April marks Earth Month, a time to celebrate our planet and take action to protect it. It’s also the perfect opportunity to reflect on our shopping habits and consider how we can make more sustainable choices. And with the start of spring, now is a great time to update your wardrobe and beauty routine with some sustainable style essentials.
One impactful way to do this is by supporting fashion and beauty brands that prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
At Scarborough Town Centre, we’re proud to showcase a variety of brands that are leading the way in sustainable fashion and beauty. To help keep track of these sustainable brands, check out our exclusive shopping search engine, StyList. All you have to do is create a StyList account and search for your picks from sustainable brands at STC. From there, you can save your faves to a wishlist and share your sustainable finds with loved ones.
Read on to learn more about sustainable brands at STC that deserve your attention and support this Earth Month and beyond.
Sustainable Fashion Brands
When it comes to eco-friendly clothing, consider shopping for brands that use sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester and natural fibres like linen and bamboo. These materials are better for the environment and often have a lower carbon footprint than sustainable materials (plus, they feel like a cloud on your skin!). Additionally, look for brands that use as few natural resources as possible throughout their products’ life cycle, as well as companies that support ethical labour practices.
Canadian brand Matt and Nat (available at Little Burgundy) produces high-quality, timeless products made from different recycled materials such as nylons, cardboard, rubber, cork and windshield resins. Additionally, their linings are made solely of 100% recycled plastic bottles. Sustainable activewear brand Girlfriend Collective (available at Hudson’s Bay) is another pick you can feel good about, thanks to its ethically-made activewear with recycled materials in sizes XXS-6XL.
Clean Beauty
If you’re wanting to incorporate sustainability practices into your beauty routine, there are a few things to look out for. You’ll want to find brands that use sustainable beauty ingredients (that is, those formulated without harmful ingredients) and sustainable packaging that has as little waste as possible (think: reusable glass jars and compostable cardboard). And just like we mentioned, look for companies that take steps to lower their impact throughout their entire supply chain and that create products with the well-being of animals, people and the planet in mind.
A great place to start is by checking out Sephora’s “Clean at Sephora” program which features products that are free from over 50 harmful ingredients, including sulfates, parabens and phthalates. Our top picks include Biossance, Rose Inc. and Tata Harper.
Other sustainable beauty brands we love include L’Occitane en Provence, Salt & Stone (available at Hudson’s Bay), and The Body Shop.
Recycle and Repurpose
Another way to incorporate more sustainable practices into your everyday life is to recycle and repurpose items you already own.
MAC Cosmetics, Sephora, and The Body Shop have beauty recycling programs which allow you to recycle beauty items such as compacts, lipsticks and concealer, foundation and mascara tubes. From there, the items are sorted and separated and used to create new products. Additionally, H&M has a Garment Collecting program that collects any brand’s unwanted clothes or textiles in any condition (bonus: you receive a thank-you voucher to use towards your next purchase).
Our Commitment to Sustainability
Scarborough Town Centre is committed to sustainability and proud of the following green initiatives such as recycling, bicycle parking stations, rooftop beehives, solar panels, and our new compost program. By recycling paper and cardboard this year, STC has saved over 12,000 trees from being cut down. With the metal cans recycled in the last year, STC also saved enough energy to power a 17-watt energy efficient light bulb for over 15,000 years. And with our nine compactors for recycling, we have diverted over 2.2 million pounds of recycling from landfills in the past year.
To learn more about sustainability at STC, click here.
By supporting these brands and others like them, we can make a positive impact on the planet while still enjoying the latest fashion and beauty trends. This Earth Month and beyond, let’s make a conscious effort to shop sustainably and support brands that are working towards a greener future. For our top sustainable style picks, click here.