desire to also assist future designers who have entered the industry via non traditional backgrounds with a focus in promoting British Manufacturing.
Amschela is currently transitioning to a full vegan brand by the end of 2021. We are clear on our social responsibility to protect our environment and seek to serve a circular business model with 100% traceability of all materials used in our products by 2025.
Hoosh is a vegan men’s grooming brand founded in the pandemic by Bea Barter. It launched its first product – a hair removal cream – in October 2021 and plans to add new products to the range in 2022. Hoosh was founded to create a brand and products that represent today’s diverse and inclusive society. Hoosh is about all men and stands for body positivity and recognises men come in all shapes, sizes, colour, gender and sexual preferences. Hoosh wants people to feel their best who-ever they are.
Hoosh empowers men through inclusive representation in the beauty world. Hoosh is about male grooming confidence, pride and personal appearance. It challenges a world that makes people insecure about the appearance because they are not representative of mainstream culture.
Inspired by the textured crown that is worn each day, Formulator and Owner of Ataji Hair Care, Michelle Jenmi, curated a product collection that provides a home hair therapy process for naturals. Rooted in the belief that hydration is the foundation for strong, healthy hair, Ataji Hair Care encourages women to nourish their natural textures with products that deliver your strands the moisture it needs without harsh chemicals.
With carefully crafted ingredients such as rose water, kokum butter, pumpkin, aloe vera, and so much more, Ataji Hair Care formulates each product with 100% organic ingredients that help promote strength, length, and shine for long-lasting results.
Atijo was founded in May 2019 by friends and London-based creatives Anu Odugbesan, Londiwe Ncube and Safiya Yekwai. It was created to provide a more curated and luxury experience to vintage shopping.
Atijo collections are uniquely curated with classic pieces for the modern man and woman.
Their mission is to inspire conscious consumption within fashion, circulating more pre-loved clothing through reimagining the vintage aesthetic. They aim to contribute towards reducing the fashion industry’s carbon footprint while celebrating style, culture and diversity.