Ethical shopping is easier and more popular than ever before, with many shoppers making a conscious choice to support sustainable and ensure that those involved with the production of the goods we buy are treated fairly. At Hidden Edinburgh, we love to encourage our readers to shop local and independent and really take the time to make informed decisions about how your shopping can affect the world. To make it easier, we have come up with a handy ethical shopping guide to the city so you know exactly what to buy and where from.
Beautiful Planet Store
Beautiful Planet Store is the newest addition to the thriving Leith vegan & environmentally friendly scene. Our ethos is very simple – connecting vegan lifestyle with affordable less waste shopping. The days of buying from the supermarket should be a thing of the past and the use of single use plastics also. Beautiful Planet is your one stop shop for a great selection of bulk products (some of them produced in the same building – The Biscuit Factory), fresh vegetables, rapeseed oils, sweets, household and cleaning products (our brands got the highest spots on Ethical Consumer Magazine rankings) and homemade dog baking. Our store is dog friendly and offers great service and lots of hugs to all pooches visiting! We’re a part of Vegan Traders Union, support dog temporary homes in Glasgow and local minorities in Edinburgh.
One World Shop
One World Shop is situated at the west end of Princes Street on the lower level of St John’s Church. It was set up with a clear aim to reduce poverty in poor areas of the world through trading more fairly. The shop sources and sells sustainable and fairly-traded goods from around the world using an ethical and transparent framework, promoting equality and educating consumers along the way. Their range of goods includes a delicious selection of coffee and chocolate, jams and honey, through to homeware, accessories, children’s toys, gifts and so much more. Be sure to pop in and say hi next time you’re passing they are a friendly bunch!
Real Foods
Real Foods have been selling natural, organic, vegetarian and Fairtrade foods in the city for over 40 years and are the largest Scottish retailer doing so. You can purchase from them online but we recommend checking out their two well-established stores on Broughton Street and at Tollcross. The shops are served by 100s of independent suppliers offering the freshest, healthiest options to customers whilst supporting fair trade and keeping their carbon foot print low. Staff are also super knowledgeable and helpful so if you are looking for advice or something in particular, Real Foods is a great option. Don’t be put off by how much they manage to fit in their stores – there are some absolute treasures to be found in the ceiling high shelves, and you can shop for nutritious produce knowing it has been sustainably sourced.
Dig-In
Established from a desire to protect the prevalence of independent shops in Bruntsfield, Dig-In was formed in 2014 by a group of local residents in a cooperative and is now run predominantly by a group of volunteers. Now in its third year of operation, Dig-In is thriving and remains a key part of the community, offering fresh, local produce for fair prices. In addition to sourcing products as locally as they can, and offering a good selection of organic produce, they make sure they do their part for reducing food and household waste too. Almost all of their produce is available without packaging and they also offer a 30% discount on ‘Yesterday’s bread’ and have a reduced basket for produce that would make a great stew or soup!
Breadshare
This non-profit-distributing social enterprise is based in Portobello and has the mission of ‘real bread for everyone’. They create nutritious bread using organic, local ingredients to help create a more sustainable food system. Their recipes are simple but packed full of goodness and no artificial additives or preservatives! Their signature Border Country breads also contain a proportion of locally-grown and milled Scottish flour. Not only are the ingredients they use supporting the local community, but a social enterprise all money made from the business goes back into creating great baked products for the locals! Community really is in everything they do at Breadshare!
Armstrong’s Vintage
Established in 1840, Armstrong’s vintage emporium is somewhat of an institution in the city and probably has the biggest selection of vintage clothing in the city. It’s a popular destination with the student population, stylish locals, and visitors alike. The emporium actually has three stores thanks to this massive fan base! It’s definitely worth having a rake through the rails in here for some second-hand goodies and doing your bit to re-use and re-purpose.
Godivas
Godiva is an independent fashion boutique on West Port near the Grassmarket, selling both repurposed apparel, vintage clothing and quirky independent designers. They strive to fight against the ideas of fast fashion, encourage individuality and celebrate hand-made independent design. Their backroom is bursting with beautiful vintage finds whilst front of store is full of pieces by talented local designers and independent brands. This is the perfect place to find that one of a kind treasure!
Armchair Books
Armchair Books on West Port is a tiny maze-like book store, packed to the gunnels with old books! The floor to ceiling shelves look like they might fall down with the weight of all the amazing books. This sweet shop has lots of atmosphere – when you step through the door you feel like you have gone back in time. You may have seen Armchair books on your travels around Instagram as the shop has definite curb appeal too. We love shopping here for the experience as well a great new read!
