How It Works.
Who Uniplug is for, and exactly how every brand earns its place in the directory.
01
Who It's For
Uniplug is built for three kinds of people — and everyone is welcome.
Conscious Consumers
Browse a curated directory of independent brands doing things properly. Every brand earns its place.
Use the directory to discover credible sustainable alternatives across any category. Need further help sourcing or switching? We're here for that too.
If you're genuinely sustainable and independently owned, apply to be featured. No fees. Ever. Just honest visibility for brands doing it right.
02
How We Curate
Every brand is evaluated against five criteria. All five. No shortcuts.
Materials & Ingredients
We evaluate what brands disclose about their ingredients and supply chains. Where available, we review third-party certifications and laboratory reports. We do not conduct our own lab testing — but we scrutinise everything put in front of us and ask questions when something doesn't add up.
Company Responsibility
Fair wages, ethical supply chains, honest practices. Official certifications like Fair Trade and B Corp are strong indicators — but we also champion small brands doing right by people without the costly paperwork.
Ownership & Representation
The sustainability industry has historically been exclusive. We prioritise underrepresented founders — female-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQIA+-owned businesses — because genuine sustainability must include the people who get to build it.
On Independence
Independent does not always mean bootstrapped — but it does mean who controls the brand matters. External funding isn't an automatic disqualifier, but we look closely at who a brand answers to. A founder with a small angel round is different from one beholden to a VC board chasing an exit. The further a brand moves from founder control, the harder it is to maintain the values that got it listed.
If a brand is acquired by, becomes majority-owned by, or accepts direct investment from a major multinational — think the likes of Nestlé, Unilever, P&G, or Clorox — it's immediately removed from the directory. No exceptions. We review ownership monthly, and immediately whenever it's flagged by the community. If you notice a brand has quietly shifted ownership, flag it for our curation team.
Packaging & End of Life
We strongly prioritise brands using recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging — and it weighs heavily in our curation. It is not an automatic disqualifier, but brands using unnecessary plastic will need to demonstrate exceptional standards everywhere else.
Give Back
1% for the Planet, social enterprise, local ecosystem stewardship — however a brand does it, demonstrable impact beyond the product is mandatory.
03
How We Operate
Uniplug is a neutral, independent discovery platform.
- No investors, no external financing
- No paid features — brands can't buy inclusion, ranking, or score
- No paid sponsorships in exchange for coverage
- No financial distributions — all profits reinvested in the company
- Founder-funded, and we intend to stay that way