10 eco-friendly choices to make this summer

From the clothes you wear to the coffee you drink, we’ve found a number of easy lifestyle swaps you can make now to help save the planet.

Buy non-tarnish jewellery you can wear forever

Founded by 20-year-old Amani Zubair, who became Lord Alan Sugar’s business partner last year, Tresor is an ethical and independent British jewellery brand. On a mission to bring high-end jewellery to the market without a huge price tag, Tresor specialises in non-tarnish and water-safe products.

Its products are made with stainless steel, which is endlessly recyclable and arrives packaged in linen bags. The team at Tresor want to ensure its range is affordable for everyone, so all items from necklaces to rings are priced under £45. You can also customise your own pieces with personalised charms or special engravings. Shop now to get 15 per cent off with discount code “NEWBIE” (Offer valid until 1 October 2022).

Find out more at Tresor

Shop clothes made to last by this stylish Cornish brand

Seasalt Cornwall creates and designs quality clothing and accessories that are made to be loved and lived in. Its collection is designed in Falmouth and brought to life in fabrics chosen for movement, comfort and durability. Seasalt pledges that 100 per cent of the cotton used in its collections is to become fully traceable and certified as organic by the end of 2024, while 100 per cent of the viscose will come from responsibly managed plant sources and made using closed loop systems by the end of 2024.

This winter, try Seasalt’s rainwear collection, which is made from innovative fabrics like “Tide Cycle”, comprising fibres derived from recycled single-use plastics, and “Tin Cloth”, which has all the qualities of cotton and added technical performance.

Find out more at Seasalt Cornwall

Spruce up your wardrobe with ethical fashion essentials

Advocating for a better fashion system, Peachaus is pioneering sustainable, ethically made underwear and clothing so that the wearer feels great too. This company has collaborated with artists and creatives to create beautiful embroideries and prints that are designed with low-impact ethically sourced cotton, bamboo, recycled Italian lace and polyester in its factory in Portugal.

Peachaus doesn’t just design stylish underwear, however. You can shop from a range of products – such as cycling shorts or shirts – which are designed to last so you can love them for longer. As well as its planet-friendly credentials, Peachaus is creating a positive impact platform to share knowledge, empower communities and mentor future talent. Use code “FIRST20” for 20 per cent off your first order at Peachaus (Offer valid until 30 September 2022).

Find out more at Peachaus

Help to reduce emissions with a new electric car

Motorpoint is the UK’s largest independent car and van retailer with a wide choice of hybrid and electric vehicles to suit all lifestyles and budgets. All Motorpoint vehicles are ULEZ compliant to meet European emissions standards.

As a carbon neutral business, the company offsets both its own emissions as well as customers’ emissions for their first year of driving. All vehicles are backed by the Motorpoint Price Promise, meaning the company will offer to refund the difference to any customer within seven days of their order if they find the same car cheaper from a competitor.

Find out more at Motorpoint

Treat yourself to delicious, ethically made chocolate

Chocolate Tree creates award-winning ethical and organic craft chocolate from bean to bar. The company’s mission is to create fine chocolate while protecting biodiversity, placing people and the planet before profits. It purchases some of the world’s rarest cacao varieties from farms in South and Central America, with beans processed in small batches using artisanal techniques.

Everything in the factory is sourced with consideration for how it’s produced and where it comes from, while packaging is plant-based, biodegradable and made from sustainable sources. The company is also a living wage employer and a member of 1% For The Planet, an organisation whose members give one per cent of their annual turnover to environmental non-profits. Use code “CHOCTREE10” for 10 per cent off at Chocolate Tree (Offer valid until 1 November 2022).

Find out more at Chocolate Tree

Fund green transport with ease via a savings account

RCI Bank plans to achieve net-zero by 2030 by offering new ways to allow people to make sustainable choices in how they save and drive. One such innovation is the RCI Bank E-Volve saver, a 14-day notice account that funds only green transport while offering savers a competitive return.

Deposits collected on RCI Bank E-Volve Saver finance Renault and Nissan’s range of electric vehicles (EVs) and the installation of charging points. RCI Bank E-Volve Saver account has funded 100 per cent of the bank’s lending for new EVs between January and June 2022. It was awarded Best Ethical Savings Initiative by MoneyComms and was commended as an Innovation in Personal Finance by Moneyfacts.

Open your account now at RCI Bank

Enjoy eco-conscious pod coffee that doesn’t compromise on taste

Founded by three friends who share a love for science and engineering, Moving Beans is revolutionising the coffee pod industry by offering a compostable alternative. A whopping 350m aluminium and plastic coffee pods are thrown in landfills each year in the UK and these can take more than 500 years to decompose.

Moving Beans has created compostable and biodegradable coffee pods that contain ethically sourced coffee, with the team continuously developing new materials with improved sustainable characteristics to complete a cradle-to-grave cycle of its materials. Get 20 per cent off using code “ECOCOF20” online at Moving Beans (Offer ends 31 August 2022).

Find out more at Moving Beans

Shop from an ethical jewellery brand

London DE, a bespoke jeweller based in the heart of London’s Hatton Garden, has been providing customers with unique pieces for eight years. Specialising in Colombian emeralds, the company operates its own subsidiary in Bogotá, Colombia, with experts including lapidaries and gemmologists who craft the stones to high standards. Alongside emeralds, London DE also supplies of many other gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and aquamarines, and can source whichever precious stones you desire from its trusted suppliers.

With a transparent mine-to-market business model and as members of the Responsible Jewellery Council and the National Association of Jewellers, London DE can ensure its jewellery is responsibly and ethically produced. Use code “LDE10” at London DE for 10 per cent off all its ready-to-wear jewellery (Offer valid until 30 September 2022) and for bespoke enquiries, email [email protected].

Find out more at London DE

Enjoy a tranquil night’s sleep thanks to sustainable luxury bedding

High quality sleep is key to our health and wellbeing. That’s why British sleep experts Luff have crafted comfortable pillows, bamboo silk bedding and mattress toppers to ensure you have a peaceful night’s sleep. Everything from Luff is lovingly made using sustainable bamboo, which has low water and land-use, as well as removing the threat from polluting pesticides.

Luff’s silky-smooth bamboo is also naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic so Luff’s pillow covers can help promote beautiful skin. To reduce waste, Luff’s range has been made to last thanks to its “CloudTec” memory-foam filling and “Nanoweave” fabric, meaning your pillow will be around in years to come, saving you money and our world. Enjoy 25 per cent off everything at Luff using discount code “SAVE25” (Offer valid until 31 December 2022).

Find out more at Luff

Shop sustainable fashion from a Scandinavian label

Gudrun Sjöden’s new autumn clothing collection fuses the hues of Old Town, Stockholm, with vibrant Guatemalan craft traditions, into soft quilts, hand-spun wool and soft linen. This Scandinavian label encourages you to create a green wardrobe with pieces designed to stand the test of time and with the environment in mind, as it uses organic cotton and recycled materials — these are especially present in its series of jacquard-style knitwear.

The palette celebrates nature through undyed and muted shades of natural fibres, which blend with plant pigments of indigo and madder. Classic Scandinavian nep yarn and Indian block prints form statement pieces using the Japanese ‘Boro’ patchwork technique; among these is the ‘Halo’ quilted jacket that’s bound to make you feel cosy and warm.

Find out more at Gudrun Sjöden