Faithful to Nature crowns SA's favourite eco-conscious brands

In August, consumers were urged to nominate their favourite eco-warrior brands across six categories: Best Eco Product Innovation, Eco-Conscious Hospitality, Active Eco Warrior, Best Plastic-Free Brand, Best Grassroots Eco Initiative/Group and Best Vegan Product. They were able to vote for nominees across all categories, as many times as they liked.

Five nominees from each category were then chosen by a judging panel, after which the public voted for one winner per category.

The greenies who took home the gold

Best Eco Product Innovation: Bamboo Baby

KZN-based online store specialising in modern cloth nappies and accessories.

Eco-Conscious Hospitality: Kindred Kitchen

Plant-based restaurant and smoothie bar located in Port Elizabeth.

Active Eco Warrior: Garth Tavares (Cape Town Vegan)

A food-loving Capetonian with a blog dedicated to all things vegan.

Best Plastic-Free Brand: Back2Nature

Cape Town producer of handmade natural skincare products that are organic and cruelty-free.

Best Grassroots Eco Initiative/Group: The Bee Effect

Addresses declining honey bee numbers and honey bee food security through urban bee farming, seed programmes and safe bee havens.

Best Vegan Product: Antonia's

A producer of plant-based health foods that are handcrafted on an organic farm in South Africa.

Encouraging mindfulness

On Friday, at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, recently appointed Faithful to Nature CEO Katrien Grobler presented the winners with a bamboo Eco Award plaque to recognise their pioneering efforts in the eco-conscious space.

The intimate celebration included a bountiful vegan harvest table lunch and a wine tasting at the estate's cellar.

Founder and director Robyn Smith started Faithful to Nature in 2007 with the vision to create a "Green Amazon" of Africa.

With a stringent ingredient policy filtering the brands that are included in its online marketplace, the company has become a trusted retail destination for the discerning, ethical shopper.

Commenting on the introduction of the Eco-Awards, Smith says, "We have a strong group of brands in the country who are working hard to help consumers make more environmentally-conscious decisions about the products they use every day – something heartily deserving of recognition.

"People are realising the increasing impact of their consumption decisions on the planet – the ‘no straw’ movement is a great example – and we want to support the brands who are helping us be more mindful about protecting the environment."

Eco-conscious consumers can look forward to the 2019 Eco Awards that will be commencing later this year – the launch of the Nomination Stage will be announced closer to the time.

View our gallery for pics of award celebrations and the winners.