Hi everybody!
The fall season has officially ended, and the snow has begun. It’s taken me a couple of weeks, but I’m finally starting to warm up to the stuff. For some reason, I had a particularly tough time letting go of the warmer days this year and embracing the colder ones. But here I am now: getting excited for the holiday season!
It could also be a product of my harsh reality that finals season is approaching and I just don’t want to deal with that.
But I’m just sticking on the bright side. And even though the winter holiday season is a whole mess of capitalism run wild, Ethigirl is bringing it down a notch. In this guide, I’ll feature some absolutely wonderful brands that I’ve gotten the chance to discover and work with recently. I’ll discuss their stories, their ethics and sustainability, and recommend some products. Some of these features even include discount codes…so get excited! Let’s start!
For the Sweet (or Salty) Tooth: Rosette Fair Trade
Bonus: 10% off with discount code ETHIGIRL until December 31st!
Lia Walsh founded Rosette Fair Trade in April 2019 after realizing there needed to be a one-stop-shop connection between the many small fair trade businesses across Canada and the consumers who want to buy from them.
Rosette Fair Trade’s Snack Box Subscription
Lia created Rosette for frustrated consumers like herself: people who truly want to buy all of their products fair trade, but struggle to access them. She wanted a place where everything she looked at was fair trade, so she never had to worry about the ethics or sustainability of the products. She wanted to shop small and support businesses whose missions she truly cared about. Everything that Rosette carries is certified or verified by a third-party organization. In time, it hopes to become the online hub for all fair trade products in Canada!
Now that’s something Ethigirl can get behind. When asked about what difference Lia’s customers make by supporting Rosette, she said:
“When they buy from Rosette, customers are supporting producers who are making things in the way they should be made. They’re growing food on land that isn’t full of harmful chemicals. They’re respecting the environment and natural habitat with their small, family-run farms. They’re working in factories that value them as employees, where they have a fair and meaningful job.”
Lia was also kind enough to send me a box of her delicious goodies to test out. Because of this, I can recommend Rosette’s products wholeheartedly, and can guarantee that anyone you’re giving a gift to this holiday season will be more than happy to have some of them.
One of the coolest things about Rosette is that it offers many of Oxfam’s fair trade certified products, which we normally can’t get here in Canada. So instead of just being able to buy fair trade chocolate, coffee, and tea like usual, you'll now be able to try out gummy bears, soft drinks, rice cakes, dried fruit, and many more amazing options.
My biggest recommendations from Rosette Fair Trade have to be the Sour Gummy Bears, the Belgian White Chocolate, and the Dried Pineapple.
For the Always-Accessorized: Birch Jewellery
Bonus: 15% off any online order with code ETHIGIRL until December 8th!
Samantha Brazeau-Wilson is the designer and girl boss behind Birch Jewellery, a small-batch Ottawa jewellery boutique whose gorgeous, nature-inspired designs have been worn by the likes of Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the First Lady of Canada!
The jewellery is handcrafted in Ottawa, Ontario.
Born out of a late-night hobby, Birch has evolved into an up-and-coming brand that is loved by fashionistas worldwide. Samantha decided to found it after she moved from rural Ontario to Ottawa and wanted to keep a piece of nature always with her. As someone who can relate to the rural-to-urban transition, this story means a lot to me!
On why consumers should support Birch Jewellery over any other company this holiday season:
Birch Jewellery’s Juniper Branch & Pine Cone Necklace
“By supporting Birch Jewellery, shoppers are supporting a small local, woman-owned business. They're supporting their local economy, whether locally in Ottawa here in Canada, which creates a positive ripple effect.”
Once again, Ethigirl is happy to get behind this wonderful business!
Samantha also told me that some of her bestsellers include the pine cone necklace (which is the piece that Trudeau wore!), along with the juniper and pine cone necklace, wooden earrings, and the famous (and very Canadian) maple leaf necklace. I’m certainly looking forward to checking out and gifting some of these absolutely gorgeous pieces this year!
For the Colorful Creative: Gentle & Kind
Bonus: Free pair of marbled studs with any order from an Ethigirl reader!
I’m so excited to feature creator Hailey Watson’s gorgeous jewellery pieces! Gentle & Kind is a small, queer-owned business located in Chicago that handmakes and sells sustainable, zero waste clay earrings.
Gentle & Kind’s Face Earrings
Hailey has always been someone who has needed a creative outlet. Gentle & Kind was born out of a small project that Hailey did outside her full-time job; however, once friends started taking interest in her creations she started selling to pay for her education! Sustainability was key from the beginning — Watson has friends give her leftover bubble mailers that she reuses in order to make her packaging as low-waste as possible.
She also doesn’t waste any of the clay she uses for the earrings. Anything that’s leftover is used to make new earrings that she’ll either sell or add into orders for free!
If you’re in love with these pieces like me, check out Hailey’s Depop here, through which Gentle & Kind is run. If you want to place an order, be sure to message her first and mention that you’re coming from Ethigirl — Hailey will include a pair of marbled studs for free!
Personally, I’m planning on grabbing these Green Banana Leaf Earrings and these Green Face Earrings.
For the Lover of Scents: Milk Jar Candle Co.
Bonus: 10% off your order with code ETHIGIRL until December 31st!
Something smells AMAZING! Anyone who knows me at all should be aware of my candle obsession. So when I was organizing this blog post, I obviously knew I needed to work with a sustainable candle company — and Milk Jar Candle Co., located in Calgary, AB, was the perfect fit!
Milk Jar Candle Co.’s Night Cap Candle
Holly Singer is the owner and operator behind this gorgeous candle brand. She launched it almost three years ago as a passion project, and as a way to give back. Before entering nursing school, Holly had been working with families who had children with special needs, and she wanted to continue that during her education. Thus, she decided to sell her candles and donate a portion of sales to charities which helped the children she had been working with. With that, Milk Jar was born, and it took off pretty much as quickly as it began!
Milk Jar is the first Canadian candle company with a return program of the candles’ glass jars. When customers are finished with their candle, there are several locations around Canada that will accept them to be cleaned and turned into a new product!
Holly also told me:
“Our passion is in our craft, but our purpose is in our community. A soy candle is a wonderful item but my favourite thing about Milk Jar is that we have taken a simple home decor item, and turned it into a vehicle to give back to a community that holds a special place in my heart. $1 from the sale of every candle is donated to a not-for-profit program supporting youth with special needs.
Every year we have supported a different organization. The first year we donated $2200 to the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing, last year we donated $8336 to Between Friends Club, and this year we are supporting Pacekids and have already surpassed last year’s goal with still two very busy months left! Our goal is $12,000 to help pay for 12 children to use their early intervention classrooms that give them the tools and empowerment to enter the public school system.”
Milk Jar candles make a great gift for anyone, and the company offers a line of 12 signature candles to choose from. Holly says her current best sellers for the holidays are Holly, Suede, and Harvest.
For the Beauty Guru: Lush Cosmetics
And of course, we can’t forget Lush: an absolute cult classic for any conscious lover of all things beauty. If you’ve ever been inside a Lush store, you can probably already smell it — and if you haven’t, I highly recommend that you do!
Lush was originally founded by two lovers of natural beauty in the UK. They made a huge splash right off the bat with their unique bath bombs and shampoo bars. They’ve also always worked hard on their rigorous ethics, including a ban on animal testing among their products, procuring ethical and vegan ingredients, paying fair wages at all portions of the supply chain, and reducing unnecessary packaging and waste. In fact, any of Lush’s products that come in black pots can be collected, and for every five returned for a free fresh face mask!
Lush’s Dream Cream
I have been a self-proclaimed “Lushie” for many years; in fact, it was Lush that played a pretty big role in initially introducing me into the ethical consumerism scene. I am happy to continue to support Lush and all of the amazing things that it does.
Currently, I’m using the Let the Good Times Roll face scrub, which absolutely smells like cake. I also use Dream Cream, which is a super smooth cream suitable for both face and body. However, if you’re looking for another guaranteed great gift idea, you can try out the Charity Pot! This product is an ethical cream that supports a grassroots charity or movement with every single purchase. There are tons of different options, so you can choose your Charity Pot based on the causes that your recipient cares about most!