Is Click and Grow ethical?

Overview

Click and Grow is a Estonian-founded company that designs and sells self-watering, LED-lit indoor smart gardens for growing herbs, vegetables, and flowers. The brand’s core product line includes the Smart Garden 9 and Smart Garden 3 Starter Kit, both of which use patented Smart Soil (an aerogel-based medium) and pre-seeded plant pods to simplify home gardening. The company has positioned itself as a sustainable alternative to store-bought produce, promoting reduced food waste, lower carbon footprints, and year-round local growing. With a strong ethical score of 82/100 for the Smart Garden 9 and 88/100 for the Smart Garden 3 Starter Kit, Click and Grow is recognized for third-party certifications and a general lack of controversies.

Certifications

Click and Grow holds two of the most rigorous ethical certifications: B Corporation (since 2020, verified by B Lab) and Climate Neutral Certified (by Climate Neutral, now part of South Pole). B Corp status requires meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Climate Neutral certification means the brand measures, offsets, and plans to reduce its entire carbon footprint annually. The Smart Garden 9 also carries CE (European conformity) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) certifications, ensuring electrical safety and limited toxic materials. The Smart Garden 3 Starter Kit adds Vegan and Cruelty-Free labels, confirmed by the Vegan Society and Leaping Bunny or similar programs. These certifications collectively cover product safety, environmental impact, and animal welfare.

Animal testing & vegan range

Click and Grow explicitly states it does not test any products or ingredients on animals. Their plant pods are 100% plant-based, containing no animal-derived components, and the company is registered as cruelty-free with organizations like PETA and the Vegan Society. The Smart Garden 3 Starter Kit is officially certified vegan and cruelty-free, making it suitable for vegan consumers seeking a completely plant-based gardening system. The Smart Garden 9, while not individually vegan-labeled, uses the same plant-based pods and has no animal-tested inputs, so it can be considered vegan-friendly.

Sustainability pledges

The brand’s primary sustainability commitment is carbon neutrality, verified by Climate Neutral. They offset emissions from manufacturing, shipping, and operations through certified carbon credits (e.g., reforestation and renewable energy projects). Click and Grow also promotes waste reduction by replacing traditional soil (which can be peat-based and resource-intensive) with their reusable Smart Soil made from renewable materials. The company uses FSC-certified packaging for many products and encourages customers to compost or recycle plant pods (though pods are not yet fully biodegradable). They have not yet published a detailed lifecycle analysis or public targets for reducing plastic use in their pod packaging.

Sourcing & labor

Click and Grow assembles its smart gardens in China and Estonia, with plant pods sourced from European and Chinese suppliers. The company has not published a public supplier code of conduct, factory audit results, or a list of partner factories. As a B Corp, they are audited every three years on labor practices, but transparency on specific sourcing locations and worker conditions is limited. The brand does not report any violations or ethical sourcing controversies, but independent verification of fair wages and safe working conditions is not available on their website. This lack of public disclosure accounts for some of the points deducted from a perfect 100 score.

Controversies context

No major controversies, lawsuits, or public scandals have been documented for Click and Grow. The brand has not been linked to greenwashing, labor violations, animal testing incidents, or political controversies. Minor consumer complaints (e.g., pod germination failures, customer service delays) exist on third-party review sites but are typical for consumer electronics brands and not considered ethical controversies. The general public trust in the company remains high, bolstered by its B Corp certification and transparent carbon offsetting.

Bottom line

Click and Grow offers one of the most ethically sound smart garden options on the market, especially for vegan and climate-conscious shoppers. Its B Corp and Climate Neutral certifications provide strong, verifiable assurance. For customers concerned about labor transparency in manufacturing, the brand lacks detailed sourcing data, but no scandals undermine its credentials. Overall, the Smart Garden 3 Starter Kit (88/100) and Smart Garden 9 (82/100) earn high marks for animal welfare, environmental action, and compliance.