Amazon: It’s Jeff Bezos’s 2-day shipping giant that seems almost impossible to avoid.
But the company’s impact on both the environment and the lives of its workers has catalyzed conscious consumers to switch to alternative companies that are more ethical, environmentally friendly, and aligned with their personal values.
The good news? There are plenty of options online to meet a variety of needs. (Not to mention all of the in-person, small business, and secondhand shopping you can do, too!)
One area in which people spend so much of their money on Amazon is in grocery and household essentials. According to a corporate blog post from Amazon, the company reported over $100 billion in grocery and household essential sales in 2024.
And in the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials category grew more than twice as fast as all others in the United States, representing one out of every three units sold.
If you’re looking for a more ethical and sustainable alternative to fill your home goods and cleaning product needs, we’ve got your back.
And if you’re looking to learn more about why Amazon is problematic and what other alternatives you can shop, we’ve got you covered there, too.
Our Criteria
Below, we’ve outlined our favorite online Amazon alternatives for your home essential shopping. But first, here is the criteria we followed in recommending these brands and marketplaces to you:
- Sustainability & Ethics: The brands on this list have made clear their commitment both to the environment and to fair labor practices. Many have third-party certifications to back up these commitments.
- Accessibility & Experience: We know that many use Amazon for its delivery speed, variety of products, accessibility in rural communities, cheap pricing, and wide range of products. We aimed to find alternatives that offer at least some similar benefits to help consumers who must prioritize affordability and accessibility.
Reminder: It’s still progress if you’re able to switch away from Amazon for some of your purchases, if not all of them.
By the way, some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
The Best Alternatives to Amazon For Home Essentials
Cleaning & Personal Care
Blueland
Flagship products: Refillable soaps and cleaners
Why it’s better than Amazon: Instead of buying pre-packaged cleaning products and soaps, Blueland offers refillable hand soap, as well as dish, laundry, bath, and spray cleaners.
After purchasing a Starter Kit, shoppers can buy refill tablets and powders, which are packaged in industrially compostable packaging. Plus, you can get a discount when you buy refills in bulk.
Blueland is also a B Corp and certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny. The brand also works with Black-owned businesses and partners and gives all team members paid time off for political and civic engagement. (This is in addition to Blueland’s own policy work to reduce single-use plastics on both state and federal levels).
Public Goods
Flagship products: Body and home cleaning products
Why it’s better than Amazon: All of the body, home, and cleaning products sold by Public Goods are packaged in bottles made from 100% recycled, post-consumer plastic. The brand also sources biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics and tree-free materials for all paper products.
Whether you’re shopping for menstrual products or coffee filters, Public Goods carries eco-friendly options for all shoppers.
A membership of $49 a year will get you 20% off all of your purchases, and free shipping on orders $45 or more — or you can just shop the list price.
Public Goods also works with Eden Reforestation to restore healthy forests and donates all near-expired food products to partner nonprofits fighting food insecurity. Additionally, every shipment is carbon offset.
Package Free Shop
Flagship products: Cleaning and personal care products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Package Free Shop is an online marketplace committed to helping shoppers find the most sustainable versions of their daily essentials. From beeswax birthday candles to toothpaste tablets, it’s got it all.
Package Free’s shipping materials are 100% plastic-free (making the company’s name very fitting), and the brand touts policies and principles that are thoughtful to both people and the planet.
You can also set up “Subscribe & Save” orders through Package Free, just like you might on Amazon.
Good.Store
Flagship products: Eco-friendly cleaning supplies, coffee, tea, soap, and personal goods
Why it’s better than Amazon: Created by internet philanthropists John and Hank Green, Good.Store sells everyday items with 100% of proceeds going to charity. With soaps, teas, coffee beans, socks, and eco-friendly cleaning products, the shop is the perfect place to find gifts or set up monthly subscriptions for everyday goods.
All purchases benefit Partners in Health, a global nonprofit that improves healthcare equity in low-income areas worldwide. As of April 2025, Good.Store purchases have led to over $10 million in donations.
→ Learn more about Good.Store!
EarthHero
Flagship products: Cleaning, personal care, beauty, and office supplies
Why it’s better than Amazon: EarthHero’s goal is to make sustainable shopping simple — and it lives up to that mission. Every product on EarthHero’s site goes through its “proprietary 5-Step Sourcing Methodology.”
Additionally, EarthHero is a certified B Corp, a member of 1% for the Planet, and allows you to filter and shop by values like vegan, plastic-free, LGBTQ+ empowering, made in the USA, Black-owned, and more.
You’ll find a wide range of daily products, like laundry detergent sheets, bars of shampoo and conditioner, and even colored pencils made of recycled newspapers. Plus, you can save up to 15% on subscription products.
Dropps
Flagship products: Laundry and dishwasher detergent
Why it’s better than Amazon: Dropps is a certified B Corp and cruelty-free company that makes cleaning products you can feel good about.
Instead of plastic jugs, Dropps packages all its products in recyclable paper and only uses ingredients derived from renewable resources. The brand also practices responsible manufacturing and offsets all its carbon emissions.
No matter what scent you gravitate towards, there are plenty of laundry and dishwasher detergent options to choose from, and you can save on your purchase when you subscribe to a product or buy in bulk.
Cleancult
Flagship products: Laundry and dishwasher detergent, hand soaps, and cleaning sprays
Why it’s better than Amazon: Cleancult is a certified plastic-neutral soap and cleaning product refill company, with all of its products available in paper carton or aluminum packaging.
Free from harsh chemicals, all products also feature ingredient lists — none of which include phthalates, phosphates, dyes, or parabens.
Start by purchasing an aluminum bottle of your desired hand soap or cleaning spray, and then set up a “Subscribe & Save” plan for your paper carton refills! Cleancult also offers laundry detergent sheets and toilet bowl cleaner sheets.
Dirty Labs
Flagship products: Laundry detergent and home cleaning products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Dirty Labs is on a mission to make “traditional petrochemical-based cleaning obsolete.” This means that the brand makes cleaning products that are allergen-free and better for the environment, using 100% biodegradable and traceable ingredients, packaged in aluminum and cardboard.
From laundry detergent and baby essentials to dish and toilet bowl powders, Dirty Labs adheres to a “no list” with toxic byproducts that are kept out of all its formulas.
You can also set up Autoship subscriptions.
Saalt
Flagship products: Reusable menstrual products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Saalt sells reusable period products, including menstrual cups, menstrual discs, leak-proof underwear, cleansing wipes, and more.
While swapping tampons and pads for reusable menstrual care products is a sustainable choice on its own, shopping with Saalt is also a way to help other women and girls across the globe access the period care they need. Every purchase with Saalt gives a percentage back to empowering girls through menstrual hygiene and education programs.
The brand has already donated nearly 150,000 products, funded over 1.3 million days of school, and has diverted over 30 million waste products from landfills.
→ Check out more sustainable period care alternatives!
Bite
Flagship products: Plastic-free toothpaste tablets
Why it’s better than Amazon: Bite — Because It’s The Earth — was founded by a surfer who learned about the impact of plastic toothpaste tubes on landfills and oceans and decided to invent something different.
Bite now sells toothpaste tabs that come in reusable glass jars, is B Corp and Carbon Neutral certified, and is cruelty-free and vegan. Shoppers can buy a 4-month supply and subscribe to a product for a discounted renewal rate.
Dr. Bronner’s
Flagship products: Soaps and lotions
Why it’s better than Amazon: Dr. Bronner’s has long practiced what it calls “constructive capitalism” by sharing all its profits with its workers and the environment.
The company touts ethical supply chains, as well as generous benefits for employees, like 100% free healthcare, caps on executive salaries, and a 10% yearly bonus for full-time employees.
Dr. Bronner’s also gives back to environmental and social justice organizations, uses packaging recycled from post-consumer plastics, and even advocates for political reform around animal advocacy, criminal justice, and community betterment.
Plus, its soaps and lotions are just great quality. All Regenerative Organic Certified, you can get soaps and refills in a myriad of scents, all safe enough to meet the “all-in-one promise,” which urges customers to use the soap far beyond the shower. Plus, you can subscribe and save!
Paper Goods
Who Gives A Crap
Flagship products: Toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels
Why it’s better than Amazon: Who Gives A Crap has all of your paper towel, toilet paper, tissue, and trash bag needs without any ethical dilemmas. Paper products are made with bamboo or recycled paper, and waste bags are made with recycled plastics or compostable materials.
As a B Corp, Who Gives A Crap also donates 50% of profits to clean water and sanitation initiatives around the globe. So far, it’s donated over $9.5 million to help people access vital services.
Plus, Who Gives A Crap uses electric vehicles for delivery, partners with Pachama to ensure its shipping is carbon neutral, and its warehouse is powered by solar panels that spell out “CRAP.”
Customers can also choose subscription options to save on recurring orders or shop with bundle discounts.
Reel
Flagship products: Toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels
Why it’s better than Amazon: Reel sells paper products made entirely with biodegradable bamboo and shipped in recyclable cardboard packaging.
The brand is a B Corp, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and offsets 100% of the carbon emissions it produces in overseas transportation.
Whether you need toilet paper, tissues, or paper towels, you can put your deliveries on auto-ship right from the Reel website.
Save Trees
Flagship products: Toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels
Why it’s better than Amazon: Another bamboo-based paper product company, Save Trees is a Forest Stewardship Council-certified company that offers chlorine-free bamboo-based products like toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels.
The brand ships in 100% recycled cardboard boxes, offers carbon-neutral delivery, and has received the highest score possible from the Natural Resources Defense Council in its annual report ranking toilet paper brands by sustainability.
Plus, Save Trees gives back to charitable organizations like Food Lifeline and One Tree Planted.
You can set up auto-ship orders for your home, or even buy in bulk for commercial businesses.
Repurpose
Flagship products: Compostable single-use drinkware, tableware, and paper products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Repurpose is a female-founded company that understands that sometimes, we still need a paper plate or plastic cup for a party. So it made a compostable version of the items that traditionally end up in landfills.
Its products are made with plant-based materials, are shipped to you with carbon emissions offset, and include no additional PFAS or plastics.
From disposable cutlery and to-go cups to dinner plates and trash bags, Repurpose has what you need for everyday use and even entertaining. Plus, you can subscribe to save!
Repurpose also cares about diversity and inclusion. Its team is made up of about 43% people of color and LGBTQ+ folks, and the leadership team is 83% women.
Grocery and Pantry
Grove Collaborative
Flagship products: Pantry staples, cleaning and personal care, pet essentials, gifts, school supplies, and more
Why it’s better than Amazon: Grove Collaborative takes the ease of shopping for home essentials on Amazon and makes it ethical. The site exclusively offers products that meet the brand’s core standards.
And it has nearly anything you could need for any room in the house. Seriously, it offers like 20 categories!
The Grove Collaborative site and app make it easy to order products and get regular refills shipped at an appropriate cadence with Subscribe & Save deals. Plus, the company will never sneakily charge you for a new shipment without letting you know (three times) first.
All of Grove’s shipments are carbon neutral, and it’s also a certified B Corp. The brand also prides itself on “building a diverse and inclusive work environment.”
Thrive Market
Flagship products: Grocery, cleaning, vitamins, personal care, and pet products
Why it’s better than Amazon: On Thrive Market, you can become a Member for roughly $5-$12/month (depending on if you pay annually or monthly) and easily do all your shopping through its site.
With grocery and pantry staples, your go-to vitamins and supplements, cleaning supplies, and even wine, you’ll find everything you need, while feeling confident that every product on the site aligns with your values.
Thrive Market works to ethically source all of its products, ensures that 90% of waste in its warehouses is recycled, composted, or reused, and offers carbon-neutral shipping in sustainable packaging. Thrive is also a certified B Corp and transparently shares its sourcing and curation standards.
Hive
Flagship products: Pantry, personal care, and wellness products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Hive is an online grocery and personal care marketplace that sticks to five core values: Ingredient integrity, responsible production, clean packaging, leading change (like social and industry impact efforts), and “raveworthy” quality.
Each product page details which of these criteria are met — as well as how and why.
Hive also has a robust recycling guide for the various kinds of packaging you might encounter in your grocery products, like cans, cartons, and more. Hard-to-recycle items can be processed through TerraCycle — Hive will even send you a prepaid envelope to do so!
Misfits Market
Flagship products: Grocery, pantry, and cleaning products
Why it’s better than Amazon: Misfits Market is an online grocer that makes high-quality food more affordable and accessible, and helps break the cycle of food waste.
By working directly with farmers and food producers, the brand “rescues” food that is still perfectly good to eat, saving shoppers up to 40% compared to traditional grocery options (like Amazon delivery or ordering through Whole Foods).
It also offers other pantry staples, wine, and grocery items, and does not require you to pay a set subscription fee, and its new “household aisle” offers kitchen basics, laundry care, and more.
Once you sign up, you can access the items offered in the market and add as few (as long as you meet the $35 order minimum) or as many items as you’d like.
→ Check out our full review of Misfits Market
Home Decor & Organization
Uncommon Goods
Flagship products: Unique gifts and home goods from artisan makers
Why it’s better than Amazon: Uncommon Goods is passionate about discovering creative and unique goods from all over the world while uplifting independent makers and merchants. Get some cozy candles or woven blankets and make your house feel like home.
The site divides products up to make it easy to shop for eco-friendly products, goods from Black makers, or from women-owned businesses. You can also become a Perks Member and receive free and fast shipping.
Uncommon Goods is a founding B Corp and donates $1 for every purchase you make. Plus, its products have always been leather, feather, and fur-free.
Etsy
Flagship products: Unique gifts and home goods from artisan makers
Why it’s better than Amazon: Rather than giving your money to big corporations, every Etsy purchase is an opportunity to support an individual creator or entrepreneur. It’s the perfect place to find a new piece of art for your walls, get a handmade side table for the living room, or even a new favorite mug for your morning coffee.
Etsy uses 100% renewable energy for the power used by its data centers, global offices, and its remote employees — plus, the company offsets carbon emissions on all shipping and packaging.
YouCopia
Flagship products: Home organization
Why it’s better than Amazon: YouCopia is a woman-owned brand that makes home organization tools entirely from post-industrial recycled materials.
Instead of buying yet another plastic container from you-know-where, YouCopia offers well-designed organizers like spice racks, egg dispensers, and even microbe-busting toothbrush holders for the bathroom.
Plus, every order gives 5% back to charity, specifically to organizations that empower women, teach children about climate change, and home improvement projects for low-income communities.
