Last Updated on October 30, 2024
Trying to live more environmentally conscious in Edmonton can have it’s challenges, but this city is home to many wonderful small businesses and hidden gems. For more information on ways to reduce your waste in Edmonton, check out Waste Free Edmonton’s resources and volunteer opportunities.
Where to Eat
Edmonton Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants
Padmanadi
Features a fusion menu of Indonesian, Chinese, Thai and Indian plant-based dishes. Prior to COVID-19, their downtown location offered a monthly buffet. To reduce food waste and encourage conscious eating, Padmanadi charged buffet customers per gram for any food left uneaten on their plate and donated those proceeds to local organizations that fed people experiencing homelessness.
An Chay
Serves vegetarian and vegan Vietnamese dishes, and offers many gluten free options.
Cafe Mosaics
One of Edmonton’s oldest vegetarian restaurants that focuses on responsible sourcing, and earth/health conscious dishes. They also offer favorite sauces for sale in reusable glass jars.
The Moth Cafe
The sister restaurant of Cafe Mosaics, and a 100% plant-based cafe with a community focus, offering workshops, plant-swaps and events. Beyond their delicious food, The Moth Cafe offers a robust beverage menu featuring plant-based wine, beer, cocktails and more.
Looking for more local veggie eats? Check out @veginyeg
Edmonton Farm-to-Table and Seasonal Restaurants
Rge Road
Not only is Rge Road one of Canada’s 100 best restaurants as of 2021, but they are also one of the first restaurants in Edmonton to embrace a menu of sustainable, local and seasonal offerings. Their changing menu includes meat from ‘tip to tail’, finding unique ways to utilize the entire animal in their dishes.
Workshop Eatery
A restaurant focused on fresh, seasonal and local ingredients when available, as well as showcasing products from across Canada. Their changing menu is small and intentional, and they also offer catering.
The Harvest Room
An upscale restaurant located in the historic Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, The Harvest Room focuses on seasonal, local food as well as sustainably sourced game and seafood. They offer a breakfast and dinner menu, as well as a traditional Afternoon Tea experience every weekend.
Organic, Local, & Zero Waste Groceries
Earth’s General Store
(now closed)
Edmonton’s first refillery and waste-reduction focused grocery store, now in its 30th year. EGS offers an abundant selection of both packaged and bulk plant-based groceries, as well as local dairy and eggs. Customers are encouraged to refill their own containers with dry and refrigerated bulk foods, as well as a body and home goods such as dish soap, shampoo and more. Their website is a wonderful resource for those new to waste reduction and buying bulk.
Spud
An online grocery service that delivers your personalized order to your door in a cardboard box or reusable bin. Spud is a certified B Corporation that focuses on providing sustainable groceries, partners with local businesses and offers a wide variety of products, including health and beauty, home products and items for pets.
The Organic Box
An online grocery delivery service with a focus on fresh local produce, offering curated boxes, custom boxes or a combination of the two based on the customers needs. They offer a variety of box sizes and allow customers to browse and select items based on distance in kilometers from the warehouse. Their website features clear labels that indicate whether products are organic or come from a family farm, among other categories.
The Butchery by Rge Road
Rge Road has taken their farm to table business model beyond the restaurant, and now offers local meat in their neighboring butcher shop. Their knowledgeable staff share information about their meats, as well as how to prepare and utilize every part of the animal, spreading the word about sustainable and conscious consumption for meat lovers.
Sustainable Shopping in Edmonton
(some affiliate links may be used in this post)
Carbon Environmental Boutique
Carbon specializes in eco-conscious and sustainable products for home, body and lifestyle. Their new location in Manchester Square features a refillery bar, where customers can refill containers of their favorite items or try small quantities of new products before making a larger purchase.
Re:Plenish
A store dedicated to zero waste living and refilling, focused on home and body products such as cleaners, deodorant, lotion and more. Re:Plenish partners with various organizations to promote reuse and recycling, including textile and beauty recycling programs, as well as their own jar library.
Kolya Naturals
A boutique specializing in apothecary products, beauty and skincare, and an in-house organic spa. They stock brands dedicated to ethical sourcing and sustainable practices, and now feature a refill station where customers can refill their own containers with body, home and apothecary products.
Consignment & Thrift Shopping in Edmonton
Check out our Edmonton Secondhand Clothing Guide for a map and list of consignment, thrift, and preloved clothing in Edmonton.
The Dress Library
This unique clothing business rents dresses, costumes and accessories. The Dress Library works with clients to curate rental items based on the event, and provide fitting appointments. Products can be rented for a week or more.
[ Interested in learning more about how clothing rental works? Check out our post all about it! ]
Find Edmonton
A non-profit social enterprise and thrift store that sells furniture, home and entertainment products for low prices, as well as seasonal decor items. Find’s Housing First program provides furniture and houseware at no cost to people moving out of homelessness and into safe housing.
Sustainable Clothing & Accessory Brands in Edmonton
Unbelts
An accessories brand specializing in belts, masks, and other small items with a focus on ethical manufacturing. As a certified B Corporation, Unbelts takes sustainability into account for all parts of their business, and has a comprehensive sustainability report available on their website. (Belts fit up to 54” hips)
[ Read a review of Unbelts here. ]
Poppy Barley
A certified B Corporation creating luxury leather and vegan leather goods, including shoes and accessories. They focus on ethical production and partnerships, and have recently increased their use of sustainable materials, such as vegan leather made from cactus leaves and other organic materials. (Offers womens shoe sizes 5 to 12 and mens 6 to 13)
Msichana
A clothing and accessory brand committed to zero waste, Msichana products are designed in Canada and produced in Africa. Check out their website for more information on their ethical production practices and profiles on the women who create each handmade garment. (Offers custom sizing)
Gus Sloan
A made-to-order clothing company specializing in jumpsuits and versatile garments. Gus Sloan offers mending for their garments that have been well loved, as well as the SCRAP collection, saving fabric scraps from the landfill by turning them into beautiful accessories. (Offers custom sizing)
Sessa Wearables
Sessa Wearables offers a spectrum of clothing services, including selling garments made of upcycled materials and fabric scraps, personal styling and shopping, closet consultations and clothing repairs. (Offers custom sizing)
Eco-Friendly Local Bath & Beauty Brands
Jack59
An Indigenous-owned, vegan hair and body product company committed to plastic free hair care. They offer sulphate-free, silicone-free and gluten-free options for all hair types, and their shampoo bars can be purchased package-free at many local stockists.
Pura Botanicals
A small batch clean beauty and skincare brand that uses plant-based ingredients and glass packaging. Their products are cruelty free, GMO-free and gluten-free.
Soap So Co.
Soap So Co. creates handcrafted, vegan and cruelty free soaps. They offer low-waste liquid soap refills for soap dispensers and large bottle sizes. Bar soaps can be purchased in recyclable paper boxes or package free at local stockists.
Westmount Soap Co.
A 100% natural handmade soap company that creates bars inspired by Edmonton’s neighborhoods and events. Their soaps feature minimal paper and twine packaging.
Wild Prairie Soap Company
A veteran in the Edmonton soap scene, Wild Prairie Soap Company creates plant-based and cruelty free soaps and body care products. Their refillery allows customers to fill their own containers with bath salts, lotions, liquid products and package free bath bombs.
Any we missed? Please share your favourite sustainable Edmonton small businesses in the comments!
Sarah Forestell
Blenderz Garment Recyclers keeps textile resources local by recycling, reclaiming and upcycling locally. At their shop you can buy designer second hand clothes for dollars a pound, find unique items re-imagined by local designers, or pick up notions for your latest sewing project. Pick up some new skills from a workshop or a kit, or order a box of gently used clothes in your size directly to your home.
CAN Share Community Toy Library
Hi! We’re a toy library in Spruce Grove/Stony Plain (not exactly IN Edmonton). We’re helping families reduce their toy waste by taking donations, and helping reduce the need to buy new toys by allowing members to borrow toys and return when finished with them.