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The Green Providers Directory is the UK's leading not-for-profit resource for finding green, organic and fair trade products and services. Since the directory was founded in 2005, our aim has been to encourage and make it easier for more people to buy from ethical and sustainable sources. All the companies listed in our green directory have been vetted so that you can be sure of their eco-friendly credentials. Our directory is free and easy to use - providing everything you need for sustainable living under one roof!
Cookie policy We use cookies to create the most effective website possible for our visitors. Full details can be found here
"We love your green directory and have used it many times to shop and find green online services." - Paw Luxury
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Inspirational quote of the week: "A bite of fair trade chocolate means a lot to farmers in the South. It opens the doors to development and gives children access to healthcare, education, and a decent standard of living." -- K. Ohemeng-Tinyase, Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative, Ghana
Views and opinions.....
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"I love that your green directory approves of all the products and checks out the companies that sell them. This is an invaluable service to the consumer who is dedicated to shopping green. Thanks for all your excellent work in helping your readers shop responsibly." - The Nature Conservancy
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Organic health & beauty products do not contain harmful chemicals or pesticides. All the companies listed in our directory follow organic principles, offering everything from natural skincare products, shampoos, organic soaps and toiletries to bath salts and herbs.
Did you know? The skin is very permeable and most of the lotions you apply end up inside your body! This can include toxins and chemicals which are potentially harmful in the longer-term. Many people are also allergic to the chemicals found in High Street cosmetic products.
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"We need to make growth greener, to make our economic and environmental policies more compatible and even mutually-reinforcing. This is not just a matter of new technologies or new sources of renewable, safe energy. It is about how we all behave every day of our lives, what we eat, what we drink, what we recycle, re-use, repair, how we produce and how we consume." - Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General
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What is fair trade? Fair trade is a social movement aimed at reducing poverty and exploitation by guaranteeing producers a price for their goods which never falls below the cost of production. All the companies listed in our directory follow fair trade principles. More than 7 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America benefit from Fairtrade - farmers, farm workers, and their families.
Did you know? 20% of the world's population live on less than $1 a day!
"The fair trade movement is growing as people realize that they can help alleviate poverty and protect the environment by choosing fair trade products." - Robert Alan
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| Fair trade bags Perfect for shopping, the beach or picnic, or as a fashion accessory, fair trade bags are becoming ever more popular. Fair trade certified cotton bags are for life. They're sustainable and reusable and represent a stand against throwaway "carrier bag society". |
 | Freeset is a leading supplier of fair trade and ethical bags. Using recycled and natural materials, each bag tells a story of a journey to freedom. Custom made bags are also available and can provide the perfect ethical solution for your organisation. www.freesetbags.co.uk
Did you know? Five trillion plastic bags are manufactured globally each year. It takes around 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down. In the process, toxic substances leak into the soil and enter the food chain. Approximately 1 billion seabirds and mammals die each year by ingesting plastic bags (source: Say No To Plastic Bags). "And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminium cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: Look at this Godawful mess." - Art Buchwald, 1970
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Ethical clothing Many mass-produced clothes are made in sweatshops under very difficult conditions, usually where the workers have few rights. Some companies outsource production to third world countries because they can pay employees much less then they would have to pay for domestic labour. Sweatshops are created when individuals are exploited, working in hazardous conditions for long hours and very low pay. Often child labour is used to cut production costs.
The By-Hand Fair Trade Shop brings you a range of fair trade products with the aim of supporting disadvantaged producers in Indonesia. |
Visit the Fair Trade Clothing Directory for more information on ethically-made clothes and to find out stockists.
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Fair trade clothing is both fashionable and ethical! Made with organic cotton by workers who are paid and treatly fairly unlike much mass-produced department store clothing. There is a huge range to choose from in our clothing section.
"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy |
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Fair trade, organic t-shirts Did you know that conventionally grown cotton is the second most pesticide-laden crop in the world? It takes approximately 150g of chemicals to grow enough cotton to make just one t-shirt! Choose an ethically produced, trendy t-shirt instead.
"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty." - Mother Teresa
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Tropical rainforests took up to 100 million years to evolve and are believed to be the oldest and most complex land-based ecosystem on earth, containing over 30 million species of plants and animals. That's half of the Earth's wildlife and at least two-thirds of its plant species!
Some interesting facts: A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies. Rainforests provide many important medicinal products, including those used in the treatment of cancer.
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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Deforestation and the orang utan The Malay word orang-utan means "person of the forest" These long-haired, orange coloured primates are only found in Sumatra and Borneo. They are highly intelligent and close relatives in the evolutionary tree to humans. Orang-utans' spend the vast majority of their time in the trees of their tropical rain forest home, often sleeping in nests in these trees made from leafy branches. They have even been seen using large leaves as umbrellas to shelter from the rain!
Sadly, much of their natural habitat is being cleared to make way for crops which eventually end up in a range of foods and products in our supermarkets. Read more about deforestation and the orang utan
Meat and climate change Links between meat eating and climate change have been widely known for many years, partly due to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest to make room for cattle grazing. Clearing these forests is estimated to produce a staggering 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector!
New species of monkey discovered
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"With 2.5bn people living on less than $2-a-day and with more than two billion people being added to the global population by 2050, it is clear that we must continue to develop and grow our economies. But this development cannot come at the expense of the very life support systems on land, in the oceans or in the atmosphere that sustain our economies, and thus, the lives of each and everyone of us." - Pavan Sukhdev, head of the UN Environment Programme's (Unep) Green Economy Initiative.
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Did you know? A baby's skin is five times thinner than an adult's, which means it is easier for harmful toxins to enter their bodies. Organic cotton is softer, more durable and safer for your baby to wear whilst being less likely to trigger allergies. See our eco baby & children section
Eco friendly toys Fun to play, entertaining and with an educational content for both babies and children. All the toys listed in our directory are made from sustainable sources and recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials. |
"Now that I've got kids, it's become really important for me on the health front to try to buy as much organic produce as possible." - Jamie Oliver, UK celebrity chef, in BBC Good Food magazine
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Tigers at risk of extinction Tigers were once found across large swathes of Europe and as far as the eastern coast of Russia. Today, tigers are now only seen in small pockets of South and East Asia. Estimates suggest that the tiger is now only found in 7% of its historical range with only 3,500 remaining in the wild. Read more about tigers and endangered species |
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Water: The source of all life About 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water and 97% is salt water. 2% of the water on earth is glacier ice at the North and South Poles while less than 1% of all the water on earth is fresh water that we can actually use. Did you know? It takes 246 pints of water to make one cup of coffee? Read more about embedded water and the environment
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Polar bears face 'tipping point' due to climate change The journal Biological Conservation has published research which suggests that polar bears face a 'tipping point' due to climate change. The research claims that there will be a dramatic and sudden decline in the number of polar bears, due in the main to falling pregnancy rates and fewer bears surviving during longer, ice-free seasons. |
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Green electricity Switching to a green electricity provider takes minutes and it won't cost you a penny more than you already pay! The biggest cause of climate change is the CO2 emitted from power stations - reduce your carbon footprint today.
What is the biggest windfarm in the world? Gwynt y Mor will be one of the single biggest private investment projects ever seen in Wales, creating one of the largest offshore windfarm projects in the world, able to provide enough clean, green electricity to power the equivalent of around 400,000 homes.
Biggest solar power plant in the world? A solar power plant planned for Arizona may be the biggest in the world, with $2bn in loan guarantees designed to kick-start the US solar energy industry. President Barack Obama has said that the project would provide more than 5,000 new jobs. The Arizona plant should power 70,000 homes and cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Is global warming real? How many of us have heard comments such as: 'global warming is a myth', or 'its all part of a natural cycle and its been hotter in the past, long before humans started emitting carbon' ... |
Shale gas, what is it? Shale gas has been touted as the energy of the future, with potentially huge deposits across the globe that could provide hundreds of years' worth of energy.
Did you know? Mercury is a toxic element that can cause developmental defects in humans. It also causes reproductive damage in birds and fish. About half of the mercury going into the atmosphere comes from natural sources such as volcanoes. Of the other half, the biggest source is coal-burning, with mercury occurring as a trace element in many coal deposits.
"Humanity has changed the climate. We can have no doubt the world is warming." - Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist
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Saving money Sustainable living not only helps the planet, it helps your pockets too! Turn off that light and switch off the standby on your television. Recycling can also save you money. Instead of buying new items at inflated prices, why not look for second hand goods at a fraction of the price? It could save you a small fortune over the course of a year and also help the environment. See our mobile phone recycling section on how to recycle your old phone for cash.
Energy saving devices If everyone boiled only the water they needed, we could save enough electricity to run all the street lights in the UK! Plus, almost a billion pounds of electricity is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving appliances on standby!.
Buying electrical appliances? Look for products marked as Energy Saving Recommended. These must meet stringent low-energy standards set by an independent panel, so you'll be able to buy with confidence. |
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World population is projected to rise from today's 6.8 billion to over 9 billion in 2050 Environmental stress, biodiversity loss, climate change and pressure on natural resources signal strongly that the world is already overpopulated. But human numbers are still exploding and many environmental campaign groups tend to overlook (or worse still ignore) the impact of population growth and climate change
Smaller families cut carbon emissions |
"Pressures resulting from unrestrained population growth put demands on the natural world that can overwhelm any efforts to achieve a sustainable future. If we are to halt the destruction of our environment, we must accept limits to that growth." - World Scientists' Warning to Humanity, signed by 1600 senior scientists from 70 countries, including 102 Nobel Prize laureates.
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Did you know? Thousands of trees and tonnes of paper are used to produce telephone directories. You can now opt out of receiving Yellow Pages by calling 0800 671 444. Also, you can opt out of receiving unwanted mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Service. Paper telephone directories are fast becoming information dinosaurs. Read more about The Green Directory and Yellow Pages
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"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver." - Martin Luther
Fair trade, sustainable furniture Always choose wood from managed forests, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world's forests. It was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a trustworthy wood-labelling scheme. FSC is supported by NGOs including WWF, Greenpeace and the Woodland Trust.
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How much carbon dioxide does a tree absorb? Each tree planted absorbs around 1 tonne of carbon emissions over its lifetime of 100 years. Planting trees is a simple and easy way to help the environment, adding beauty and enhancing the greenness of your community.
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Fair trade, ethical gifts Visit our gifts section to find some unusual, different ideas for birthdays and special occasions. Everything you buy will go towards worthwhile causes such as protecting the rainforests, helping endangered species and supporting children in the developing world.
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Life on Earth is supported by the atmosphere The atmosphere absorbs the energy from the Sun, recycles water and other chemicals, and works with the electrical and magnetic forces to provide a moderate climate. The atmosphere also protects us from high-energy radiation and the frigid vacuum of space. However, the atmosphere is very thin relatively speaking and is being destabilised by greenhouse gas emissions.
"Only when I saw the Earth from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations." - Sigmund Jahn, German cosmonaut |
"The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we're contributing to the warming of the earth's atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe." - Barack Obama
Booking your next holiday? Although air travel is currently a small contributor to overall carbon emissions, it is one of the fastest growing sources of such emissions. In fact, one long haul flight can produce more carbon emissions per person that a full year of car driving! It's important, therefore, to fly less than we do currently if we are to minimise our individual carbon footprints. There are many alternatives to flying and good sites such as Man in Seat 61 provide a range of alternatives.
When we do fly on holiday it's even more important than our holiday is a responsible one. Eco friendly holidays bring us closer to local cultures by involving local people in tourism.It brings unrivalled experiences and real life awareness that are not possible with mass tourism destinations. Next time you book a holiday why not take a look at eco-friendly alternatives for something truly different and exciting?
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Fair trade jewellery Many of the world's precious metals and gemstones are mined under harsh working conditions by people who are very poorly paid. Often, the workers are children. The mining itself can cause significant environmental damage including the use of mercury or cyanide to extract gold. If that were not bad enough, thousands have been killed in wars funded by the sale of diamonds, often referred to as 'blood diamonds'. |
Fair trade jewellery is produced without child labour or worker exploitation, where the environmental impact is minimised and without causing or indirectly funding conflict. When someone next shows you their new diamond ring or gold necklace ask them if they know how it was produced. Always look to buy fair trade, ethical jewellery and wear it with a clear conscience.
Other interesting articles
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