10 Women Entrepreneurs Who Don’t Play About Sustainability

Source: Omi Woods, Photography by and courtesy of Oshane Howard

America Recycles Day is on Nov. 15, and it’s pretty self-explanatory in the name what the day is about. It aims to spark conversations around the importance of recycling and reducing waste to protect the planet and keep it clean.

According to the Recycling Consortium, there are at least three main ways to recycle. Primary Recycling reuses a product in its existing form. For example, a glass bottle would stay a glass bottle. Secondary Recycling, on the other hand, slightly modifies and alters materials without changing the chemical structure. An example of this is when one takes old or worn clothes and cuts them up to reuse as cleaning clothes. Lastly, tertiary recycling alters the products chemically or through heat treatment. This process uses chemicals to change one product into another.

As the world continues to gain knowledge about sustainable practices, more businesses sought to prioritize that in their work. For America Recycles Day, we honor 10 Black women who used their entrepreneurial skills to bring safe and sustainable products to the world.

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1. PUR HOME CLEAN

Cleaning products line PUR HOME CLEAN is a unique line that is eco-friendly and plant-based.

Their mission is to use sustainable, non-toxic, and cruelty-free ingredients that not only effectively clean a home but also protect the environment. Angela Richardson founded the company in 2017 after discovering how many household products contained toxic elements.

With PUR, she has made dish soap, floor cleaner, laundry detergent, and more. 

2. Ourside

As a self-proclaimed outsider, Keta created her fragrance brand Ourside for people who feel they don’t fit in. Her goal was to find a way to connect people and she figured she could do through scent.

Her perfumes feature woody, earthy, and citrusy notes along with others.

In addition to bringing good smells and connection, Keta prioritizes sustainability with her brand. For starters, they are FDA and IFRA compliant. They produce the fragrances without formaldehyde, parabens, phytates, synthetic dyes, sulfates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, nitromusks, and animal-derived ingredients. 

3. Sole Rebels

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu’s shoe brand Sole Rebels is committed to using materials that are directly sourced from nature or recycled.

One way they do this is by using recycled tires to create the soles of their shoes. Their shoes’ interior are made from hand spun cotton in Ethiopia. Plus they are also made up of hand-loomed fabrics which are created from eucalyptus looms.

But that’s not all, Sole Rebel shoes are adorned with an Ethiopian plant fiber called Abyssinian jute and the mid soles are made from the koba plant.

4. Jade Swim

Jade Swim is a sustainable swimwear brand founded by Brittany Kozerski. Their collection is made from recycled fabrics and reduces waste by recycling items such as fishnets and plastic water bottles.

They use Oeko-Tex certified & Azo tested fabrics to avoid using materials that may be dyed with hazardous chemicals. Even their packaging is made from recycled materials such as bamboo, recycled plastic and biodegradable shipping bags. 

5. Omi Woods

Omi Woods is a heritage fine jewelry brand that celebrates Caribbean and African culture.

Not only do they work exclusively with gold and silver, but their metals are either recycled or responsibly sourced. Their gold is traceable and provided by Single Mine Origin.

SMO works with approved mines that adhere to strict ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles. The jewelry at Omi Woods is handmade and is intended to be worn for daily use and passed down for generations as heirlooms. 

6. Jo-Anne Vernay

Jo-Anne Vernay is another shoe brand that takes sustainability to a whole other level.

This collection of shoes uses fruit as its primary material. That’s right! Founder Dyandra Raye uses pineapple leaf fiber to craft her shoes. Additionally, Jo-Anne Vernay makes shoes from vegan leather, produced from apple waste. Manufactured in Italy, the company produces the shoes in limited quantity.

Fruit fabrics are 50-80% biodegradable in comparison to leather which is only 2.5% biodegradable.

7. Knotzland Bowtie Co

Nisha Blackwell created Knotzland Bowtie Co in 2015 after being laid off from a local coffee shop.

Knotzland Bowtie Co takes high quality textiles that have been discarded and repurposes them into bowties. According to the website, this company has rescued more than 8,400 pounds of textile waste.

8. Mented

Mented is a black woman owned makeup brand that honors sustainable practices. They provide a variety of foundation, lipstick, for different melanated hues.

But the magic of this cosmetics brand is the ingredients. They make sure that the products they sell are paraben-free, cruelty-free and are vegan, making it safe for people to use. 

9. Clare

Interior designer Nicole Gibbons founded Clare with a mission to reimagine the paint shopping experience. She wanted to create a way for paint shopping to be less of a hassle.

She does this with Clare where they provide curated colors along with peel and stick color swatches to make sampling easier. They produce Zero VOC paints without toxic carbon-based solvents, creating healthier indoor air. They also ensure that the paint doesn’t have any EPA chemicals as well as hazardous air pollutants and toxic air contaminants.

Clare goes a step further by making their paint containers, trays and liners from recycled materials. They also use 100% recycled paperboard for their shipping and packing materials.

10. ALIYA WANEK

Aliya Wanek is a fashion brand that blends style with comfort. The collection consists of sweatpants, sweatshirts, knitted sweaters, tops, dresses and pants as well as matching sets.

While comfortability is a huge part of the brand, so is sustainability. They make the clothing with natural fibers and wrap it in zero waste packaging. They also pay employees livable wages and use small batch production. 

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