Gifts that don't cost the Earth
Whether it’s gorgeous homeware, beautiful accessories, ingenious toys for kids, or stuff for the garden, all the carefully chosen products in our shop have an ethical story behind them.
How we decide what to stock
We don't just choose nice products; all the lovely things in our shop meet at least one of our five buying criteria:
1. Plant derived
At Eden we like to reconnect people with nature and remind them how much we all rely on plants. So it seems only right that we should showcase the amazing things they are used for. If manufactured in a sustainable way, natural products can have a lower environmental impact than stuff created from virgin plastic or metal.
Lots of our kitchenware range is made of bamboo, a fast-growing, endlessly renewable resource. It thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilisers, absorbing greenhouse gases as it grows.
2. Fairly traded
Eden looks for goods where workers are treated with respect, fairly paid, properly equipped and given access to education and medical care. Fairly traded products also mean minimum environmental standards are adhered to. While not every company we buy from has yet achieved fairtrade status, we are happy to work with them on the journey there.
Our range of locally made Eden chocolate is produced using cocoa from fair trade cooperatives in West Africa. Many flavours include baobab too, a nutrient-rich fruit which is providing an income for growers in Malawi. Find out about our passion for baobab.
3. Recycled
As well as reducing our own waste, we promise to reinvest in the market for recycled goods (because there's no point in everyone recycling if no one's buying the stuff). Buying recycled means that fewer minerals have to be extracted from the ground, fewer ancient forests are in danger of being chopped down and there are fewer precious materials deteriorating in a landfill site.
4. Sustainable
We like to sell things that help people live happier, greener, more active lifestyles. For example, our reusable jute bags encourage people to refuse plastic bags when they're out shopping; the hard-wearing flasks we sell are designed to be used again and again in place of plastic mineral water bottles; wind-up torches remind people how precious energy is.
5. Local
Our commitment to local sourcing helps to reduce carbon emissions from transport, boost local livelihoods and is a way of sharing our own success with the local community.
