Family-run ethical retail platform My Green Pod (MGP) has announced the launch of its new online Marketplace, born out of a crowdfunding campaign which ran at the back end of 2019.
The purpose of the Marketplace? To help ‘democratize ethical products by making them more affordable and accessible’. Having exceeded its target and raised £14,143 through public contributions, MGP began ‘pulling together a range of fantastic products’ – from food, drink, health and beauty, to fashion and lifestyle items for home and garden – to be shipped direct to customers, effectively ‘cutting out the middleman to make sure everyone gets a fair deal’.
MGP prides itself on sharing ‘the real stories behind the brands and people working tirelessly to offer ethical alternatives to mainstream products and services’ – and now, says co-founder Jarvis Smith, the business is ‘looking for new vendors’ to join its existing line-up.
We all know that now is the time for us to change our habits of a lifetime in the way we live and shop
Already signed up are many names the natural products industry will recognize, including: organic hair care guru Tabitha James Kraan; ‘The organic wine people’, Vintage Roots; gluten-free breakfast brand Primrose’s Kitchen; reusable coffee cup maker Huskup; green beauty brand Green People; personal care pioneer Natracare; wellbeing label Fushi; vegan and plastic-free skincare line Scence; superfoods and supplements collection Kiki Health; eco-friendly oral care manufacturer Georganics; ‘naturally nourishing’ skincare formulator Bareskin Beauty; award-winning natural self-tan brand Eco by Sonya; repurposed ingredients lover UpCircle; and industry staples from Faith in Nature and Weleda.
“We have launched our new Marketplace … and we are looking to curate the best natural products we can find for our readers and customers,” says Smith. As a thank you to those customers, for every transaction made on the Marketplace, the business promises to ‘plant a tree in the tropics’ through its partnership with charity TreeSisters.
Smith explains why he and co-founder Katie Hill launched the Marketplace at this time: “We all know that now is the time for us to change our habits of a lifetime in the way we live and shop. When we launched My Green Pod over five years ago our vision was always to offer an ethical shopping platform with a difference – one to rival Amazon – and ploughing our profits back into the people and the brands using it and the planet we all love and need to be healthy for us to thrive.
Our vision was always to offer an ethical shopping platform with a difference – one to rival Amazon
“This vision is becoming more and more a reality each day, especially with the current pandemic in opening people’s hearts and minds to the difference we can make if we all work together. Yes, this is the beginning of systemic change, and many of us have solutions for a better world. We are simply offering our way in helping citizens to #PutYourMoneyWhereYourHeartIs.”
Brands interested in being listed can find out more by emailing [email protected].
