Below is a new and expanded version of our previous article "12 Greener Options than Amazon!"  The updated list includes alternatives to Amazon that are selling clothing and accessories, personal care products, home products, toys and crafts, books and entertainment, pet supplies and toys, home cleaning products, and food and supplements. 

During the pandemic, when more than 30 million Americans lost their jobs, retail giant Amazon thrived, earning more than $20 BILLION in profits. Even though Amazon has been raking in profits, it has failed to protect workers — its injury rates are double the industry average!

Plus, Amazon's carbon footprint increased in 2019, it has a history of selling unsafe products to consumers, and recent reports have shown that the company undercuts competition and small businesses.

Workers and small businesses need all the support they can get during this time. So before making your next purchase from Amazon, consider trying one of the alternatives to Amazon below!

Many of the businesses listed are certified Green Businesses, so you can rest easy knowing you are part of the solution. Find all of the certified Green Businesses here: GreenPages.org. You can get a feel for each business and what it has to offer from the descriptions they provided below.

Find all certified Green Businesses here!

Alternatives to Amazon

Clothing and accessories:

• Altiplano: Handmade jewelry and bags from Guatemala. Our contemporary designs use traditional materials and techniques, recycled materials, and are handmade in a workshop based on Fair Trade principles.
• Dunitz & Company: Dunitz & Company offers a wonderful range of fair trade glass, beaded and laser cut jewelry designs. We've been working and collaborating with artisans in Guatemala for over 30 years.
• Faerie's Dance, Inc.: Ethically made, sustainable clothing, lingerie, jewelry and accessories for the whole family.
• Fair Trade Winds: Fair Trade jewelry, accessories, greeting cards, housewares, decor, bath and body, children's gifts, instruments, holiday and seasonal gifts, chocolate, tea, coffee.
• GAIAM: Attractive organic cotton apparel line includes clothing for yoga, Pilates, and all mind-body fitness forms.
• Soul Flower Clothing: Soul Flower is an earth-loving clothing brand for you. Mindfully made with eco-friendly materials and heartfelt art, we design our organic clothing with kind vibes from start to finish. We seek inspiration in the simplicity of everyday life – in nature and in music, in free-spirited adventures and in like-minded souls.
• Sympatico Clothing: Stylish and comfortable hemp and Tencel separates for women - my hemp/Tencel clothing for women is cut in elegant shapes designed for movement and everyday wear. I offer skirts, tops that can double as jackets, a tank top and pants and have a selection of hand-dyed scarves, great gifts!
• WorldFinds: Founded on the belief that beautiful designs can be a force for positive change, WorldFinds is a brand of ethically-sourced jewelry and accessories that helps empower women artisans through fair trade partnerships.

See more Green Businesses selling apparel here.

Personal care products:

• Be Green Bath and Body: affordable artisan natural and organic skincare products
• Brush Naked: Bamboo toothbrushes with recyclable nylon bristles. Compostable packaging.
• Carolina Morning: Meditation Products, Yoga Props, Bedding, and Body Friendly Furniture
• Gilden Tree: Natural cotton waffle bath towels, terracotta foot scrubber, spa-quality, diabetic-friendly, gluten-free foot, hand & body care using Certified Organic ingredients, spa kits and gifts.
• Truly-Life: An eco-friendly gift company creating handmade skin care and small home furnishings in biodegradable packages. Bicycle delivery for local neighborhood orders.

See more Green Businesses selling personal care products here.

Home products:

• Baskets of Africa: We offer a wide variety of high quality, true Fair Trade, authentic, baskets and gifts from throughout the African continent.
• Buy The Change : We sell ethically traded products that are handmade by women around the globe.  Many are made from recycled materials.  All contribute to economic opportunities for women and families. 
• Satara Home & Baby: Organic and natural products for the home and baby including organic bedding, pillows, mattresses, bed frames and more. For baby we have organic baby clothes, bedding, toys, bath items, crib mattresses and mattresses for "big kid beds".
• Seeds to Sew International: Seeds to Sew is a US-based, Fair Trade verified, 501(c)3, non-profit organization. Currently we work in rural Kenya, and the products made by our participants include reusable Eco-friendly gift wrapping bags, nativity sets, animal figurines, angel and bicycle ornaments made of banana tree bark, as well as beaded jewelry & spoons made of olive wood.
• Shades of Green: Shades of Green is a sustainably-minded ecommerce platform selling personal on-the-go products and home décor/home health services and products. Each product we host is vetted by our proprietary Product Evaluation System that scores the product for its level or degree of sustainability, based on production and consumer use life stages.

See more Green Businesses selling home products here: housewares & cooking, bedding and mattresses, and home décor.  

Toys and crafts:

• Flowtoys: Creators of the first rechargeable LED glowstick, innovators of the levitation wand dance, and producers of the world’s favorite glow poi, batons, juggling clubs, and LED martial arts props.
• Global Good Partners: Handmade, Fair Trade, and eco-friendly gifts, jewelry, housewares, toys, and accessories.
• Hazelnut Kids: Give the gift of imagination with our natural and organic toys for babies and young children. Wooden toys, play kitchens, dollhouses, art supplies, play silks, and much more! We donate 1% of all sales to land and water conservation and have 1 tree planted for every toy sold! We offer eco-gift wrap, a gift registry, and flat rate shipping (free over $75).
• Natural Earth Paint: using natural earth pigments and organic ingredients to create non-toxic art supplies, paints, face paints and craft kits for children and fine artists.
• Naturally Playful: Toys, games, gifts, school supplies, body care products, and reusables that are made in the US or Fair Trade, and are considerate of our world.
• Organic Cotton Plus: We sell organic, sustainably sourced fabric and craft supplies.  We offer a variety of fabrics for apparel, home decor, quilting, and notions, yarn, and fiber.
• Pocket Disc: Pocket Disc sells a line of fun, soft, safe packable toys - mostly that fly - to get kids and grownups moving and having a blast, wherever they are
• Terra Experience: Beautiful handwoven textiles, art, accessories, gifts, jewelry, 18 doll clothes, from Guatemala and Latin America. Strives to support Fair Trade, Mayan artisans, their communities and environment.

See more Green Businesses selling toys here.

Books and entertainment:

• Better World Books: is a for-profit socially conscious business and a global online bookseller that collects and sells new and used books online matching each purchase with a book donation, Book-for-Book™. Better World Books is not a certified Green Business.
• Biblio: Find over 65 million books from 6000 independent bookstores worldwide. Save by buying direct from independents (and feel good about it)!"
• Bookshop.org: an online bookstore with a mission to support local and independent bookstores. Books can arrive as quickly as 2-3 days. Bookstore.org has already raised over $8 million for local bookstores! Bookshop is not a certified Green Business.
• New Society Publishers:  Books about greening your life and the world
• Ten Thousand Villages:  Buy a musical instrument for you or your kids
• Washington Gardener Magazine: We publish a local gardening magazine and have a new book coming out Spring 2021 titled, "The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City." In The Urban Garden you'll find dozens of inspiring and creative ways to grow flowers, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and other plants in small spaces and with a limited budget.
• Yes! Magazine: Stories and solutions for a sustainable world

See more Green Businesses selling books here.

Pet supplies and toys:

• P.L.A.Y. Pet Lifestyle and You: Unique and eco-friendly pet beds and toys that are better for people, pets and planet
• Purrfectplay: Natural handmade cat and dog toys. Lovingly crafted and plastic free.
• The Good Dog Company:  Sewn the in USA. Durable, earth-friendly collars, leashes, harnesses, and toys. Made from 55% hemp and 45% certified organic cotton. Great for dogs or cats with allergies.

See more Green Businesses selling pet care products here.

Home cleaning products:

• Biokleen: 30+ effective, natural and biodegradable home cleaning products reduce your footprint both in- and outside your home.
• Molly Suds: earth- and plant-derived laundry, home and pet products that are truly safe for people and the planet.
• Tangie: environmentally friendly laundry detergent (no pollutants and no constant disposing of plastic containers), Stain Remover Bar Shave Cream Soap Bar, Hand Soap Paste, Shampoo Bars, Conditioner Bars and other waste-free solutions.

See more Green Businesses selling home cleaning products here.

Food and supplements:

• Amafruits: superfruits from the Amazon in purees, freshly frozen smoothie packs and sorbets
• Divine Chocolate: Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade certified chocolate company that is co-owned by cocoa farmers. Divine Chocolate offers a deliciously wide variety of seasonal and everyday chocolates.
• Equal Exchange: Since 1986 Equal Exchange has been America's pioneer brand for Fair Trade organic coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. Today we are a full-service wholesaler to grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, and other food service customers nationwide. Unlike most brands we are also an importer and work directly with over 40 co-operatives of small-scale coffee, tea, cocoa, and sugar farmers in 20 countries around the world. 
• Frontier Co-op: a full line of culinary herbs, spices, teas, health foods, baking flavors under Frontier Co-op and Simply Organic brands. Personal care and aromatherapy products are also available in the Aura Cacia brand. Frontier Co-op is not a certified Green Business.
• Grounds for Change: Roasting exclusively Fair Trade, organic, shade-grown coffee for wholesale, retail, and fundraising. Also offering a wide selection of coffee gifts and a coffee-of-the-month club.
• Higher Grounds Coffee: 100% Fair Trade and organic. Specializes in small-batch roasting of sustainably grown coffees from all over the world.
• Holy City Straw Company: Our Company was formed in 2019 to solve the current “Drinking Straw” dilemma facing both consumers and businesses in today’s environmentally conscious world…discover a cost effective, truly eco-friendly straw without sacrificing the drinking experience! Our solution…. Straws made from 100% natural wheat and reed plant stems!
• KOL Foods: Glatt kosher 100% grass-fed beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, and duck. Wild Alaskan salmon.
• Perfect Supplements: Give the gift of Feeling Good with Grass-fed Collagen & Gelatin! Boost Immunity with Wholefood Organic Vitamin-C Acerola Cherry Powder!
• SauFennel: SauFennel makes after-meal digestive mixes and treats from fennel seeds.  The company is woman owned and based in Lansdale, PA.
• Sweetwater LLC : I provide the finest water filtration systems based on both your goals and your water source.
• Thrive Market: Looking for gluten-free snacks, hypoallergenic cleaning products or organic baby food, there's something for every dietary need and lifestyle online at Thrive Market.
• Velasquez Family Coffee: Direct Trade freshly roasted coffee from our family in Honduras to you.
• Whole World Botanicals: Organic, wildcrafted, fair-traded medicinal herbs from Peru. Includes maca root for hormone-balancing, break-stone for kidney and gall bladder-liver health, camu-camu fruit powder for natural vitamin C.

See more Green Businesses selling food and supplements here.

Shopping on Amazon supports worker exploitation and environmental degradation. Finding alternatives to Amazon can make your shopping list greener and healthier for people and the planet!