10 eco-friendly companies you can feel good buying from

Whether you like to spend your cottage vacation lounging in on the dock, perfecting your latest sourdough recipe, or burying your nose in a murder mystery book, here are ten companies that offer eco-friendly products that you can feel good about using.

1. Cottage Chairs

You can lounge dockside in eco-friendly style thanks to Cottage Chairs, a family operated business in Bethany, Ont. Made from the recycled remains of ground up milk jugs, their plastic Muskoka chairs come in a variety of colours, from traditional white to trendy sky blue.

2. Bloem: The Ocean Series

Grow some greens and keep the oceans clean. The Ocean Series of planters from design company Bloem are made from a mixture of reclaimed ocean plastic and post-consumer recyclables material. This line of eco-friendly containers can be found at Canadian Tire.

3. Good Wood Plastic

Plastic bags and jugs are just some of the materials that go into creating Good Wood Plastic’s 100% recycled plastic lumber. The tough, waterproof ‘lumber’ from this company in Fort Ellis, N.S., can be made into decks, picnic tables, docks, and more.

4. The Unscented Company

If you’re looking for a truly scent-free line of cosmetics and cleaners, The Unscented Company is for you. This Canadian company is committed to reducing product packaging: check out their website for a list of stores that offer refill stations so you can buy their body wash and laundry soap in bulk.

5. Dans le Sac

Don’t let your homemade bread succumb to the cottage humidity before it makes it to the dinner table. Dans le Sac, a company from Quebec, sells handmade cotton bread bags that can be reused again and again to keep bread fresh and mold-free. The bags are cute enough they can also be used to hold more than bread; the website recommends using the baguette bag to carry a yoga mat.

6. AfterSails

AfterSails from Ottawa, Ont. gives retired sails, lines, and other boat hardware a second life as handcrafted duffel bags, knapsacks, and wine totes. Since the recycled materials were originally designed to survive a life on the water, AfterSails’ products are durable, waterproof, and nautically stylish.

7. Bearly Used Books

If you pass through Parry Sound, Ont. on the way to the cottage, it’s always worth stopping and perusing the stacks at Bearly Used Books. Their huge selection of used books means you won’t be caught without something to read on a rainy cottage day. The store also offers an in-store credit system for trading in used books.

8. Tentree

This Canadian clothing company is a Certified B Corporation, marking it as meeting high performance markers in social sustainability and environmental standards. Tentree offers sustainable, stylish, and comfy clothes for men, women, and children that will take you from the hiking trail to the campfire. As a bonus, Tentree has committed to planting ten trees (get it?) for every item sold, and each piece of apparel comes with a unique code that you can use to track where your trees are planted.

9. Kotn

Kotn is another Canadian apparel company that is a Certified B Corporation. Their products, which include men’s and women’s clothing and a line of home goods, are made from Egyptian cotton. Breathable, airy cotton linens sound like the perfect bedding to make the transition from cold cottage evenings in the winter to the hot, muggy sleeps of summer.

10. Bridgehead

Your morning coffee by the dock will taste much better and the environment will thank you for it you choose a greener option. Bridgehead, a coffee roastery from Ottawa, Ont., roasts a delicious signature espresso called Logdriver’s Espresso that should do the trick to get you up and at ‘em, even when in cottage vacation mode. All of Bridgehead’s coffees are sustainably grown and Fairtrade certified. And if you stop by a Bridgehead coffeehouse, you can even ask to take away used coffee grounds to use as compost in the garden.