Sustainability & Ethics
More of an overview than a complete picture, here are some of the ways we practice sustainable & ethical sourcing here at Green & Bean.
Our Packaging
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Recycled Delivery Boxes
Learn More About How We PackageOur online orders are shipped in boxes we receive from our deliveries. We also reuse the (compostable 95% of the time) packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and paper packaging materials. If the box can’t be re-shipped shipping shredded for gift box filling.
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Compostable Gifting Materials
Shop GiftsAll of our gift wrapping materials are home compostable—
From tissue & wrapping paper to stickers, greeting cards, gift boxes, tape, and even the ribbon!
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Releaf Bags
Learn More About Releaf PaperWe use 2 types of bags in the shop: ones made with recycled paper, and ones that aren’t made with paper at all!
Releaf is a company based in Ukraine producing paper products made from leaves.
Forest Planet
A tree planted every order!
We plant 1 tree for every order with our tree planting partner, Forest Planet. We’ve donated over 500 trees since beginning our partnership!
Thrifty
Secondhand Furnishings
We furnished the shop entirely with secondhand pieces (except for the copper blanket rack Ali somehow built with no ruler, no diagram, and no tools)!
It's unfortunate and incredible how much perfectly nice furniture people get rid of, and we've found that having pieces that used to be house furniture actually helped to add a cozy, at-home feeling when people visit our space.
We also Donate
1% for the Planet
We donate 1% of our revenue (not just profit!) to 1% for the Planet.
A Philosophical Tangent
Encouraging Sustaiable Industires & Development
Brands
We have a very small pool of brands we buy from, and we start stocking them with the intent that we will continue to stock this brand in perpetuity. We carry brands not just because we like their aesthetic style, we carry them because we love the business as much as the product, and want to be a part of their growth.
A highlight:
At the end of 2023, Diaspora Co. reached out and said we were one of their top stockists of the year!
Regenerative Practices
We're often asked if all of our products are local, and Diaspora is a prime example of why the answer is no: Diaspora Co. supports ethical, regenerative farming in small family farms across India & Sri Lanka.
On top of paying farmers an average of 4x more than the commercial spice trade, they practice deep transparency and support their partners on and off the farm.
As much as it is important to shop and support local, I think it's important that-- especially since we unconsciously supported unethical practices overseas for so long-- that in our efforts to consume more consciously, that we don't just consume consciously locally, but globally as well. Supporting ethical develop -- anywhere, and arguably everywhere-- is the goal.
Our Role in This
We can only really be as sustainable as we're given the option to be. The aim for Green & Bean is to be that option.
I think the most sustainable thing we can do as a business is to, well, sustain. It's only been a year of being physically open in Annapolis, but we already started to fill a role-- people needed a gift, they'd come find us.
Now that we're leaving, suddenly, everyone who used us as a gifting spot (sustainable or otherwise) no longer has the option of popping in unless they want to drive to our new location.
Anyway, all this is to say-- we are a small shop where you can walk in with a problem and walk out with a beautifully ribboned, compostable box and a smile on your face.
At the same time, you can support the ethical textile industry, the organic cotton industry, a revitalized spice trade, a humane chocolatier, leather made from apples(!) -- all in one fell swoop.