What It Means to Buy Better

At Bluedot Living, we spend a great deal of time thinking about what it actually means to “buy better.” The answer is rarely simple. Few products are perfect, and sustainability itself can be surprisingly nuanced. A reusable item made from plastic may still be preferable to a disposable alternative. A small company may be deeply committed to ethical practices, but unable to afford expensive third-party certifications. A product’s overall impact often depends as much on how often it’s used as it does on where it’s from. In many cases, durability and long-term use matter more than any particular sustainability claim. 

That complexity shapes how we evaluate the brands and products featured in the Bluedot Living Collection. Rather than relying on a single checklist, we look at the bigger picture: materials, manufacturing, durability, transparency, labor practices, packaging, certifications, and whether a product offers a meaningful improvement over conventional alternatives.

We Look Beyond Buzzwords

Terms like “eco-friendly,” “natural,” and “green” have become so common that they often tell consumers very little. We look for specifics instead.

For non-consumable goods, we generally prioritize sustainably sourced natural materials first, followed by recycled or upcycled materials, then sturdy conventional materials designed for long-term use. We also try to avoid unnecessary single-use plastics, although there are exceptions. Durable materials such as Tritan and silicone, as well as certain bio-plastics, can make sense in some cases. And of course, it all exists on a spectrum.  

Take the real-life example of leftovers. In general, we view reusable options such as beeswax wrap and glass food storage containers as preferable to silicone bags, which in turn may be preferable to single-use bioplastic bags. Those bioplastic bags generally represent an improvement over disposable bags made from virgin plastic, especially when they’re composted in a way that allows them to properly break down. 

But context matters. Using conventional plastic vacuum-seal bags to preserve and actually eat leftovers is often far preferable to letting food go to waste. A silicone bag used hundreds of times is much better than hundreds of disposable bags; however, one that’s bought but never used is not better. Sustainability exists on a spectrum, and we try to evaluate products within the realities of how people actually live.

When reviewing food and beverage products, we tend to favor organic or sustainably harvested ingredients and products with fewer highly processed ingredients. In cosmetics and personal care, we avoid recommending items with ingredients such as parabens, PEGs, and phthalates, and we prioritize refillable or recyclable packaging.

Above all, products need to function well in real life. If something is difficult to use, ineffective, or poorly made, it is unlikely to become part of a lasting routine — and sustainability claims matter far less if an item quickly ends up discarded.

Certifications Are a Starting Point

Third-party certifications can provide valuable accountability, and we always verify a brand’s claims. We look favorably on standards issued by Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX, Forest Sustainability Coalition, and Leaping Bunny, among others. We explore B Corp, 1% for the Planet, and The Climate Label certifications here.

We also seek out category-specific certifications for materials and ingredients that carry higher environmental or human-health concerns. For example, we may look for the Biodegradable Products Institute seal on items that say they are compostable, the Responsible Wool Standard certification for wool, or the EPA Safer Choice certification for cleaning products. 

However, we do not require certifications on the items we choose. Many smaller brands simply cannot afford them. We try to account for scale and resources when evaluating companies, and we generally expect more extensive certification portfolios from larger corporations than from small founder-led businesses.

The Complexities of Modern Supply Chains 

How a product is made matters just as much as what it is made from. We look for brands that are transparent about where their products are manufactured, who makes them, and what standards govern those facilities. Certifications such as Responsible Living Wage Standard, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, Fair Trade, and Fair for Life provide us with some confidence about labor practices. But supply chains are often sprawling and opaque, and labor practices remain one of the most difficult areas to assess. 

Even large companies often struggle to fully map and evaluate their supply chains. This may seem odd, but consider, for instance, a shoemaker that outsources the production of boots. Visiting the factory where the boots are made is a good step. But where does that factory get the laces, leather, and rubber for the soles? Who spins the thread for the laces? Who makes the dye for the leather? Who harvests the rubber or manufactures the synthetic material for the soles? It can feel like turtles all the way down.

We do our best to assess the information available to us, but we also recognize the limits of what we can realistically verify from the outside. For that reason, we place significant weight on transparency, specificity, and whether a company appears genuinely engaged in improving its practices over time. We also tend to favor smaller, mission-driven companies and brands with more localized supply chains, especially American companies that make their products and source materials in the U.S.

We Prefer Progress Over Perfection

Many of the brands we feature are not flawless — and neither are the products they make. Sustainability is often about tradeoffs. Recycled materials, for instance, usually involve synthetic inputs. Domestic manufacturing can reduce shipping emissions and offer stronger labor protections, but international manufacturing can support skilled workers and local economies around the world, and responsible production is not limited to any one country.

Rather than searching for perfection, we look for evidence of thoughtful decision-making and meaningful progress. We want to see brands reducing waste, improving packaging, investing in better materials, and integrating sustainability into the broader business.

You can’t shop your way to a perfect world. We encourage you to make, mend, thrift, conserve, share, and repair whenever you can. When you do need to buy something new, we hope we can help you make informed choices and find products that represent a meaningful improvement over conventional alternatives. 

That philosophy is reflected in our slogan: we encourage everyone to “buy better” —  not “perfect.”