Have you read the labels of your cleaning products? Checked the ingredients in your skincare? Or wondered where your household items come from? Online retailer Flora & Fauna has made it its mission to do it for you, and now it’s opening a bricks-and-mortar store to make ethical shopping easier. It's converting its North Rocks warehouse, in Sydney’s west, into a marketplace store, filled with vegan, cruelty-free and eco-friendly products such as natural deodorants, essential oils, reusable coffee cups, bamboo toothbrushes and more. Founder Julie Mathers tells Broadsheet she started the brand as an online-only retailer first to reach a wider audience and spread their message of ethical consumption. “With our purpose, online was perfect for us because we can connect with communities in Australia and beyond, rather than just a small group of people,” she explains.

Since opening in 2014, the company has become one of the country’s foremost retailers for ethical products, carrying over 6000 items from more than 200 brands. They also ship worldwide. Now that the brand is more established, Mathers feels the time is right to open a proper store. “It was a really obvious next step for us, and we’ve had such a great reaction from our community,” she says. “It’s a great place for people to come and learn more about how they can make different choices.” In addition to education and awareness of ethical consumption, Flora & Fauna is a certified B corporation, meaning it meets high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. In addition, all carbon emissions from the business are offset through Greenfleet, which plants native forests across the country.