Our selection guide for eco-responsible purchases

How to make truly eco-responsible purchases? That's probably what you were wondering before coming to us.

Behind the committed collective of Meanwhile Boutique designers lies the desire to build a sustainable consumption model. We firmly believe in the saying "buy less but better", that is, in a thoughtful, more eco-friendly and more humane way. These ideas are at the heart of the DNA of each of our eco-responsible brands and products.

Eco-responsible purchases with brands...

INDEPENDENT

Meanwhile Boutique collaborates with independent brands whose designers work towards more responsible and committed consumption. Unlike polluting industries, these small businesses prioritize sustainable materials and environmentally friendly practices. By buying one of their creations, you support passionate artisans who put their heart and soul into imagining and shaping the world of tomorrow. 

SUSTAINABLE

The items offered on Meanwhile Boutique are designed to last as long as possible. So, there's no need to buy the same item several times! For responsible consumption, we invite you to choose quality over quantity with ethical products. 

TIMELESS

All the eco-responsible products offered on Meanwhile Boutique have undergone a careful selection to offer you a quality catalog and prove that it is possible to combine sustainability and style. The brands chosen by our team mainly offer timeless pieces, to keep for years or even a lifetime!  

VEGAN 

80% of the brands at Meanwhile Boutique stand out for their commitment to using no ingredients of animal origin in their products.  They also focus on sustainable production practices, using more environmentally friendly alternatives such as pineapple plant leather (Piñatex), apple, cactus, grape, corn leather... And many more!

COMMITTED

At Meanwhile Boutique, an eco-responsible brand must embody at least 4 of our 17 ethical values from our committed selection charter. Vegan, social and solidarity impact, craftsmanship, made in France... A company that is not only committed to the environment, but also works for causes and all living beings.

Our selection charter: 4 commitments, 5 pillars and 17 eco-responsible values

The guiding line of Meanwhile Boutique's commitment is based on 2 fundamental principles: ethics and transparency.

Ethics is the moral code of production. At Meanwhile Boutique, a responsible brand is first and foremost a designer who questions the origin of the materials used, the processes of making their products (working conditions, social and environmental impact...) and their distribution method. Because it is essential to take into account each step of production, Meanwhile Boutique supports brands that place the environment, social and wage rights, social impact and solidarity at the heart of their DNA.

Being transparent means above all being proud of your know-how, your creations and your production method. It is also to assert the values of decent and respected work. Meanwhile Boutique believes that transparency is a virtuous circle that strengthens ethics in everyone. That is why we are keen to detail the origin of the raw materials used, the location of the production chain and the composition of all the eco-responsible products available on our platform. By demanding impeccable traceability and transparency from brands, we wish to enlighten your choices so that each of your purchases is responsible.

Our partners and collaborators commit to respecting, with proof, 4 major criteria which are respect for people, waste reduction, resource preservation and eco-responsible packaging.

Each product present on the online store is selected according to 5 major pillars. To highlight the particularity and specific commitments of each brand, these 5 pillars are divided into 17 eco-responsible values.

4 mandatory commitment criteria

For our partners and collaborators, the following 4 criteria are mandatory. They must be justified and proven. Every brand listed at Meanwhile Boutique respects these criteria.

⚖️ Respect for people: fair trade 

Our brands guarantee workers decent pay and working conditions while ensuring the sustainability of know-how and traditions. If manufacturing is outside Europe, the workshops or factories must be certified by labels.

♻️ Waste reduction: organic, upcycling or recycling

We value products containing at least 50% organic material, upcycled or recycled. 80% of the products on the site meet this criterion.

🐑 Preservation of resources

No material must be taken from a dead animal. Brands must adopt a thoughtful use of natural resources, and limit their consumption of water and energy. 

📦 Eco-responsible packaging 

The packaging used for items and sending orders must be recycled, recyclable and/or reusable.

17 eco-responsible values

DEFEND WASTE REDUCTION

1 - Upcycling 🔁

The art of recycling better! This process consists of reusing existing materials and components in order to give them a second life. These are sorted, then revalued to create new creations. The goal? Preserve the natural resources of our dear planet. Why resort to new when you can upcycle?

✨ Discover all our upcycled items

 

2 - Recycling ♻️

Recycling aims to transform waste and end-of-life objects into new materials. This allows them to be reintroduced into the production cycle and to manufacture new eco-responsible products.

✨ Discover all our recycled items

3 - Zero waste 🌀

To fight waste and waste production, it is essential to ban disposables. One of the solutions? Adopt a zero-waste lifestyle! This involves using eco-responsible and sustainable products, designed to last over time.

✨  Discover all our zero-waste items

4 - Zero plastic 🧴

Considered as one of the most problematic wastes for the environment, it is more than necessary to reduce its consumption of plastic. Thus, the brands of the collective commit to "plastic-free", from the manufacturing to the packaging of their products.

✨  Discover all our zero-plastic items

PROMOTING CRAFTSMANSHIP

5 - Made in local / short circuit 🏡

This concept consists of producing items in your own region or in your own country. Brands producing in short circuit limit intermediaries between consumers and producers. Thus, products are manufactured within a small radius to favor local resources and jobs.

✨  Discover all our made in local / short circuit items

6 - Craftsmanship and know-how 🤚🏼

Craftsmanship is a guarantee of quality with a sense of detail that will never match the work of a machine. It is important to support designers and traditional know-how to promote collective intelligence and the transmission of knowledge.

✨  Discover all our artisanal items

7 - Limited edition 💎

Production is in limited edition (less than 90 pieces per item), because artisanal work sometimes takes a lot of time. By producing in small quantities, designers can focus on the authenticity of their products while using high-quality materials.

✨ Discover all our limited edition items

8 - Production on demand 🗓️ 

To promote "slow production", items are made to order in case of stockout. There can be a manufacturing delay of a few weeks, depending on the choice of color, patterns or customization that you choose. For some items, colors may vary slightly from the photos.

✨  Discover all our made to order items

PRESERVING OUR RESOURCES

9 - Made in France 🇫🇷

From design to manufacturing, the entire production of the brand is 100% French. Brands ensure they work with suppliers and partners whose quality standards and working conditions comply with French requirements.

✨  Discover all our items made in France

 

10 - Made in Europe 🇪🇺

From design to manufacturing, the entire production of the brand is 100% European. Brands ensure they work with suppliers and partners whose quality standards and working conditions comply with European requirements.

✨  Discover all our items made in Europe

11 - Vegan 🐨

Products are not tested on animals and contain no animal substances. As an alternative, designers favor natural fibers of organic origins such as Piñatex (pineapple leather) for example.

✨  Discover all our vegan items

12 - Organic / Organic Farming 🌿

Materials and components come from organic agriculture: no GMOs, no chemicals (like pesticides or petroleum derivatives). Brands use natural resources in a thoughtful way (water and energy savings). 

✨  Discover all our organic items in organic materials

13 - Forest protection 🌳

Without trees, we would not have oxygen. That is why it is important to protect them! Recycled paper, wood from regenerated forests… Alternatives are found by our collective of brands in order to contribute to the sustainability of our beautiful forests.

✨  Discover all our items that protect forests

PROTECTING PEOPLE

14 - Fair trade  ⚖️

Responsible purchases guarantee workers decent pay and working conditions while ensuring the sustainability of know-how and traditions.

✨  Discover all our fair trade items

 

15 - Social impact / Social and solidarity economy 👐🏽

Our company is a social and solidarity economy enterprise that places people, not profit, at the heart of its activities. Its goal is to bring together committed designers and brands that share a common vision: to create positive change in our society. Social impact also involves supporting associations and organizations committed to the environment and individuals.

✨  Discover all our social and solidarity impact items

16 - Women empowerment (women only) 🚺

Who runs the world? Girls! Some brands are founded by one or more women or support women around the world: associations, NGOs, the promotion of minorities, creations by women...

✨  Discover all our items made by or supporting women

 

EXPERT VALIDATION

17 - Certified ✅

OEKO-TEX, Fairtrade, GOTS, PETA Approved... Products are labeled or certified by research offices or laboratories, for the origin and production of certain materials and/or as a guarantee of quality and working conditions in factories (fair pay and working environment).

✨  Discover all our certified items

This selection charter of eco-responsible values seems essential to us for building the world of tomorrow. It is a powerful tool that allows us to guide our choices and actions toward sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. It is by adopting rigorous ethical criteria that we can promote a more responsible economy, encourage green innovation, and actively contribute to the preservation of our planet.

The little extras of Meanwhile Boutique  

By shopping at Meanwhile Boutique, you help small brands and committed designers who are coming together for a better world. But that's not all! By supporting them, you enjoy many benefits, such as:

• A transparent selection of eco-responsible items 

• New eco-responsible brands and designers

• Packaging that is recycled, recyclable and/or reusable

• 100% secure on-site payments

• A delivery within 2 to 7 days

• A free and easy return of a product that does not suit you within 14 days

• A responsive and efficient after-sales service, available for any request 

• A WhatsApp chat with a (real) person who answers you

💖 Pretty cool, isn't it? So come support responsible consumption, while (you) treat yourself to beautiful products! See you soon at Meanwhile Boutique!