What Makes A Product Sustainable? (It’s More Than The Label)

You’d be amazed how many “eco-friendly, sustainable” products aren’t.

Building my second business, The Kind Pet, I’ve had a front-row seat to all the ways sustainability gets twisted, stretched, and greenwashed until it’s barely recognizable.

I’ve talked to plenty of suppliers who swore their materials were natural—until I asked a few deeper questions and found out those “plant-based” claims came with a side of petroleum. 

Yum.

Turns out, you can’t make rubber hard and durable without adding something to it. And a lot of the time, that “something” is plastic or petroleum-derived additives like paraffin oil.

That’s when it clicked for me:

Sustainability isn’t a sticker slapped on at the end. It’s not a badge you earn. It’s an ongoing commitment that trickles through every part of a product’s life. And it asks you to ask better questions about your materials, suppliers, packaging, and impact. 

So, whether you’re just starting or knee-deep in packaging prototypes, this is your nudge to slow down, zoom out, and ask better questions—the kind that lead to a more sustainable product, and a brand that walks the walk.

Where It All Starts: Sourcing Your Sustainable Product

Let’s start at the beginning…literally. 

Sustainable products start with sustainable sourcing. But what does that mean? It’s more than tossing around words like organic or fair trade on your About page. It means zooming out and asking the big, messy questions like:

• Where are these materials coming from?
• How are they grown, mined, or made?
• Who’s involved, and how are they being treated?
• And what’s the environmental cost of getting them from there to you?

Even something that sounds super sustainable, like bamboo or organic cotton, can still come with a hefty environmental footprint if it’s being monocropped, flown across the world, or harvested by underpaid workers. 

Real sustainable sourcing looks at:

• Energy use — how much it takes to extract or grow
• Land + water impact — deforestation, soil depletion, and excessive water use
• Animal + community impact — are ecosystems or livelihoods disrupted?
• Transparency — do your suppliers know where your stuff comes from?

Pro tip: If your supplier can’t tell you where their raw materials are from—or gets weirdly cagey about how things are made—that’s a red flag wrapped in green packaging.

As a small business, you’re probably not going to reinvent the global supply chain. But you can get curious, ask better questions, and choose the best options available to you right now. 

After Materials Arrive: Manufacturing Your Sustainable Product 

So you’ve sourced your materials like a responsible, ethically curious brand. Now what? This is where sustainable manufacturing comes into play. It’s not just about what a product is made from, but how it’s made, who’s making it, and what kind of impact that process leaves behind. 

Here’s what you should be asking:

• How much waste is created in the process, and what happens to it?
• Is energy used efficiently?
• Are the factories using local materials, or are they shipping from afar?
• Are the workers paid fairly and treated ethically?

Manufacturing is often where the sustainability story gets fuzzy. 

Maybe a brand uses organic cotton…but it’s dyed in a factory with no wastewater treatment. Or the final product is assembled in facilities with zero transparency on labor conditions.

Good For Sunday, a Canadian clothing brand, is an example of not just saying their products are ethically made. They show you what that means. Their ethical manufacturing page shares exactly where their garments are made (Toronto), what labor standards they follow (hello, medical and dental benefits), and even the cost breakdown of producing a $100 product (with a 9% profit margin).

That’s what ethical manufacturing looks like in practice. Honest, clear, and willing to let you peek behind the curtain.

On The Go: Distributing Your Sustainable Product 

Your product is made. It’s beautiful. It’s functional. It’s (hopefully) ethically manufactured. Now it has to get to your customers. 

And how that happens? Still part of your sustainability story.

A lot of small businesses stop thinking about impact once the product is in hand. But your packaging, storage, shipping methods, and supply chain partners all leave a footprint.

Here’s what to look at:

• How is your product stored before shipping?
• How far does your product travel to reach your customers?
• What kind of packaging are you using to ship?
• Are your fulfillment partners aligned with your mission?

Packaging is one of the most tangible places to start making sustainable choices—and for a lot of brands, it’s the first thing customers notice. It’s also where small tweaks can go a long way. 

Maybe that means switching to post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, which give old stuff a new life instead of pulling more resources. Or it could be using recyclable or compostable packaging that actually breaks down. 

And sometimes, it’s about going simpler: cutting the filler fluff, downsizing the box, or skipping the extras no one asked for.

After It’s Been Loved: End-Of-Life For Your Sustainable Product

Most products don’t disappear after they’ve done their job. They break, get tossed, or shoved in a drawer next to five other broken things. If you’re not thinking about what happens to your product after it leaves your customer’s hands, you’re missing a big piece of sustainability.

Here’s what to consider:

• Can your product be reused, refilled, or repaired?
• Is it compostable or at least recyclable?
• Does your customer know what to do with it when they’re done?
• Do you offer take-back programs or instructions for disposal?

End-of-life doesn’t have to mean landfill. Designing with intention means planning for what comes next—whether that’s giving it a second life, returning it to the earth, or making it easier to recycle.

Because the last stop in your product’s life? That’s still part of your brand’s impact story.

Being sustainable isn’t about being perfect. It’s about asking the hard questions, owning your choices, and staying transparent—start to finish. Including the end.

And if you’re tired of guessing your way through sourcing, packaging, margins, or whether your Shopify site is doing its job—hi, that’s where I come in! I help sustainable e-comm brands like yours make better decisions, backed by data and aligned with your values.

Whether you need support building a Shopify site that converts, clarity on what’s working (and what’s not), or someone to decode your metrics and make them useful, I’ve got you covered. 

{Check Out My Services}

---

Hi! If we haven’t already met, I’m Laura! Founder of Dolgify and author of this little blog. I help small to mid-sized sustainable merchants build eco-friendly stores and ethical stories their conscious customers deserve. If you liked this post and want to learn more, here are a few ways you can connect with me:

Join my email list: For a bi-weekly dose of sustainable eCommerce insights, tips for ethical brands, and the occasional behind-the-scenes look at how I help eco-conscious merchants like you succeed. I promise to keep it fun, engaging, and always valuable for your sustainability journey.
Explore my services: See how I can help you create a sustainable eCommerce store that’s as unique as your ethical brand. From crafting compelling eco-friendly copy to designing custom Shopify themes that highlight your sustainability efforts, I’ve got you covered. Let’s work together to bring your green vision to life and build an online presence that stands out from the conventional crowd.
Dive into the Dolgify blog: Find more posts like this one, covering everything from eco-conscious customer personas to ethical email marketing and beyond.

If you have any questions about sustainable eCommerce or just want to say hi, feel free to send me an email or connect with me on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you! Until next time, keep building those amazing eco-friendly stores and ethical stories. Your conscious customers (and the planet) will thank you for it!

Cheers,
Laura