One company’s mission to make buying responsibly second-nature

As an eco-friendly online marketplace, EarthHero has done the work so you don’t have to.

EarthHero offers products that are sourced, manufactured, and shipped in a way that protects our planet’s future. Each brand they partnered with has been chosen because they’re taking the right steps and helping to create a more sustainable future. 

Their goal is to make buying responsibly second-nature. They’re on a mission to make it normal to consume in a way that’s easier on the environment, while meeting the convenience we’ve come to expect.

We spoke with founder and CEO Ryan Lewis about EarthHero’s commitment to sustainability and doing business better.

Best for Colorado: Tell us more about your company in general. What do you do? What is your mission? What makes you different? 

Ryan Lewis: EarthHero is a one-stop shop for everybody who loves the planet. We source thousands of the most sustainable products to make it easy to shop sustainably. We have everything from personal care, home goods, pet supplies, toys, apparel to office supplies, audio/tech and more. Our mission is to make sustainable shopping so easy, everyone does it!

BFCO: What is a challenging aspect of your work? 

RL: As a start up, we have an unrelenting amount of brands, products, and content that we would like to provide access to and deliver. However, we are also operating with relatively speaking, limited resources to achieve our goals. This has challenged, us as a team, to become very connected, communicative, and creative in order to accomplish our goals. I’m very proud of that.

BFCO: What is an achievement your company is proud of? 

RL: I’m proud of how much impact we’ve been able to achieve in just three short years. With over 6,000 intentionally sourced eco-products from almost 200 brands, we are accelerating the movement of living more sustainably by delivering ease of access, education, and a strong sense of community.

I’m also proud of our Prism Award for Social Impact Company of the year. Finally, I’m proud about how we operate with three core nonprofit partners. We are members of 1% for the Planet, B Corp and CarbonFund. This is another layer of accountability so as we continue to grow, the more good we do, the more money we donate, the more trees get planted.

BFCO: With the holidays coming up, what are some things consumers can do to ensure their holiday shopping is more sustainable? 

RL: Yes, there are a few important things to consider. First of all, try to purchase gifts you feel the recipient will really use. There are many functional ways to gift. Many people enjoy the inspiration that comes with a gift that promotes sustainability. In many cases that might mean the materials or ingredients that are in the product. In some cases it may be nice to gift a product with a great story, one that also gives back in some way. Also, think about the end of life of the gift. Is it compostable, recyclable? Does it help eliminate waste in other ways, like avoidance of one-time use products?

I think it comes down to three things:

– How was the product made?

– How is the product disposed?

– Will the recipient really enjoy/use/need it?

BFCO: Would you recommend joining Best for Colorado to other companies? 

RL: We’ve been a Best for Colorado company for two years, and being surrounded by like-minded companies that are trying to use their organization as a force for good is amazing. It allows us to stay connected to a strong network, share stories and opportunities and learn from each other.