our mission

Bona Fide Green Goods strives to lead the retail industry into the new age of conscious consumerism guided by our progressive eco-criteria. We offer high quality, affordable products with the least impact to the earth and its inhabitants made in a socially responsible manner for a more sustainable future.

What does "bona fide green goods" mean?

bona fide

"bona fide" comes from the Latin and means "in good faith". Modern definitions include "authentic, genuine, or sincere", or "made with earnest intent", all of which fit our mission perfectly. Bona Fide has developed progressive eco-criteria to aid in product selection (see our four footprints, bona fide materials, and our icons pages). Manufacturers using sound environmental and social practices lead to more sustainable products. Our style of transparency allows customers to trust us and the products we sell; we will not waver in our ideals to fill a void. You will find the staff at Bona Fide to be very passionate and personable, but above all, knowledgeable about environmental issues and green products. In the true spirit of a New England company, our roots go back to doing business with honesty, integrity, and a common sense approach. After much research, we offer you the best quality products with regard to their environmental impacts.

green

The products we offer at Bona Fide are green (or greener than their conventional counterparts). Our product selection, packaging, and transportation considerations are determined by their complete environmental and social impact. We believe that better purchasing choices lead to better, healthier lifestyles, and result in a reduced negative impact to the environment. We can explain the reasons for our choices based on thorough and constant research, beginning with embracing the popular 3 R's of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle for product choice, in addition to the concepts of sustainability and organics when these apply. We consider the full sourcing and life cycle of each product as well as its value as a green product. We strive to offer products that are free of harmful added chemicals, unnecessary extra plastics, and unwanted waste. We do not subscribe to the use of nanotechnology or GMOs (genetically modified organisms) that are making their way into the green market.

goods

Reducing the consumers' carbon footprint is our first priority. We balance this goal with our other green ideals of fair trade and social responsibility. We are committed to learning the stories of the workers behind our products and enjoy sharing many of these stories with you. We are careful to choose only goods that are certified fair trade or made in the USA, or goods from suppliers who assure us that a fair living wage is paid, work environments are safe and healthy, no child or sweatshop labor is involved, and basic human rights are respected. There are some parts of the production process that are difficult to trace, while at the same time the product itself significantly benefits the environment. Keeping our products affordable adds to the difficultly of this balancing act. Thus, after much research, we proudly offer to you our carefully chosen selection of Bona Fide green goods.

mission in action

So what do we do as a businesses to operate in a more environmentally conscious way? Glad you asked! We continually look to improve our ecological and social footprint. Below is a list of what we do as a practicing green business.

  • Un-plug, turn-off, or shut-down all electricals at night (except for a security light)
  • Minimize heat during the winter (double and triple clothing layers required) and minimize air conditioning in the summer. (mostly so our soaps don't sweat - not us!)
  • Use scrap paper and recycled paper for notes
  • Use reclaimed plastic bags given to us by our customers
  • Have taken the "No Catalog Pledge"
  • Use organic and biodegradable cleaning products
  • Store displays are mostly from auctions, consignment stores, and even off the side of the road
  • 100% recycled content toilet paper, paper towels (for customers), and tissues with highest PCW content as possible
  • Compost food scraps
  • Provide collection programs for batteries, CFLs, wine corks, cell phones, Stonyfield Yogurt #5 containers
  • Consider alternative transportation: walk, bike, public transit, carpool, and hybrids
  • Reuse food and beverage containers and avoid disposables
  • Support local crafts and artisans with fair prices
  • Minimize water use
  • Use low-VOC paint and materials
  • Use CFLs, LEDs and other low energy, high-efficiency lighting
  • Purchase bulk items when possible without packaging
  • Print as little as possible, choose minimal ink/font settings, and print on back side of used paper
  • Reuse incoming packaging materials for our own shipping
  • Recycle everything we are allowed to
  • Educate each other and our customers
  • Suggest green ideas to suppliers when appropriate
  • Be a part of the green community and support local environmental causes