TL;DR
The Good Trade says it heard from more than 300 readers about shopping habits and favorite sustainable brands. Nearly three-quarters reported that at least half of their purchases come from sustainable brands, while thrifted goods and kitchen products were recurring priorities. The survey was conducted among the publication’s subscribers, and its methodology and full results are not provided in the source material.
The Good Trade has published findings from a survey of more than 300 subscribers to its Daily Good newsletter, describing how readers shop and which sustainable brands they recommend. The publication says nearly 75% of respondents reported that at least half of their purchases come from sustainable brands, with thrifting and kitchen goods also prominent in their responses.
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The Good Trade said it contacted subscribers a few weeks before publishing to ask about shopping in 2026 and the coming holiday season. Respondents ranged from 18 to 75 and older, with an average age of about 40, and most were in North America. The source does not provide a survey field date, questionnaire, or breakdown of responses by age or location.
According to the publication, the share of respondents saying at least half of their purchases are from sustainable brands was nearly 75%, compared with 61% in its survey the previous year. The article says readers most often shop for sustainable alternatives once or twice a month and often try to buy only items they need. Nearly half said they prefer to shop directly from a brand’s website when buying online, while write-in responses also mentioned local shopping and secondhand purchases.
Readers named a range of brands and products. The article identifies Lodge as a frequent cookware and bakeware recommendation; Garden of Life, MaryRuth Organics and Thorne for supplements; Thrive Market for groceries; and Grove Collaborative for cleaning products. It also says Patagonia was readers’ favorite sustainable brand, though the supplied source cuts off after introducing that finding and gives no response count or ranking details.
How Readers Choose Sustainable Brands
The Good Trade surveyed more than 300 Daily Good subscribers about shopping habits and favorite brands. Their responses offer community suggestions, not a measure of consumers as a whole.
Shopping habits
Readers described sustainable shopping as a mix of buying thoughtfully and choosing secondhand.
- Often shop for sustainable alternatives once or twice a month
- Try to buy only what they need
- Thrifted and vintage goods recur in responses
- Access can be harder for plus-size and rural shoppers
Reader-recommended brands
These names reflect subscriber recommendations reported by The Good Trade.
| Category | Reader recommendations |
|---|---|
| Cookware and bakeware | Lodge |
| Supplements | Garden of Life, MaryRuth Organics, Thorne |
| Groceries | Thrive Market |
| Cleaning | Grove Collaborative |
How to read the findings
The survey reflects one publication’s subscriber community.
The results do not establish shopping patterns among consumers generally.
Recommendations are not independent evaluations or sustainability certifications.
The supplied material gives no questionnaire, detailed rankings, or brand impact assessments.
Readers Favor Fewer Purchases and Secondhand Finds
The responses point to a version of sustainable shopping centered not only on choosing particular labels but also on buying less and using what is purchased. Readers’ stated preference for one or two sustainable-shopping trips a month, alongside interest in vintage and secondhand goods, suggests that frequency and product lifespan are part of how this audience describes its habits.
The brand recommendations offer practical leads for readers comparing products in categories that respondents said mattered to them, especially cookware, groceries and household cleaning. They are reader recommendations reported by a publication, not an independent assessment of each company’s environmental performance. The source provides no criteria for classifying brands as sustainable, so the findings should not be read as a certification or a measure of the brands’ impacts.
The result may also interest businesses and retailers because it records what this particular subscriber group says it values. But it cannot establish shopping patterns among consumers generally. The respondents were drawn from The Good Trade’s own readership, whose interests may differ from those of the wider public.
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A Subscriber Survey Ahead of 2026
The Good Trade framed the survey around how its community was feeling about shopping in 2026 and planning for the holiday season. It described the responses as a source of ideas for its coverage of sustainability and slow living. The outlet also notes that its editors endorse products they say they have researched, tested and genuinely like, and directs readers to information about its methodology and business model; those details are not included in the supplied material.
The publication compared the nearly 75% result with a 61% result from the previous year. It also cited Business of Fashion as saying sustainability was not as top-of-mind for fashion executives as emerging AI technologies. That is the publication’s characterization of the cited coverage; the supplied text does not include the underlying Business of Fashion report or details that would allow the comparison to be assessed.
Survey write-ins highlighted limits on access to secondhand shopping. The article says thrifting can be harder for plus-size shoppers and people in rural or remote areas, and may also be costly in larger cities. It reports that readers mentioned saving for bedding and furniture, as well as quality cookware, but does not quantify how many people named those items.
Survey Methods and Rankings Remain Unclear
The supplied article does not explain how subscribers were invited, how many were asked to respond, the survey’s exact dates, or whether respondents could select multiple answers. It also does not give a margin of error or other basis for treating the findings as representative. The figures should be understood as reported responses from more than 300 readers, not a poll of consumers as a whole.
The source does not define what counts as a “sustainable” purchase or show how the nearly 75% figure was calculated. It provides no detailed results for individual brands, no sales data and no independent evaluation of environmental claims. The brand information reflects reader recommendations as presented by The Good Trade; it does not confirm that every product or company meets a specific sustainability standard.
The source also ends before providing details about Patagonia beyond calling it the readers’ favorite sustainable brand. The basis for that label, the number of mentions, and the full set of brands in the result remain unclear.
More Reader Recommendations Expected
The Good Trade said it plans to continue publishing sustainability, slow-living and self-care tips as it approaches 2026. The source does not announce a date for another survey or provide a schedule for additional results. Readers looking for the publication’s full product methodology can consult the information it links to, though the supplied material does not reproduce those policies.
For now, the next step for readers is to treat the list as a set of community suggestions and compare products against their own needs, budgets and standards. Further reporting or a fuller release of the survey could clarify how the publication selected respondents, what its sustainability categories mean and how readers ranked brands across product types.
Key Questions
How many people took part in The Good Trade survey?
The publication says it heard from more than 300 Daily Good subscribers. The supplied material does not give an exact respondent count.
The Good Trade reports that nearly 75% said at least half of their purchases came from sustainable brands, compared with 61% in the publication’s survey the previous year. The survey methods are not provided in the source.
Which brands did readers recommend?
The article names Lodge for cookware and bakeware; Garden of Life, MaryRuth Organics and Thorne for supplements; Thrive Market for groceries; and Grove Collaborative for cleaning products. It also calls Patagonia the favorite sustainable brand, but the supplied source gives no ranking details.
Does the survey show what all consumers think about sustainable shopping?
No. Respondents were subscribers to The Good Trade’s Daily Good newsletter. The source does not say the survey was designed to represent consumers generally, and it does not include details such as recruitment methods or a margin of error.
Source: thegoodtrade.com
