Do you want to look stylish while being environmentally conscious? With the debate surrounding climate change, more and more people are searching for eco-friendly clothing options. But how do you know which brands are making sustainable fashion a priority?
In this article, we’ll cover 25+ of the best sustainable clothing brands. In addition to compiling a comprehensive list, we’ll also discuss what makes each brand unique and what makes their products sustainable. So if you’re into looking good and doing some good at the same time, let’s dive right into finding the perfect eco-chic outfit for you!
25+ of the Best Sustainable Clothing Brands
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Outerknown was founded by professional surfer Kelly Slater in 2015 with the goal of creating stylish and sustainable clothing. The brand uses organic cotton, recycled polyester, and hemp to make its products, and is committed to initiatives like using eco-friendly packaging and partnering with non profit environmental organizations. The company was also awarded the “Leader” rating by the nonprofit organization Textile Exchange for its use of organic cotton.
- Unisex
- Sustainability: Ocean Conservancy Partner, Fair Labor Association and Fair Trade USA.
- Price Range: $50 – $300
Toad&Co uses eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel, and has implemented various initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and waste. The company is a member of the Fair Trade Certified™ program, which ensures fair wages and safe working conditions for workers in the supply chain. The brand also donates 1% of its annual sales to environmental causes. Additionally, the Toad&Co is a certified B Corporation, which means it has met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
- Unisex
- Sustainability: Fair Trade Certified™, 1% for the Planet, B Corporation
- Price Range: $45 – $150
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United by Blue is a sustainable clothing brand that prioritizes environmental and social responsibility. The company uses eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel. The company is a certified B Corporation, is a member of 1% for the Planet and is a certified Climate Neutral company, meaning that it has achieved net-zero carbon emissions by measuring, reducing, and offsetting its carbon footprint. United By Blue also removes 1 pound of trash from the world’s waterways for every product sold. To date, the company has removed over 3.5 million pounds.
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: B-Corp Certified, Fair Trade Certified™ Factories, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers, LEED Certified Energy Efficient Stores.
- Price Range: $125 – $500
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Founded in 1938, REI Co-Op is one of the oldest outdoor gear companies in the United States. With over 140 brick-and-mortar locations, REI Co-Op offers a variety of products, from clothing and outerwear, to tents and sleeping bags. In terms of environmental certifications, The company has partnered with organizations such as Bluesign® and the Responsible Down Standard to ensure that its products are made with eco-friendly materials and responsible animal welfare practices. REI Co-Op also partnered with Fair Trade USA to launch its Fair Trade Certified™ line of products.
- Unisex
- Sustainability: Bluesign®, Responsible Down Standard, Fair Trade Certified™
- Price Range: $50 – $300
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- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: The company plants a tree for each item purchased, in collaboration with Colorado-based OneTreePlanted. To date, they have planted almost 1 million trees. Nikin ships product in FSC certified recycled paper sealed with paper tape. The company only produces clothing in EU countries with strict worker labor rights. Nikin purposefully relocated its manufacturing to reduce CO2 emissions from travel and to ensure employees along the supply chain are paid a living wage. FSC-Certified, sustainable packaging.
- Price Range: $15 – $50 (prices in francs)
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- Unisex
- Sustainability: Products are made from recycled waste like plastic PET bottles.
- Price Range: $30 – $95
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Sweatshirts and hoodies made from sustainable, biodegradable materials like coffee grounds and recycled polyester from plastic bottles. All products are vegan.
- Price Range: $29 – $120
- Clothing for Women, Men, Girls, Boys
- Sustainability: Patagonia has a self-imposed 1% tax for the Planet to support environmental nonprofits. Remake Approved, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers, B Corp, Fair Trade Certified, Open Apparel Registry. In 2020 Patagonia transitioned to the Nano Puff® 100% recycled PrimaLoft® Insulation with P.U.R.E™ textile — reducing CO2 emissions by 510,000 pounds annually.
- Price Range: $90 – $300
- Clothing for Women
- Sustainability: Vitamin A uses digital printing instead of “wet” printing for the bulk of its products. Digital printing reduces water consumption and minimizes fabric waste through detailed sizing adjustments. This process also does not require chemical cleaning products. Organic cotton, linen, recycled cotton and Tencel®, recycled cashmere, with products manufactured in an eco-friendly warehouse in the USA.
- Price Range: $50 – $200
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- Unisex
- Sustainability: Celo only works with fair trade certified partners along its supply chain. The company partners with a fair trade factory in Chennai, India to produce their entire collection. This factory adheres to strict regulations to ensure safe workplace standards for workers. All Celo products are made from recycled polyester. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers, Fair Trade Certified.
- Price Range: $40 – $95
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- Unisex
- Certifications: GOTS, which means the company uses organic, chemical-free cotton
- Materials: Denim created with eco-safe, aniline-free dyes.
- Vegan: No – the company uses a shrimp-based dye
- Sustainable Features: Packaging made from 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard, operates a tree-planting program to offsets carbon emissions created by packaging and shipping, accepts gently used clothing at their retail stores to be repurposed.
- Price Range: $80 – $100
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- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Outland denim is made from recycled cotton, organic cotton, no toxic dyes or chemicals. Outland provides employment opportunities for Cambodian women rescued from exploitative circumstances. Global Organic Textile Standard.
- Price Range: $100 – $250
- Clothing for Women
- Sustainability: Dazey LA makes sustainable clothing and accessories with hand-drawn designs that are influenced by 1970s posters and vintage graphic art.
- Price Range: $92 – $130
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Nudie provides lifetime repairs on all their jeans, in addition to giving customers a 20% discount when they exchange old pairs of jeans for new ones. GOTS, Organic Content Standard 100 (OCS 100), USDA Organic, Fair Trade, FSC, PEFC. Vegan.
- Price Range: $75 – $300
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Denim made from organic cotton, with no toxic chemicals or dyes. Kuyuchi uses a faux leather called “viridis”, which is a plant based material, mostly made from corn. Kuyuchi has certifications from Fair Wear Foundation, Open Registry, Transparency Pledge, Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX® Non-Toxic Textiles, PETA Approved.
- Price Range: $100 – $250
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- Unisex
- Sustainability: Denim made from organic, pesticide-free, recycled cotton using production processes that offset CO2 emissions. Mud Jeans can be “leased” instead of purchased. They are big promoters of the “circular economy” and also have programs to recapture and recycle used denim. B Corp., BLUEdot Register. Vegan.
- Price Range: $100 – $250
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- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: When you purchase with unspun, you are also supporting their mission to reduce global carbon emissions by 1%.
- Price Range: $100 – $250
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- Clothing for Men, Women
- Sustainability: prAna was one of the first clothing companies to work with Fair Trade USA to ensure that everyone gets a fair wage by having a strict supplier code of conduct. Their clothing is also bluesign® certified to not contain toxic chemicals
- Price Range: $62 – $100
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Carve Designs – from $46
- Clothing for Women
- Sustainability: Carve Designs uses between 85% – 100% recycled, upcycled and organic fabrics in their clothing. GOTS certified organic cotton.
- Price Range: $46 – $80
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- Clothing for Women
- Sustainability: Vegan, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers. Clothes are locally sourced and derived of Belgian linens & cottons.
- Price Range: $125 – $500
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- Clothing for Women, Men, Girls, Boys
- Sustainability: Fair Trade Certified, WRAP: Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, BSCI: Business for Social Compliance Initiative, SA8000: Auditing Standard and Certification from SAI (Social Accountability International), Fair Wear Foundation. Tentree plants ten trees for every item purchased.
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Allbirds tracks the carbon footprint of each item of clothing. They strive to be carbon neutral a combination of sustainable practices and carbon credits. They also use primarily organic materials. including wood fibers, organic cotton, sugar, and even castor beans. When they use synthetic materials, it is recycled polyester. B-Corp Certified.
- Price Range: $98 – $120
- Clothing for Women, Men, Girls, Boys
- Sustainability: The company employs equitable labor practices and ensures all receive a living wage. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers. PETA-Approved.
- Price Range: $15 – $100 (prices in euros)
- Clothing for Women, Men, Girls, Boys
- Sustainability: the company’s production is in the European Union and has a Code of Conduct that includes some of the ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers. Vegan.
- Price Range: $30 – $300 (price in euros)
- Clothing for Women, Men, Girls, Boys
- Sustainability: The company produces 84% of their products from 2 factories – one in China and one in Turkey. The founders regularly visit the facilities, and workplace safety is evaluated by third party organizations. B Corp., Fair Wear Foundation. Vegan. 100% recycled, organic or ethically sourced materials.
- Price Range: $50 – $300 (prices in euros)
- Clothing for Women
- Sustainability: Global Organic Textile Standard, Fair Wear Foundation. Organic, non-toxic fabrics. The company verifies its workers are paid a living wage.
- Price Range: $20 – $200 (prices in euros)
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: WAWWA primarily uses recycled materials in the production of its clothes, including plastic water bottles to make polyester. The company’s production is in the European Union and has a Code of Conduct that includes some of the ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers. Vegan.
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: The company uses rain water, co-planting, and insect traps to sustainably grow organic cotton. The company has two production facilities – one in UK and one in India. This allows them to stay in close contact with their manufacturers and monitor workplace conditions and safety protocols. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers, SA8000 Certified Workplace. Vegan.
- Price Range: $20 – $60
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: 85% of production is based in Portugal under strict EU regulations. Workers are paid a living wage, in addition to overtime compensation and bonuses. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Fibers, OEKO-TEX® Non-Toxic Textiles, FSC-certified packaging.
- Price Range: $50 – $200
- Clothing for Women, Men
- Sustainability: Afends warehouse is based in Australia and is 100% solar powered. It does source materials from vendors in China and provides detailed information on each warehouse on its website. Global Organic Textile Standard, Fair Wear Foundation, EcoCert Organic Content Standards, Global Recycled Standard. Vegan.
- Price Range: $40 – $200
FAQs
What are sustainable clothing brands?
Sustainable clothing brands that define themselves as “sustainable”, “fair trade” , or “ethical fashion” engage in specific operational practices that include paying workers a living wage, providing safe workplaces along the entire supply chain, prohibiting the use of toxic chemicals, and using environmentally friendly production processes that are carbon-neutral and have limited use of water, energy, land, wildlife and ecosystems.
What is a fast fashion brand?
Fast fashion is the mass-production of cheap, disposable clothing. Before the 1990s, most brands would release 2-3 “collections” per season. That has increased over the past 30 years to brands releasing an average of 52 micro-collections each season, resulting in 80 billion garments per year. [1]
What is slow fashion?
Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion and refers to clothing that is produced in a sustainable and ethical way, with a focus on quality and longevity.
Why is sustainable fashion important?
Sustainable fashion is important because the fashion industry is a major contributor to environmental and social problems, and sustainable fashion can help mitigate these problems.
How can I tell if a fashion brand is sustainable?
You can tell if a fashion brand is sustainable by looking for information on their production process, materials, and labor practices. You can also look for third-party certifications like Fair Trade and GOTS.
What certifications should I look for when shopping for sustainable clothing?
The following certifications demonstrate that a company has achieved specific ecological or labor-related goals in its supply chain. We indicate in our list which brands have achieved official fair trade or sustainable certification.
Labor Equity | living wages, safe workplaces:
- World Fair Trade Organization – International review board that independently audits fashion brands to confirm the fair trade labor and workplace standards are satisfied.
- Fair Wear Foundation – Demonstrates a brand has safe warehouses that are inspected to ensure international safety requirements are upheld.
- B Corporation – Certification that verifies a comprehensive evaluation of a brand’s societal and environmental performance, in terms of waste, water consumption, pollution, workplace safety and employee compensation.
- SA8000 – A social certification program that is awarded to brands that pay employees that pay a living wage and provide safe working conditions.
- Transparency Pledge – Created by an international collective of nine trade union federations and human rights groups. The directory publishes the names, addresses, and other information about fashion production warehouses around the world.
- Open Apparel Registry – A directory that publicizes brands’ supply chain warehouse locations.
Non-Toxic | chemical and pesticide-free fabrics:
- OEKO-TEX – Verifies textiles have been tested for harmful chemicals and that products are manufactured under environmentally and socially responsible methods.
Organic | natural, biodegradable fabrics:
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) – Certifies that fabrics are free of pesticides, herbicides, and have been organically produced according to strict environmental and social criteria.
- EcoCert Organic Content Standards – Verifies that a brand’s fibers are derived from certified organic raw materials.
Eco-Friendly | recycled materials, environmentally sustainable:
- Global Recycled Standard – Certifies the origination and composition of recycled content in textiles and documents the environmental and societal chain of custody.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – International certification that certifies products created from ethically managed forests.
- BLUEdot Register – Organization that records the quantity of carbon emissions that companies offset through their supply chain processes.
How do sustainable clothing brands reduce their carbon footprint?
Sustainable clothing brands reduce their carbon footprint by using eco-friendly materials, sourcing materials locally, minimizing transportation to reduce emissions, using renewable energy to power manufacturing, eliminating toxic chemicals, and reducing water usage.
Are sustainable clothing brands more expensive than traditional brands?
It depends on the brand. For some sustainable clothing brands, prices may be higher due to the use of organic and ethical materials, small scale production and fair trade operations that pay workers a living wage. However, with increasing competition in the industry, there are now more affordable sustainable brands available. Ultimately, it depends on the specific brand that you are looking at.
What materials are commonly used by sustainable clothing brands?
1. Organic cotton
2. Recycled polyester
3. Hemp
4. Tencel (a sustainable cellulose fabric)
5. Bamboo or other natural fibers
6. Secondhand garments, repurposed materials
7. Natural dyes
What is the impact of fast fashion on the environment?
Fast fashion has a negative impact on the environment. Many of these brands produce large amounts of clothes that are made quickly and cheaply with synthetic fabrics, like polyester and nylon, which are not biodegradable and release microfibers into the air and water when washed. The clothes are often used briefly before being discarded in landfills where they take up space and emit greenhouse gases due to their slow rate of decomposition.
The production process also involves a large amount of water, energy resources, chemicals, and pesticides which can further contaminate the environment. Finally, fast fashion companies’ manufacturing practices commonly exploit low-cost labour from developing countries without taking any steps to protect their workers or reduce the carbon footprint of their processes.
How can I recycle clothing in an eco-friendly way?
1. Donate: Look around at clothing that you no longer wear and donate it to a local nonprofit or charity shop. This way, someone else will be able to benefit from your used clothing.
2. Reuse: See if any of the clothing items can be upcycled into something new and creative. You can also check with friends and family members to see if anyone wants them or post them on free sites like Craigslist or Freecycle to find people who are interested in taking them off your hands!
3. Repurpose: Cut old shirts or pants into rags for household tasks, such as dusting or cleaning. You could also make small cloth bags out of the fabrics you have available in order to reduce your plastic consumption?
4. Recycle: If the item is too worn out or damaged to be reused, recycling programs exist that can break down fabric fibers and repurpose them into raw materials for other industries such as building insulation, carpet pads, furniture stuffing, and more.
What are some sustainable fashion trends to look out for?
Look out for designers and brands who are using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and lyocell to create unique designs. Also consider investing in natural fabrics like cocona and pineapple leaf fibers or synthetic picks such as recycled polyester or econyl — a type of fabric polymer derived from plastic waste like fishing nets and old carpets.
Final Thoughts
The trend of eco–chic fashion has been rapidly increasing as more and more people strive to be conscious of their environmental impact. Not only does this movement preserve and protect the planet, but it is also an opportunity for us to explore creative designs and materials in our everyday wardrobe.
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