Kit by: Jake Madoff
Co-Founder | Agreeable & Co.

Here’s a couple neat, under-the-radar home decor essentials. For this kit, I wanted to provide a wide variety of options — some art pieces, table accessories, and small furniture pieces. Additionally, I wanted each piece to be homemade or hand-crafted. Personally, I believe it’s important to support small shops, as the revenue goes to sustaining small business owners. Moreover, with small businesses, you tend to not have to worry about a lack of transparency, a feature that comes with a number of large corporations.

To give this kit an eco-friendly twist, I tried to find products that were made with biodegradable, renewable, and/or recycled materials. As you’ll notice, none of these products are made from plastic! Generally, here at Agreeable & Co., we try to avoid plastic, and are much more keen to share eco-friendly alternatives.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy these findings. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Next, I’ll do some research on the best materials to use in low-impact furniture.

sustainable home decor.

sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor. sustainable home decor.

Sustainable Home Decor Essentials: “The Eco-Modern Room”

Hand-Crafted & Eco-friendly Home Decor

Giant Champagne Cork Stool/Table – Renewable, Biodegradable Materials
By: The Wine Enthusiast

A Better Alternative

I came by this cool cork table the other day. According to the Wine Enthusiast’s website, it’s made with organic cork from Portugal, which is the world leader in cork production. The reason cork is an eco-friendly choice is both because it’s categorized as a highly renewable durable resource, and because cork is obtained from the bark of the cork tree, which means the tree itself isn’t harmed and stays intact.

RATING

Vegan, Eco-Friendly Sustainable Botanical Wax Candle – USA-Made
By: EarthShine

A Better Alternative

Recently, I’ve been looking for a vegan candle (i.e., without beeswax) that’s made in the USA. I like the look of this one; it’s crafted with soy-based wax, which has been shown to burn longer, and made in a small shop in Wisconsin.

RATING

Hand-carved Root Wood Extra Large Bowl, Made From Reclaimed Fir Stumps
By: Enrico

A Better Alternative

You can’t go wrong with a well-design wood bowl; it’s a staple home good. This one is particularly neat, as it’s made with with reclaimed wood from the fir tree — a genus of evergreen coniferous trees.

RATING

Fair Trade, Hand Beaded Rattan Basket
By: NOVICA

A Better Alternative

Whenever someone asks me about where to find artisan-made home decor and jewelry, I tend to point them to NOVICA. NOVICA is a company that connects artisans from around the world with sustainable business opportunities. They are supported by National Geographic, and to date have already sent over $66.3M to communities in Asia, Africa, and South America. This particular vase caught my eye and is made with rattan, a plant fiber similar to bamboo.

RATING

Handmade Recycled Dictionary Page Art – USA-Made
By: Waterstone Creations

A Better Alternative

To continue with the theme of homemade and handcrafted, I found this unique art shop called Waterstone Creations, based in North Carolina. They make clean, modern prints with recycled paper. This one happens to be a page from a dictionary.

RATING

100% GOTS Certified Organic Cotton Square Throw Pillow – Hand-printed in the USA
By: Wabisabi Green

A Better Alternative

If you’re someone who’s into decorative pillows, I discovered this 100% GOTS certified organic cotton pillow. For some background: the GOTS certification is “recognized as the world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers,” and requests a “high-level environmental criteria along the entire organic textiles supply chain.” The certification also includes standards for social equity.

RATING

View Our Research Standards.

Each of our six badges has its own unique set of metrics. These are some of the qualities (i.e., metrics) we try to look into when assessing a product and brand with respect to each of our badges:

AGREEABLE CO FLAT ICONS 3__NEW

Socially Responsible (purple triangle):
+ Does the company abide by Fair Trade Practices, or is it Fair Trade Certified;
+ Is there a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
+ Is the company philanthropic – does it donate goods or services to environmental or humanitarian efforts;
+ Does the brand promote corporate transparency;
+ Are there any community engagement initiatives set in place;
+ Does the company communicate healthy and equitable working conditions along the supply chain;
+ Does the brand abide by fair and honorable employment values;
+ Is there a disclosure of sourcing methods, and are such materials or ingredients sourced responsibly;
+ Does the brand have a cause-driven mission towards human & environmental health & well-being.
*We do not conduct in-person audits. Oftentimes we will consult the language and standards set by third-party certifications and seals such as Fair Trade Certified, B Corp Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Green America Certified, etc. We will, however, do independent research with respect to certain badges and utilize peer-reviewed articles. Also, please note that according to the Journal of Economics and the EPA, “social responsibility” does include practices and commitments that support environmental health and well-being; thus, the qualities of this badge may overlap with our other badges.

Eco-Conscious (red triangle):
+ Does the company practice sustainable modes of production;
+ Is the product composed of materials and/or ingredients that are biodegradable;
+ Are the materials and/or ingredients compostable;
+ Does the company have carbon reduction or mitigation strategies set in place;
+ Do the involved materials and/or ingredients have a relatively low environmentally impact;
+ Does the company utilize reduce or reuse principles in their facilities;
+ Does the company use renewable or efficient energy technologies in the production of their good(s);
+ Are there practices in place that work to maintain ecosystem biodiversity;
+ Is environmental stewardship a part of their business model.
*We aim to be transparent and objective when it comes to labeling a product as “Eco-Conscious”, and reject “greenwashing”. According to marketing and advertising standards set by The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides, it is most accurate to communicate not that a product is necessarily “good” for the environment, but that it is a “better environmental alternative”. This is the message we aim to communicate in labeling a product as “Eco-Conscious”.

Quality Materials/Ingredients (M/I) (green triangle):
+ Does the product contain organic or certified organic m/i;
+ Is there a significant degree of m/i ‘naturalness’;
+ Is the product non-GMO or Verified Non-GMO;
+ Are the m/i biodegradable;
+ Are the m/i compostable;
+ Do the m/i raise little to no concern in terms of m/i toxicity;
+ Is the product treated with harsh chemicals;
+ Is there a healthy ratio of synthetic or artificial m/i to natural m/i;
*For select “Pantry” products, we may look into health and nutritional value.
*For select products, we may consult reviews to assess m/i effectiveness.
*Generally, these are the ingredients that we try to steer clear of: Acesulfame-K (acesulfame potassium), Acetylated ester of mono- and diglycerides, Ammonium chloride, Antibiotics, Artificial colors (Synthetic and FD&C Certified), Artificial flavors, Aspartame, Astaxanthin, Azodicarbonamide, Bentonite, Benzoates, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), Bisulfites, Bromated flour, Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Calcium bromate, Calcium disodium, EDTA, Calcium peroxide, Calcium propionate, Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, Calcium sorbate, Caprocaprylobehenin Carmine, DATEM (diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono and diglycerides), Diglycerides (acceptable in supplements), Dimethylpolysiloxane, Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS), Disodium calcium EDTA, Disodium dihydrogen, Disodium guanylate (GMP), Disodium succinate, Dimethylamylamine (DMAA)… Read more at Free From 101.

To see the rest of our badges and read our full list of indicators, please visit our “About” page.

Hey people! My name is Jake. I’m the Co-Founder of Agreeable & Co. I’m an Environmentalist, Social Entrepreneur, Writer and Developer. Besides making people- and planet-friendly products more accessible through Agreeable & Co., I run an online research guide for sustainable, ethical, and healthy products, called Greener Square; and helped to start an award-winning trade and barter app, called TradeMade, that measures and tracks one’s carbon footprint. In a word, conscious consumption and overall healthy, low-impact living is my jam. I also like jam.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Have a questionI’ll answer.

0 Comments

Get on the list.

Subscribe and get our exclusive, researched and rated kits and collections with everyday essentials

Pin It on Pinterest

agreeable news icon

✌️ Peaceful vibes.

Get products by brands worth supporting delivered straight to your inbox. We won't spam you, promise.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

chick

Awww

This little guy is here to get your attention & make you feel comfortable about joining our list. We value transparency, in case you couldn't tell.

Thank you! We'll love you forever!

Skip to content 0