Top 10 Ethical Essentials for your Summer Holiday Escape

Holidays are here and it is time to kick back and start loving your work-free zone. Let us do the hard work before you go and sort out the hottest ethical buys to take along to make your holiday, well, a holiday. From ethical flip-flops to the new solar powered shaver – Ethical Superstore have everything under the sun. Summer is not complete without. . .

1 Beach fun: For the ultimate in cool, slip on these flip-flops made from recycled tyres (£22). With 48 million tyres being disposed of each year in the UK, new use for old rubber is the way to go. Or try a pair of FSC certified flip-flops (£22) made with rubber tapped from sustainable forest sources.

2 Game on: Jumpstart your beach holiday with a Fairtrade certified volley ball (£11.50) or football (£19.90). Over 150 million kids are involved in child labour worldwide – these balls raise the bar being 100% child labour-free.

3 Don’t burn: Skin experts recommend at least SPF15 – which blocks out 90% of UVB rays. If you want to avoid the harmful ingredients found in synthetic sun lotions and potions, try a product that contains titanium dioxide, such as Green People’s Edelweiss lotion with tan accelerator (SPF15, £15.99) or for fairer skins ‘No Scent’ lotion (SPF22, £15.99). For the children, antioxidant-rich lavender sun lotion (SPF25, £13.50) is hard to beat.

4 Skin soothing: Invaluable after soaking up the sun is a lotion to replenish moisture loss. Seek out a product with Aloe vera to sooth – you can apply straight from the plant if you have one – and Shea butter, prized by many African women, to moisturise. Lavera Natural After Sun Lotion (£4.95) very conveniently has both.

5 Itch-free zone: You never know when you might need a quick splash of repellent to ward of little things that bite, so stow away a bottle of organic Mosimix (£7.50) to be prepared. It moisturises the skin too without pungent odours. Soil Association certified.

6 Picnic cool: No holiday is complete without the simple pleasures of a picnic. For some retro chic, picnic on this gorgeous woollen waterproof blanket made from recycled yarns (£34.95). And don’t forget to keep your picnic cool – use this fold-up cool bag from recycled juice cartons in the Philippines (£14.99).

7 Holiday leisure: Time to really delve deep into that book you’ve craved the time for. Get the low down on climate change from Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (£14.99) or travel the globe with World Music from Indy label Putumayo (£10.95).

8 Solar power: Sit under the stars admiring the magical glow of our best selling Sun Jar (£19.95) fuelled with light captured from the days’ rays. It’s a central piece for any outdoor evening gathering. Also available in moonlight blue (£19.95).

9 His and hers: The new solar powered travel shaver (£24.95) will keep you well-groomed – even if you are kipping under canvas. Fully-charged after a day in the sun. And for those sun-kissed lips, seal in the moisture with Burt’s Bees Beeswax lip balm (£2.99). Contains coconut and sunflower oils to keep you shining.

10 Quick getaway: If you need to hop on and go, this fold-up bike (£399) will get you there hassle-free. Weighing in at just 10 kilos, this is easy to take on the train or stow away – it’s the ultimate holiday ride.