Style your home sustainably with fair trade and eco-friendly curtains that are not only designed beautifully, but are light on the planet and good for people, too.
Why Sustainable Curtains?
Materials:
Most curtains are made from synthetic fabrics like polyester (which is made using petroleum) or other unsustainably sourced fibers like viscose and rayon (which are made from tree pulp and have been linked to the deforestation of endangered and old-growth forests).
Toxic Chemicals:
Not only are synthetic fabrics and dyes harmful to the environment, but they’re harmful to human health as well (after all, we are part of the environment).
Vinyl curtains are among the worst culprits as they’re typically made from PVC. Research has shown that these PVC curtains contain toxic chemicals like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) phthalates, and organotins.
Labor Issues
As with literally every industry, home goods like curtains are often made in a global supply chain with little transparency and traceability. Sweatshops, child labor, and forced labor are a reality in textile factories (and farms, mills etc.) and unless a company can prove otherwise, they may not know if this is taking place in their supply chain.
How Can I Identify What Sustainable Curtains Are?
Materials:
Look for organic and low-impact natural fibers such as organic cotton, linen, and hemp! I like to look for the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification for organic cotton from larger brands.
But, for smaller brands with traceable supply chains, they don’t necessarily need to pay for an expensive certification to verify that the cotton was grown in a sustainable way. In fact, traditional cotton growing practices are organic! Some farmers have never used synthetic pesticides or genetically modified seeds and have stuck to their traditional and indigneous practices.
Dyes and Chemicals:
Look for plant-based dyes, non-toxic mordants (what sets the dyes onto the fabric), and avoid toxic finishes. You can identify if a product was made with finishes if the product description says something like “wrinkle free” or “stain resistant”. Water or stain-repellent products may contain PFAS (also called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or in your body).
Ethical Production:
See if the brand offers transparency into their production. Do they ensure fair wages and benefits, safe conditions, and reasonable working hours? Do they have certifications, photos, audits, or records of previous visits to facilities to back this up? Or even better, does the brand have direct partnerships with the artisans, weavers, sewers, and dyers?
As always, there is more that you can look for. You may want to support BIPOC-owned and/or woman-owned brands, and maybe you like to buy from brands with strong donation initiatives. But the above list is something to get started with!
Note that this guide includes affiliates. As always, all brands featured meet rigorous sustainability criteria and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Made Trade
Made Trade is the ultimate destination for finding sustainable home goods — including curtains! Not only are the curtains on Made Trade made with natural fabrics and dyes but they’re made fairly, too, by skilled artisans using heritage practices such as block-printing and hand weaving.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-Friendly Fabrics, Fair Trade, Cultural Preservation, Carbon Neutral Certified
2. Magic Linen
Curtains are a great way to lighten and brighten up your home. And the colorful drapes from Magic Linen have the ability to beckon spring into your space.
Made from pure linen that’s OEKO-TEX® certified, i.e. it’s been tested for a number of harmful chemicals, Magic Linen offers a range of semi-sheer curtains that can also be custom-made to your size and color requirements. We love the fact that you can buy fabric swatches to have a better vision of your desired outcome before you commit to making a custom purchase.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainable Material, Woman-Owned Brand, Low-waste Practices, Compostable Packaging, Supports Local Community
3. Rawganique
Using only the healthiest, most eco-minded fabrics they can source, like organic hemp and organic linen, Rawganique is a reliable resource for finding non-toxic curtains. Their curtains are VOC-free and free of chemical treatments and Rawganiuqe also offers undyed and unbleached options.
Conscious Qualities: Organic Eco-Friendly Fabrics, Non-Toxic, Manufactures In-House
4. Linoto
Dedicated to all things linen, Linoto has 100% linen curtains in a vast variety of colors. The curtains are great for any room that you want filtered light and a natural, airy feel. Linoto’s sustainable curtains are available in lengths form 20-200 inches and widths from 25-200 inches!
Conscious Qualities: 100% Linen, Custom-Made, Made Locally in New York, Black-Owned
5. Kingdom of Comfort
Another Etsy shop worth checking out is Kingdom of Comfort! They use 100% organic stonewashed linen that is free of harmful chemicals. Their curtains are available in a wide variety of sizes and are all made-to-order.
Conscious Qualities: 100% Organic Linen, Made-to-Order
6. Bolé Road Textiles
Artisan handmade in Ethiopia, the fair trade curtains from Bolé Road Textiles bring in a touch of vibrancy and artistry. The ethical curtains are completely handwoven and made to order, minimizing waste and maximizing quality. Learn more about the process here.
Conscious Qualities: Ethically Made in Ethiopia, Cultural Preservation, Black-Owned, Woman-Owned
7. The Best Linen
The Best Linen’s curtains are available in a variety of cozy and dreamy colors and are all Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. You can also get custom-made curtains if you need special dimensions for your windows.
Conscious Qualities: Oeko-Tex Certified Linen, Made-to-Order Options
8. LinenDuet
LinenDuet has dreamy eco-friendly curtains made from washed, softened linen. The 100% European linen meets Oeko-Tex 100 standards and each curtain panel is handmade to order in the US by the LinenDuet team.
Conscious Qualities: Linen, Made-to-Order
9. So Linen
Add a touch of ease to your living spaces with the effortless curtains from So Linen. The brand’s 100% European linen curtains soften sunlight while still letting in some brightness — the perfect balance for making a space feel airy and homey!
Conscious Qualities: Made from 100% European Linen
10. Prolinen
Prolinen is another Etsy shop with linen curtains — their 100% organic European linen curtains are OEKO-TEX Certified and pre-washed. You can order custom sizes from Prolinen as well.
Conscious Qualities: 100% Organic Linen, Made-to-Order Options
You May Also Want to Check Out
21 Ethical Home Decor Brands to Curate a Conscious Space
What is Sustainable Interior Design? Tips, Tricks, and Common Myths
10+ Eco Friendly and Ethical Throw Pillows for Every Aesthetic
The post Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Curtains to Accent Your Space Sustainably appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Curtains to Accent Your Space Sustainably
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions
Subscribe to receive transcripts by email. Read along with this episode.
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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on December 22, 2025.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-okhtapus-cofounder-stewart-sarkozy-banoczy-accelerates-ocean-solutions/
Today’s quote comes from Pope John Paul II’s message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1990. He wrote, “Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.”
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day.
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Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Making Billions of Square Feet of Commercial Space Sustainable with CBRE’s Rob Bernard
The built environment, particularly office buildings other urban facilities, are responsible for 39% of the global energy-related emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. About a third of that impact comes from the initial construction of a building and the other two-thirds is produced over the lifetime of a building by heating, cooling, and providing power to the occupants. Our guest today is leading a key battle to reduce the impact of the built environment. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation with Rob Bernard, Chief Sustainability Officer at CBRE Group Inc., which manages more than $145 billion of commercial buildings, providing logistics, retail, and corporate office services across more than than 100 countries.
Rob cut his sustainability teeth at Microsoft, as its Chief Environmental Strategist for 11 years, as the company was developing its world-leading approach and collaborating with other tech giants to lobby for policy and funding to accelerate progress. He discusses CBRE’s Sustainability Solutions & Services for commercial building owners, as well as the accelerating progress for renewables, carbon tracking, and economic, health, and lifestyle benefits of living lightly on the planet. You can learn more about CBRE and its sustainability services at cbre.com
Take a few minutes to learn more about making construction and building operations more sustainable:
- Earth911 Podcast: Cityzenith’s Michael Jansen Uses Digital Twins to Reinvent Urban Planning
- Earth911 Podcast: Concrete.ai CEO Alex Hall On Mixing Embodied Carbon Out Of the Built Environment
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Lowering Construction Impacts With Green Badger’s Tommy Linstroth
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular Economy
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Autodesk Spacemaker Aides Building Efficiency With AI Insights
- How to Assess Your Business’ Environmental and Social Impacts
- Passive House Design: Changing the Future of New Home Construction
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube.
Editor’s Note: This podcast originally aired on April 15, 2024.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Making Billions of Square Feet of Commercial Space Sustainable with CBRE’s Rob Bernard appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-making-billions-of-square-feet-of-commercial-space-sustainable-with-cbres-rob-bernard/
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