World Earth Day – Zero Waste with Fin & Earth

It’s World Earth Day on April 22nd. You may or may not have noticed that at Uncommon, we have a slight plant obsession. Our priority is to create a healthy, happy and sustainable work environment through our design elements.

Celebrating World Earth Day, zero waste style

Our focus this year is on the incredible impact of small businesses. Fin and Earth is a sustainable & plastic free lifestyle store on a mission to help reduce plastic waste. They offer a wide selection of products – from homeware, skincare to groceries – to help reduce the consumption of single use plastics. We found their ethos to align deeply with Uncommon and wanted to get to know their business on a personal level.

You can also read our tips on how to reduce your plastic use at work and dabble into some of our personal Earth Day tips too.

Here’s a little bit about Fin & Earth and their insights on sustainability.

Tell us a little bit about Fin & Earth and how your journey started

At Fin And Earth, we bring together products from conscious brands where our customers can shop completely plastic-free. We research each brand individually and purchase directly from the brands to ensure transparency throughout our supply chain. The idea for Fin And Earth emerged through mine and Berts joint passion for design, sustainability, and the ocean. When it came to buying what we needed, we were constantly searching for plastic-free, ethically made alternatives, carefully researching every product we bought. This caught the interest of our friends and families too, and we happily shared our knowledge. 

Eventually we didn’t feel that it was enough to only spread awareness to our immediate circle and we wanted to reach a wider audience and show consumers just how simple it can be to shop with ethics and the environment in mind. We wanted to create a space which almost feels like the local one stop shop for sustainable and plastic free living! It was really important for us to have a physical store where we can actually have face to face discussions and get a real feel of the impact we’re making in people’s lives. The energy in our store is amazing and it’s what keeps us going for sure.

Why is sustainability important to you and what is Fin & Earth doing to raise awareness?

Everything in nature is connected and we need to be able to maintain the health of our environment and communities in order to sustain the future as a much more regenerative place than it is today. We started our Fin And Earth journey through our deep fascination for the ocean and we didn’t want to just sell products. Our aim has been to create an impact and spread awareness on world wide problems. When our customers shop with us, they are also supporting organisations that are helping protect our oceans and contributing to preserve and restore this unique ecosystem! 

We’re proud to be supporters of Coral Guardian, a French non-profit international organisation dedicated to the conservation of coral reef ecosystems, raising awareness, scientific research and the development of marine ecosystems for communities that depend on them for subsistence. 

We’re not perfect but we try our best to find solutions and alternatives and we want to empower everyone to take pride in small actions of living a sustainable lifestyle.

What tips/advice would you give to those that are considering a more sustainable lifestyle?

The more we learned about the facts and the more aware we became, we found ourselves changing our habits step by step. That’s why I always advise the best way to start would be understanding your impacts and taking it one step at a time. Question everything. When you buy a product, think about the people who have made it and consider the lifecycle.

Increase utility of products whether it’s refilling your plastic bottles or reusing a plastic bag you already have in your home or fixing your gadgets before you consider replacing it with a new purchase. You start to become more mindful of your behaviour and these habits will become a way of living. 

What are some of your favourite products and why?

The list can go on but here’s a few of my favourites I recommend to customers who are making their first swaps to plastic free and sustainable products:

Reusable make up remover pads – This was one of my first reusable swaps and it’s been one of the most popular products in the store since we’ve opened! It’s such a brilliant and simple alternative to the disposable cotton face wipes and if you consider how many cotton pads you use and throw away in a year, The impact is HUGE! All you need to do is wash these cotton pads and reuse.

Wax wraps – These are a plastic free alternative to cling film and they’re washable and reusable. Once you invest in these little swaps you start to notice how much it saves you in the long term. Wax wraps can be reused again and again to wrap food, cover bowls and food containers and the best part is you never run out! 

Reusable Razor – This is also one of my most simple but best reusable swaps! Unlike disposable plastic razors, It doesn’t irritate the skin and is also a good choice to minimise waste. 

What advice would you give to start-ups/entrepreneurs within the same industry?

Don’t overthink, know your values and have a long term focus. If you have an idea or a project in mind and truly believe in it, go for it! It’s hard work, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s no right or wrong so do things your way. Once you get into the industry you will start to build up an awesome community of like minded individuals who will inspire you everyday. 

Where do you see Fin & Earth 10 years from now?

This is such a positive space we love being in, and we have customers coming from all parts of london. We believe that with sustainable and plastic free shopping a lot is about convenience. When it’s by your doorstep just like your corner shop, you’re happy to make sustainable choices. We’ve seen this first hand in Fin And earth, So we would love to expand to different areas of London to help make it the new normal for everyone while keeping the community spirit we have at Fin And Earth still alive.


Please refer to the members perks page for an exclusive discount to use across Fin & Earth’s website.

You can also follow Fin & Earth on Instagram.