What Are Your Favorite Eco-Friendly Pet Products?

Humans love their pets. Like, really love them. In the United States we spent $103.6 billion dollars on our companion animals in 2020, a number that is expected to go up by a few billion by the year's end. On pet toys alone Americans spent an estimated $668.2 million last year. That's a lot of pet toys.

That we spend so much money on pets makes sense. There are things they need and things we love to spoil them with, but the production of all those products comes with problems. A lot of pet toys are made from virgin plastic and/or are made in a way that makes them impossible to recycle. Gear and other supplies that are not durable break and join all the discarded toys in the landfill. Food and treats may have questionably sourced ingredients and packaging that is not recyclable, not to mention the carbon emissions created during the production and shipping of all this stuff.

Fortunately, there are a number of pet product companies that are putting sustainability at the top of their priority list. Whether it's independent newcomers creating innovative products or large international brands pledging sound sustainability initiatives, we are seeing more and more eco-friendly movement in the industry.

It's companies like these, and the products they make, that we will be honoring in our Best of Green Awards for eco-friendly pet products. We are teaming up with our sister site, The Spruce Pets, to find the best of the best for humankind's best friends.

To kick things off, we are asking our readers to nominate their favorite eco-friendly pet products for cats and dogs. (Apologies to all of you bird, fish, bunny, and other pet caretakers! Given that the vast majority of the market is dedicated to cats and dogs, we are limiting it to them for now.)

Here are the categories:

• Food & Treats
• Grooming & Cleaning (shampoo, brushes, stain & odor removers, etc.)
• Gear (leashes, collars, harnesses, etc.)
• Toys & Enrichment
• Furniture (beds, cat scratchers, cat trees, etc.)
• Calming (thunder shirts, music, essential oil, supplements, etc.)
• Waste (poop bags, kitty litter, puppy pads, cat toilet training, etc.)
• Organizations & Innovations (rescues, sanctuaries, catio design, etc.)

If you have a nomination, feel free to leave it in a comment here or on any of our social media accounts. Alternatively, drop us an email at contact@treehugger.com with "Best of Green Pet Awards Nominations" in the subject line.

Thank you for your help! We will be announcing the winners in October.