#HowWeEco - Retailer Spotlight - Sprout San Francisco

At Bumbleride, we strive to make every day Earth Day. We want you to, too. So, throughout the month of April, we will be helping you to make changes in your everyday life by providing content that can help you reduce your carbon footprint. (Bumbleride is also donating 1% of all April sales to reduce plastic pollution in the oceans.) Our Retailer Spotlight for the month is our friends at Sprout San Francisco. When you are in need of something for your baby, rest assured that anything you find at Sprout San Francisco has been vetted thoroughly and is safe for you to use with/for/on your children.  Suzanne hand picks only the safest and healthiest products for our children.  She spent several years studying organic products and the impact of toxic chemicals on our bodies.  In addition to her own research, Suzanne regularly consults with industry leaders for their expertise on the latest scientific data, studies and research.   We talked to Suzanne Price, CEO and founder of the shop, and thought you'd love what she has to say: How do you describe your store? Sprout is a natural and organic children's boutique. We carry everything you need for children ages 0 - 4 years old in the healthiest materials possible. We have 5 physical locations. We have stores in the Bay Area, Chicago, and Brooklyn. We also have an e-commerce store at www.sproutsanfrancisco.com .   What criterion do you have when choosing/vetting products for your store? Our top priority is health. We are looking to make sure that nothing on the item could offgas or harm the baby. Sometimes "eco" as in recycled, and "healthy" can be at odds if it's more focused on the environment than toxins in the products. What we look for specifically is different in each category. All of our clothing is made from natural materials, grown without pesticides. Our toys are solid wood or organic cotton plush. In personal care, we avoid anything that can be an endocrine disruptor. In the gear category, our primary concern is flame retardants.   Who are the brands that come to mind that lead the industry in eco products? Two brands immediately come to mind, Plan Toys for toys and Under the Nile for clothing. Both manage to produce products with the highest standards of safe materials, yet they also are able to keep price points attainable. This helps are broader range of customers to be able to bring safe products into their home.   Where do you see Bumbleride fitting into the eco scale of things and how/why you chose our products? I'm proud to carry Bumbleride strollers in my stores.  They adhere to my strict vetting process and I love that the strollers are free of PVC, BPA, Phthalates, Fire Retardants and Polyurethane foam.  Plus, they are diverting plastics from landfills by having 100% rPET fabric and continually evolving with respect to reducing their carbon footprint.   What advice do you have for parents looking to lessen their impact on the environment Don't get overwhelmed. Do what you can do. Little changes make a difference. You can start by avoiding plastics. Most plastics are not good for your kids to be around, and they hurt the environment as well.   Tell us about the events you host at your stores and how they foster community. At all of our stores we host educational talks and events that range from topics like "how to get your kid to sleep" to "what do I need to know about flame retardant chemicals." Both on our website and in our stores, we aim to be an educational resource for the communities that we are in. At most of our stores, we also host regular classes like music and baby yoga where, in addition to kids being entertained, parents can get to know each other as well. Thank you for reading.  We hope this helps you make important decisions for your families health and the environment. Make sure to visit Sprout San Francisco, sign up for their newsletter and follow them on Instagram.