Here at Baya, we are proud to support local businesses that champion sustainability — and our recent conversation with Anthea Ayache, the founder of The Ethicalist, reaffirmed just how vital a platform like hers is for the UAE and beyond.
A journalist’s journey
Anthea’s background is genuinely impressive: with nearly two decades of journalistic and broadcasting experience, she worked across high-impact stories globally. She has reported from some of the world’s most challenging environments, including refugee camps, conflict zones and communities suffering from environmental injustice.
This global reportage gave her a uniquely grounded perspective: that consumption, lifestyle and environmental impact are deeply interlinked.
The Ethicalist: a magazine with purpose
Founded by Anthea, The Ethicalist is described as the Middle East’s first sustainable lifestyle magazine. It aims to “engage and inspire an audience who want to live their best life ethically and sustainably.”
The magazine covers a wide variety of verticals: change-makers, natural world, travel, style, beauty, home, and more — all through an ethical lens.
Their mission emphasises that real change happens “one article, one person, one day at a time.”
For us at Baya, this aligns perfectly with our core value: supporting and amplifying the local sustainable-business movement in the UAE.
Anthea’s sustainable lifestyle in the UAE
Anthea doesn’t just write about sustainability — she lives it. Her day starts with fair-trade espresso, she wears only sustainable clothing (including items she’s had for 10 + years) and she refuses to buy plastic-water bottles, relying on filters instead.
At home, natural fabrics, vegan & cruelty-free skincare, composting, and local farmer-market purchases are the norm.
These practices are not about perfection but about mindful consistency — a message we at Baya believe deeply in.
Why this matters — especially here in the UAE
The UAE is rapidly advancing its sustainability agenda: from bans on single-use plastics to ambitious targets for circular economies. Anthea sees The Ethicalist as part of that movement: a platform bridging global concerns and local action.
For local brands (like Baya), platforms such as The Ethicalist offer meaningful visibility — not just to eco-aware readers but to a community ready for practical change.
What we love (and what’s next)
• We love how Anthea brings serious journalism to lifestyle content: real stories, global contexts, local relevance.
• We value how The Ethicalist balances inspiration with pragmatism: you can have beautiful homes, style, travel — and still make sustainable choices.
• We’re excited by how Anthea uses her platform in the UAE to champion local businesses, foster eco-literacy for families, and promote the idea that everyday actions matter.
• Looking ahead, The Ethicalist’s evolution signals that conscious living is not a niche but a growing mainstream.
From the conversation: take-aways
• Small shifts add up.
Anthea’s philosophy: you don’t need to turn your life upside down — just make incremental, meaningful changes.
• Living locally matters.
Sourcing vegetables from the UAE, reducing imports, being mindful of travel and material footprints.
• Storytelling creates change.
Through The Ethicalist’s features, readers are invited to rethink their consumption, their homes, their mindset — and to act.
• Brands and local businesses have a role.
As a sustainable home-cleaning company, Baya is aligned with that role: providing alternatives, empowering consumers, and contributing to the ecosystem Anthea so actively supports.
For us, at Baya, getting the chance to sit down and talk to Anthea Ayache, a journalist-turned-sustainability leader whose work with The Ethicalist is both timely and impactful. Her story underscores that living ethically isn’t about perfection, but about intention. And in the UAE, where sustainability is accelerating, her voice adds authentic weight.
We’re proud to stand alongside local businesses promoting sustainability. Do you know any local business with an impact, focused on sustainability? Email us at hello@baya.life with the name of the business and we will make sure to give them the spotlight.
