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Where can you shop for books, audiobooks, e-books and e-readers online with a clean social and ecological conscience? Meet Ecobookstore, Fairbuch, ecolibri and Buch7 — the fair online bookshops that put their profits behind sustainable causes. With a selection just as broad as the big names, they make a genuinely compelling alternative to Amazon and its peers.
By Sascha Melein
The best fair and ecological online bookshops
ecolibri
At the sustainable online bookshop ecolibri, based in Cottbus, every book is forest-neutral. The eco-bookshop channels its surplus responsibly, putting much of it toward protecting trees and forests — in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as further afield — and planting new ones. As a result, ecolibri plants and preserves more trees than are lost to producing the books it sells. Its long-term goal: one tree planted for every book sold. The sustainable online bookshop currently stocks more than eight million books, two million e-books, and the Tolino e-reader.
Ecobookstore
The idea behind Ecobookstore is an ecological, sustainable and fair online marketplace that contributes as much as possible to rainforest protection and climate and environmental causes. Ecobookstore also offers free shipping on more than six million titles, alongside e-books, music, films and games. Its profits support the nonprofit Rettet den Regenwald (Rainforest Rescue), and the company, based in Germany’s Westallgäu region, works to cut its own CO2 emissions with a photovoltaic system.
Fairbuch
Fairbuch also carries more than eight million titles, and every one of them is doing double duty: two percent of the purchase value goes to Kindernothilfe, a charity supporting children in need. The best part is that books don’t cost any more for it — shopping at Fairbuch simply adds a little extra meaning to the purchase.
Buch7
Buch7 donates 75 percent of its profits to social, ecological and cultural projects, with a full breakdown of which organisation receives what listed right on the site. The fair-trade bookshop also offers an extensive selection, and, like the others here, ships free of charge across the board. Payment options include instant bank transfer, direct debit, PayPal or advance payment, and the online bookshop runs on green electricity with green insurance to match.
Fairmondo
Fairmondo donates one percent of every sale to initiatives fighting corruption. The platform stocks far more than books, of course — but books are very much part of the mix. Buyers and sellers trade all kinds of goods here, new and used, with a particular emphasis on fair-trade, sustainable and high-quality products. You can also swap, lend or give things away through Fairmondo.
A filter in the online shop makes it easy to search specifically for ecological or second-hand items, and the forum is where Fairmondo users trade tips and experiences.
