When it comes to shopping I think we all want to be making more ethical and sustainable choices.
But theres no doubt that it can be pretty tricky knowing where to start, especially with the levels of greenwashing (exaggeration a company’s environmental credentials) that we seem to find ourselves bombarded with.
Enter the B Corp. The absolute gold standard of certification for ethical and sustainable businesses across the globe.
To be certified a B Corp, which is a pretty extensive and rigorous process companies have to ‘meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.’
There are currently over 6000 certified B corps in the world with 1200 in the UK and the number continues to grow - although companies continue to be tested and will be kicked out if their standards drop.
Whilst there aren’t a huge amount of interiors brands that are certified just yet, I have put together a list of my favourites and will continue to add to the list as we see more gain certification.
House Of Hackney
House of Hackney make the top ten of my list any day. Their designs are iconic and create such a statement, they are an absolute must have if you have a penchant for botanical and maximalist vibes.
House of Hackney was actually Batteson Studio’s first introduction to the world of B Corp having been lusting after their incredible designs for many years. They were certified in 2020 they and were one of the first interiors brands to do so.
With a fabulous range of wallpapers, fabrics and a small but superb selection of statement accessories and furniture they are well worth checking out if you are looking for hero pieces with lots of drama.
Their designs are definitely investments but this is all about choosing items for our homes that are made to last and to be enjoyed for the longterm.
Nkuku
I'm a big fan of Nkuku’s beautiful products. They have an artisanal feel with lots of tactile natural sustainably sourced materials which are always a great addition to our homes.
They have a good selection of furniture and homeware and work with suppliers who are continuing to use traditional skills with a real high quality craftsmanship.
I absolutely love some of their planters and I have Christmas decorations from Nkuku that I take out to decorate my home year after year.
If you aren’t familiar with them, they are well worth a look.
Armadillo Rugs
Armadillo Rugs are an Australian brand who make truly beautiful tactile rugs. The designs are simple and timeless with an organic yet luxury feel. Mimi, my cat is a big fan…
If you are looking for a large rug they aren’t cheap but again they are quality investment pieces and with every purchase you are helping to support their not-for-profit organisation which fully supports, amongst other things, a fully funded school for the artisans children in India.
Whilst I purchased my small but beautiful Armadillo rug in Singapore you can find a few stockists here in the UK. Try Another Country who seem to have a pretty good selection.
TBCO
Perhaps better known as the The Tartan Blanket Company - but whilst they do have some great, and quite contemporary tartans - they are not just limited to tartan and have other lovely weaves using recycled and renewable wool.
Rather obviously they sell blankets which are always good to have around the home and they use offcuts from their recycled wool blankets to make pet blankets. This definitely gets them in to Batteson Studio’s top ten!
Wolf & Badger
Wolf & Badger is a fabulous addition to the list as it is a marketplace for an array of independent brands.
Whilst its mostly just accessories included in their home section at the moment, it is a great introduction to smaller companies that you may not know yet. They also have a super handy ethical and sustainable guide for each product so you have the full heads up on its ethical and environmental credentials.
I would also have to give a mention to their collection of fashion brands, I’d say they have one of the best selections of shoes you can find. I once saw the most amazing pair of jewelled lobster shoes which I sadly didn’t purchase at the time, a terrible error. Who doesn’t need a pair of lobster shoes?
Naturalmat
Full disclosure - I haven’t slept on a Naturalmat mattress yet. After all, replacing items that we already own with more sustainable options - isn’t sustainable at all! But when the time comes - this will be the one.
With the staggering statistic that over five million mattresses end up in landfill every year in the UK alone, Naturalmat have a brilliant mattress for life initiative where the entire mattress can be broken down at the end of it’s lifespan to be composted, reused or recycled.
Honestly, the sheer volume of landfill mattresses is enough to give you nightmares so this company absolutely gets my vote.
If you have slept on one of their mattresses I’d love to know if you had a perfect nights sleep?!
Ethical Bedding
Are you getting your eight hours sleep? I think we all know how much better we feel for a good nights rest and I really do believe that creating bedroom sanctuaries that support our wellbeing should be one of the top priorities when it comes to our homes. So beautiful bedding that feels good against your skin is an absolute must.
Ethical Bedding is a fairly new brand to me but I am already a convert with their incredibly soft Eucalyptus Silk pillows. Made from 100% sustainably grown eucalyptus which uses 95% less water than cotton, these seem to be an excellent choice. They are also seriously soft against your skin. I'm sure I’m already looking ten years younger. Ok maybe ten days younger…
Plank Hardware
Is it just me that gets excited about beautiful hardware? Given the array of fabulous options on the market I’m guessing not.
These are the details that can really elevate a look and are a brilliant way to update cupboards, doors and furniture without replacing the whole thing. Frankly its amazing what a coat of paint and a fancy new knob can do!
Plank have a pretty good selection in a variety of finishes and are well worth a look if you are looking for a DIY update. Their taps are worthy of a perusal too.
COAT & Lick
I’m popping these two paint brands together, both were certified B Corp in 2022 and offer water based low VOC paints that are made to finish on order.
Both COAT and Lick have a big range of trend led colours, offer peel and stick paint samples - saving all those mini tester pots and sell paint supplies and materials made from sustainable materials.
Lick also have a range of wallpapers although fairly limited in style.
Watch this space for some more exciting wallpaper brands which rumour has it are currently going through the rather rigorous testing to be certified B corp.
World of Books
Books, isn’t this an interiors list? Well as far as I’m concerned no home is complete without them! Interiors are all about reflecting our personalities and our bookshelves are certainly an extension of this, every collection is unique. Ok apart from that copy of Atomic Habits.
Books are also wonderful sources of inspiration for our interiors, and well, everything really.
So last but not least, WOB is probably my very favourite B corp of them all. I’ve certainly mentioned it a few time here on the site and wherever possible I do choose to order from them over the more obvious. You can buy new and secondhand and I find them incredibly well priced and speedy too!
I love books so much I've written a blog post all about creating a book nook here.
Do you have any favourite interiors B Corps I haven't mentioned?
Chloé X
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