đ Trust issues: how to know brands are the real deal đŻ
Plus the snack of the summer, the best microplastic-free beauty brands and a playlist by a food doctor
Welcome to BRiMM, the collective, journal and planet-positive shop here to help you live a lower-impact life, without life feeling less
Can you spot yourself in this fresh pic from our first (free-Negroni and fun-filled) IRL event, held last week at BRiMM founder member E.L.V. Denimâs Great Portland Street residence? Donât worry if not â there are a tonne more party shots and vids coming to our site this week. Couldnât make it? Again, fear not â we have a whole bunch of events coming up soon, and weâll be giving you plenty of notice about them right here, in this newsletter and over on insta (have you started following our new @wearebrimm account yet, btw?).
First on the schedule is a stand at Future Fabrics Expo 2025, being held at Magazine London in North Greenwich from 24-25 June (and, fyi, we will be gathering outside the capital in the not-so-distant future as well). Our Head of Beauty Sam will be there, along with our Fashion and Editorial Advisor Tiff, so please donât be shy and come say hi, to find out more about â and maybe even feel, smell and smooth on â our self-care and wellness Reset Box curations too (more on those belowâŚ).
This weekâs theme is⌠trust in the low-impact space đŻ
Weâre just going to come right out and say it. We think itâll make you trust us that bit more, from the beginning, if we do.
Thereâs a reason a tsunami of greenwashing has been able to flow over pretty much every industry going by now. As consumers, we still donât yet have a clear and consistent way of separating the more planet-positive, low-impact wheat from the carbon-emitting, microplastic-concealing chaff. The current vetting system, or âsystemsâ, are byzantine: webs of accreditations, promises, best guesses and often phrases that have been so overused theyâve become useless and unuseable.
Take the fact that premium goods company Kering (the Paris giant behind the likes of Gucci, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent) directed its brands and suppliers to stop using âbroad and non-specificâ terms including âeco-friendlyâ, âenvironmentally-friendlyâ and âgreenâ via some updated company guidelines as far back as 2022. And the fact that the Textile Exchange, the body that determines what can be labelled as a recycled material or not, defines such as something including just 50% recycled content. So, that bikini you like that says itâs totally recycled on the ticket? Yeah, it has a freshly plastic zip. And trim. And perhaps more blended in.
So many sites shuffle the same words around their âSustainabilityâ pages, just in a different order, to little effect. But all the complexity and sometimes downright disingenuity out there goes back to why we thought BRiMM was worth creating in the first place. You pretty much need to be an environmental expert or an activist or an experienced journalist to unpick it all. Luckily we have all of these in our team already. When we curate our brands, carefully quiz their founders directly, research our Journal guides or organise our events, as notably planet-aware designer Gabriela Hearst says so well, âwe do the homework so you donât have to.â
Plus, we have a bunch of founder members and friends in our collective supporting us on our mission to save you time and headache on your journey to a lower-impact (but higher high-jinks) life. Like Lisa Oxenham and Chantelle Nicholson â both of whom youâll read more about in our round-up of reccos and trusted tips below.
Given the importance of this weekâs theme, we thought it also made sense to put some questions to BRiMMâs Sustainability Advisor Tom Berry about our own planet-positive checks and balances when it comes to the items we stock and people we work with. But what would you like to ask us about this? And what would you like us to start asking our brands, and others in the low-impact space? Let us know and we can investigate. Itâs what weâre here for. To dig down into it, to help â literally â lighten your load.
Team up, tune in and letâs turn the tide,
BRiMM x
P.s. fancy joining BRiMM for a one-off, lower-than-itâll-ever-be lifetime fee? You still have time to became a founder member and claim one of these limited spots â just join the waitlist (at no fee) now. Refer a friend and youâll both get a further ÂŁ20 off and have a shot at a free membership.
đ˘ ITâS A BRIMM THINGđ˘
Our new weekly slot for the latest shop news from us
We can now reveal whatâs in our second soon-to-be-released curation of low-impact, habit-changing treasures: the Plastic-Free Reset Box. Isnât she a beaut? And everything works like a dream, too. Our Head of Beauty Sam explains why, following extensive research and testing, she personally chose these items plus the story behind each, in this brand new Journal roundup.
Tom Berry, Head of Sustainability
As well as sitting on the British Fashion Councilâs steering committee for circular fashion innovation, Tom has two decades of experience leading low-impact programmes at the likes of Innocent Drinks, FARFETCH and now at the heart of BRiMM
What is our number one rule when it comes to selecting brands, in terms of their planet-positive credentials?
âEnsuring that they are raising the bar in lower-impact business models in their category. Having the basics in place in terms of accreditations, but going beyond that with an innovative approach in materials, supply chain, packaging and format.â
How would you summarise our philosophy when it comes to how we vet our products?
âAt a product level, we are looking for independent accreditations or evidenced impact improvement: there are many recognised standards [and weâll be sharing more on ours soon] â we expect products to meet at least one if not many of those.â
What can we not accept or support, when it comes to our brands?
âWhere sustainability claims are not assured or compliant: everyone says they are sustainable these days, we ensure that the brands we represent really are raising the bar.â
Why did you think BRiMM was something worth getting involved in?
âBecause it's a genuinely new approach to doing 'retail' that's change-focussed and community driven. This has three exciting elements. Firstly, itâs more than âjustâ a low-impact shop - yes, it will sell great products, designed to shift habits and reduce impacts, BUT itâs also a journal, inspiring lifestyle change across more than just shopping, and it's deliberately structured as a collective of both brands and members that help each other to collaboratively lower impact. Secondly, 10% of all revenues go to a Planet Fund which reinvests in the collective â supporting brands to cut supply chain impact. Smarter than traditional philanthropy â itâs an investment in shared progress â and makes the collective move faster. And thirdly, the planet is a legal shareholder, with mother nature soon to own 10% of BRiMM with a seat on the Board (represented by Lawyers for Nature). Itâs like the B Corp legal commitment on steroids, locking in long-term accountability and purpose.â
The BRiMM Life Questionnaire
Now itâs Tomâs turn to share his personal low-impact lifestyle habitsâŚ
Whatâs your most joyful weekend moment
âSitting in the sunshine in our little garden - drinking coffee, looking at the plants I planted with my mum, listening to kids laugh on the trampoline, and glancing at the less depressing bits of the paper.â
Song that lights you up and the story behind it
ââTime to Pretendâ, by MGMT â I just love the vibe of the track, and the album. It was the first song I put on a play list I made for a friend back in 2010 and Iâve made one for them every year since â a process that forces me to keep me in touch with music generally.â
Which issue do you care most about changing?
âAt its heart, equity: treating people fairly, both people alive today, but importantly future generations â and not just in terms of acting with a social conscience, but also: screwing up the planet now isnât any good for us, or those that come after usâŚâ
Watch out for the rest of Tomâs answers on our site soon. Fancy doing our BRiMM Life Questionnaire yourself? Get in touch
FROM THE COLLECTIVE
Ash is following this guy as he cycles from Madrid to Glasto and picking up some great campsite tips (plus a lot of pre-Glasto envy)
Tiff saw Demis Hassabis talk about radical abundance at SXSW this week and it completely blew her mind
Charlotteâs browsing Clean Waves, where you can buy lovely things made by creatives using upcycled materials found in the ocean
We love to hear what our collective is finding. Share your links with Becky
THE INSIDERâS INSIDER
Rachel Arthur is, as Melanie Rickey, host of fantastic podcast The Enoughness puts it, âone of the most influential women in fashion you may never have heard ofâ. A self-described systems thinker, strategist, speaker and writer (check out her weekly newsletter, Owning It), Rachel is also the brain behind The Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, an epic downloadable PDF guide published in 2023 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN Climate Change Fashion Charter. Already come across it? Perhaps you havenât heard Melâs interview with her on it, along with many more fashion-land down-lows and lols.
â HEAR MORE
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Is there a food guide more revered, respected and, yes, trusted, than Michelin in existence today? Itâs one of the very few that continues to send its expert reviewers into venues anonymously, so that its Stars remain the most coveted awards by chefs and restaurateurs and closely considered by foodies. In a positive development for conscious diners, it introduced its Green Stars to The Guide in 2021. Five more were added to its UK and Ireland list this year, bringing the total number of establishments that it can confirm offer âdining experiences combining culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitmentsâ to 36. Watch this space for an event with BRiMM founder member Chantelle Nicholson soon, the multi-award winning chef, author and restaurateur behind Mayfairâs Apricity, perhaps the buzziest Green-Starred spot of them all.
â SEE MORE
GIVE YOUR WELLNESS ROUTINE A LITTLE PLASTIC SURGERY
The impact of the overuse of microplastics in our wellness and beauty industries today is profound. âThese particles donât just wash off. They enter our water systems, pollute our oceans, harm marine life and, most alarmingly, theyâre now showing up inside us. Human blood, lungs, placentas and breast milk have all tested positive for microplastic contamination. The science is still unfolding, but early studies suggest links to inflammation, hormone disruption and potential fertility risks.â So explains regular BRiMM author, multiple beauty board advisor and ex-Marie Claire beauty and style director Lisa Oxenham in her latest in-depth Journal guide. It concludes with advice on how to detox your cabinet and routine from the pervasive substance, plus a list of microplastic-free, equally if not more effective brands that Lisa personally recommends.
â FIND OUT MORE
HOW TO SPOT A HOTELâS TRUE COLOURS
âWhat's the colour of sustainability?â asks Juliet Kinsman, CondĂŠ Nast Travellerâs Sustainability Editor, at the beginning of this excellent list of 10 ways to tell how planet-conscious a hotel really is. âNope, not green â it's transparent.â First on the list is finding out whether your stay is genuinely measuring its impact with some sort of regular reports, and if itâs set goals to hit in order to keep improving. Although this list really isnât final â her last key point is that the best thing to do is keep challenging hoteliers with your own queries and suggestions. Oh â the piece is also dotted with truly epic spots that do hit the criteria for you to immediately check outâŚ
â READ MORE
HIGH-LOW KITCHEN PLEASURES
Are you brave enough to try what style, travel and culture recco newsletter gurus Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie of Blackbird Spyplane are calling The Snack of the Summer? Itâs simple: downmarket cheese slices wrapped in upmarket nori, as served in their fave restaurant in Kyoto. Meshiagare (yes, thatâs bon appĂŠtit in Japanese).
â MAKE THIS
MUSIC TO TRAVEL JAPAN AND TALK ABOUT FOOD TO
Dr Johnny Drain is a chef with a PhD on a quest to reveal the secret science of flavour and sustainability. Even while speaking at the National Food Education Conference in Japanâs Tokushima and promoting his debut release, Adventures in Fermentation, he still found time to pull together an hour of absolute tuneage for us with this 14-track BRiMM playlist. Watch out for an extract from the book plus an interview with him, coming to our site soon.
The carbon footprint of an email depends what device you use to open it, but sending you this one used about 3.5g of carbon.