Local, Eco-friendly Buys in Cape Town
Written by René Robinson
As sustainable travellers, part of our responsibility is to weave the golden thread of sustainability through every aspect of our lives. To take the best care of our environment, health, surroundings, and future, it's important for us to be attentive to the types of brands and production practices we support. How and where you choose to spend is entirely up to you, but here are our top suggestions for local, eco, and earth-friendly shopping options in Cape Town and online.
Have a look below to satisfy your sustainable shopping needs! We have 3 categories to search under - the first is A little bit of everything, then Dress to impress for our top fashion picks, and lastly - Food, glorious food.
Every purchase we make has an impact, so let’s make it a positive one!
A little bit of everything
Some stores just have it all. From food to fashion, these next picks will cater to most of your everyday needs.
Nude foods
Nude foods is a plastic-free, family grocer and an immersive eco-friendly shopping experience that leaves you feeling proud of your shopping decisions after you leave. The shop offers nothing packaged in plastic and encourages you to bring your own glass jar or container for their products (they also sell glass jars for unprepared shoppers). You can buy whole foods, and other healthy foods like powders, grains, legumes and many many other products.
They pride themselves on their high-quality produce and support local suppliers as well. Other products in-store include body products, books, home cleaning products, drinks like cordials and kombuchas, dry goods, fresh fruit and veg, preserves, spreads, bread, and a restaurant right next door where you can purchase delicious vegan meals to enjoy after your shopping. Have a look at their website for prices and to order online, although we definitely recommend paying them a visit in person.
Where: NUDE FOODS, 5 Constitution St, Zonnebloem, Cape Town, 7925 / 5 Shop 2, Paul House, 17 Wilkinson St, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700
Tel: (+27) 21 437-3003
Shop Zero™
With a passion for sustainable, plastic-free living, Shop Zero aims to help people on their journey to reducing waste. This inclusive shop delivers healthy foods, toiletries, as well as lifestyle and cleaning products in recyclable and reusable packaging. Their promise is that if their products are not biodegradable, they are 100% reusable. Visit their website to see all of the personal care, kitchen and home, food and beverage, and storage products on offer.
Where: Shop Zero™, 224 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925
Tel: (+27) 84 201 5652
Wellness Warehouse
Wellness Warehouse is a leading health retailer in South Africa, that provides eco-solutions to home cleaning products, natural beauty alternatives, quality supplements, clean fitness products, baby products, and a variety of health foods. Although Wellness Warehouse is not a plastic-free shop like the two stores mentioned above, we’ve decided to include them in our list because they allow us to support brands that have an interest in creating sustainable, biodegradable products. In addition to this, Wellness Warehouse stores are easy to find and are the perfect start for people at the beginning of their journey, as well as anyone further in it. Pop into one of the numerous Wellness Warehouse locations in Cape Town or check out their online store.
Where: Lifestyle on Kloof Shop 1-8, 50 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001
Faithful to Nature
Faithful to Nature offers the greenest alternatives on the market and are all about what's on the inside. They sell natural and organic products and are one of the first companies that have created their own strict ingredient policy that they never compromise on. We’ve chosen to include them because of their high standards when it comes to ingredients and also to offer support to companies trying to make a difference.
Where: V&A Waterfront, Shop 6102, Ground Level, Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, Breakwater Blvd, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001
OR HomeStore, 57 Capricorn Drive, Capricorn Business Park, Muizenberg, Cape Town 7948
Email: support@ftn.co.za
Tel: (+27) 21 785 3268
Organic Zone
With food provided by local Western Cape farmers and a mission to support sustainable sourcing and environmentally sustainable practices, Organic Zone has you sorted. This online and in-store shop allows you to pick from fresh food and groceries, health products, home and cleaning alternatives, body and beauty, baby and kid, and pet products that meet strict ingredient policies. Organic Zone label themselves as “eco-conscious” and are doing their best so that their business practices minimally impact the earth.
Where: 1 Main Rd &, Putter Rd, Lakeside, Cape Town, 7945
Tel: (+27) 21 685 1929
Think Organic
Welcome to your new natural grocer that provides Capetonians with organically grown veggies, a range of natural products, and lovely free-range goodies. Out of a need to eat better and to know where their food came from, the owners started Think Organic to provide people who are mindful of their bodies with food that would fuel that mindset. Order out of a variety of options that include, fruit, baked goods, grains, legumes, seeds, plants and growing seeds, condiments, snacks, body products, and pet supplies.
Where: Online
Facebook
Dress to impress
Clothing made slowly with sustainable textiles and lots of love!
Spirit Girl
Invest in yourself, your body, local South African brands, and the preservation of the planet through sustainable activewear from Spirit Girl. Using recycled plastic (PET plastic bottles) and fishing nets, they’ve crafted their designer fabric range. Spirit Girl says, “We strive to be a conscious producer for conscious consumers; and manufacture high-quality activewear that has as little impact on the environment as possible.”
Where: Online
Email: info@spiritgirl.co.za
Hemp Love
Meet the new face of sustainable fashion, Hemp Love. Born out of a “sisterhood based on honesty, transparency, and a shared passion for nature and the environment”, they pride themselves on transparency, from their fair trade raw material sourcing, their designing and manufacturing process, to their impact on the environment and local communities as well. Support local, and support Hemp Love!
Where: Online
Email: lore@hemplove.co.za
Tel: (+27) 83 611 3070
Woodstock Laundry
With the objective of embodying the laid back spirit of Cape Town, Woodstock Laundry makes “slow clothes”, a testament to their manufacturing process and the pace you’ll be at when wearing their garments. Catering to all genders and age groups, Woodstock Laundry provides stylishly slow and comfortable loungewear and pyjamas to get in the chilled Cape Town vibe. If you’re looking to support local artisans, handcrafted pieces, and a company wanting to protect the legacy of clothing manufacturers in Cape Town, all while using ethically sourced materials, you’ll find Woodstock Laundry in The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront.
Where: The Watershed, V&A, The Waterfront Kaapstad Cape Town
Tel: (+27) 21 286 7853
Earthling and Moon
Designed to live in your closet for longer than fast fashion items, Earthing & Moon offers a range of locally crafted clothing inspired by the spirit of nature and the power of the moon. With regards to their sustainability approach, their fabrics are locally sourced and proudly South African. They make sure to ensure fair and safe labour practices and their packaging is sustainable, plastic-free, and reusable. So, indulge yourself in this slow fashion brand while knowing that clothes are limited and made in small batches to keep waste at a minimum.
Where: Online
Email: earthlingandmoon@gmail.com
Food, glorious food
You know what they say - you are what you eat. So, why not order your groceries straight from the farm where they’ve received star treatment and arrive at your doorstep not packaged in, dare we say it, plastic?
The Urban Farmer
Order fresh produce that you can trust from the Urban Farmer. All products are organic, water-sensitive, sustainably sourced, and chemical-free. The Urban Farmer connects people to their food and the farmers that produce it and thus creates a more positive relationship and understanding of where your food comes from. The focus on organic produce and limited plastic packaging are to reduce the toxins that destroy our bodies and the planet.
Email: isabella@urbanfarmers.org.za
Tel: (+27) 73 141 8349
Babylonstoren
Order online, or buy your groceries from the iconic Babylonstoren farm. Reasonably priced, ethically produced, and minimally packaged, Babylonstoren makes it easy and enjoyable to order fresh produce picked straight out of their garden. Babylonstoren’s onsite and online stores showcase their “contemporary, unhurried farm lifestyle” and promise to deliver the absolute best products right to your front door. The fresh produce they offer is seasonal, freshly baked goods come straight from their bakery, and other pre-made meals contain no preservatives, so you never have to wonder what’s in, or on your food.
Where: Online/ Klapmuts - Simondium Rd, Simondium, 7670
Email: deliveries@babylonstoren.com
Tel: (+27) 21 300 3919
Happy shopping! Remember to make choices that honour your personal preferences, body, community, and the wellbeing of our planet. Let us know which local, eco, & earth-friendly stores are your favourite, and if you have any more suggestions to add to our list! Head over to our website to start your sustainable shopping experience in Cape Town.