Eco friendly and sustainable clothing is our future. It is definitely time to quit fast fashion and focus on repairing our planet. We the consumers need to consider our actions when it comes to the clothes we wear. When we think of fashion, we are always thinking about it in terms of seasons and what’s new. This has got to change.
If we expect companies to be responsible for the impact that they are creating on our ecosystem, it is only because we the consumers are creating the need for it. We are always in need of consuming more and more, for cheap and cheaper. And we want it fast.
By shifting the blame and taking personal responsibility of our planet, we can become the answer to the problem.
While buying eco-friendly clothing is seen as expensive or bland, we need to focus on what is important – our planet.
Do your part by reusing clothing and staying away from fast fashion.
Start buying timeless pieces that stand the test of time. Commit to buying eco-friendly, sustainable, and cruelty free clothing only.
These are 10 of the best ethical, eco friendly clothing brands to overhaul your wardrobe and support a cause bigger than yourself. Buy these high-quality staples and give back to the communities that made them.
Table of Contents
1. Naadam Eco Friendly and Sustainable Clothing
Naadam is an eco friendly and sustainable clothing brand that has a wide array of clothing for women and men. As they put it, they sell “premium high-quality clothes for less”. Their cashmere collection is definitely worth your money.
They source their long cashmere fibers from the cute goats in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. They work with local herders to gather and produce high quality clothing. They use 100% renewable or recycled resources to produce these garments.
Naadam makes everything from beanies, to pet clothes, gloves, pajama sets, and the list goes on. 100% of the material used comes from renewable or recycled sources.
They use sustainable packaging solutions too. They use 100% pre-consumer Forest Stewardship Council- certified recycled paper.
2. 337 Eco Friendly Leisurewear
The 337 BRAND produces earth-friendly leisurewear. This brand is native to New York. Constantly, but consciously keeping with changing fashion and also keeping true to sustainability. While this is leisurewear, it’s a notch above what we’d expect.
They use eco-friendly materials and ethically source their resources from local American companies. Circularity is a vision for the company, and they minimize waste wherever its possible within the manufacturing process.
337 donates $1 for every order towards One Tree Planted. So if you’re trying to help even a little with deforestation, spend your money here.
3. YesAnd Eco Fashion Brand
Ecofashion! Who said that? Marci Zaroff is the lady behind the trademarked word “ecofashion.” YesAnd is Marci’s baby. It is an empire that works towards empowering female farmers (over 50% of the workforce), fighting and committing to fair wages, saying no to child labor, and sustaining local communities.
YesAnd gives back by planting mangrove trees and reducing their carbon footprint. The near-term vision is to become a Carbon Net Zero company by 11/11/22.
Being one of the leaders in the ecofashion world, YesAnd was the first fashion house to develop and market GOTS-certified organic velour items.
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4. Mate Women Owned Eco Friendly Clothing
Mate is a fashion label that was born in Los Angeles, CA. Mate is women owned and operated in LA. The products are manufactured in and around LA! Talk about local. They are also an eco conscious and sustainable company.
They use non-toxic, natural, and organic materials for their clothing. They have a very strict vision towards being clean.
They restrict carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and other toxins from their supply chain. This ensures that we, the consumer, do not end up wearing clothing that emits these substances.
They use organic yarns and dyes, and 8% spandex in their clothing. They do not use polyester, nylon, or polyamides either.
They are circular in that they reuse old clothing and cutting scrapes to build new products through a mechanical fiber recycler. How amazing!
5. Milonicki Eco Friendly Clothing
Milonicki is a woman owned company that touts one-of-a-kind pieces for women. They are ethically sourced and produced. They are handmade in India, and are sustainable, cruelty-free, vegan, have zero-waste, and are biodegradable.
They are all about sustainability, circularity, inclusivity, and transparency. 100% of the materials are plant-based including the dyes. They repurpose garments to close the loop on circularity.
The wow factor for milonicki is that they use “banana fabric” for some of their clothing! Using the stalk and stems of the banana plant they create durable, biodegradable and naturally water and tear resistant clothing. Mind blown.
Packaging is compostable and biodegradable. This includes 100% recycled, biodegradable, and organic clothing labels, hang tags and shipping mailers.
6. Wearfranc Organic Cotton Sustainable Clothing Brand
Wearfranc is a company based out of Toronto, Canada. They are eco-friendly and produce high-quality clothing using TENCEL™ and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified Organic Cotton fabric blends.
They have plastic-free packaging! They ship in 100% compostable bag, which are reusable too. Marketing materials and hangtags are printed on 100% recycled or FSC-certified paper.
Every item that is not sold by the company is donated to the YWCA of Toronto. Support them!!
7. Pact Fair Trade Clothing Brand
Pact is another fair trade company that provides a safe space for their workers. Giving the workers and factory employees safe working conditions, protecting our environment, and providing for the local communities.
Pact uses organic cotton for their clothing keeping it eco-friendly, helping sustainability, and reducing our carbon footprint. They reduce water use by 81%, by producing organic cotton and following fair trade practices.
Garments produced by Pact are Certified Organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
8. Kotn – Sustainable Cotton Clothing
Kotn produces great sustainable cotton clothing. They are strong on producing clothing that is high-quality without compromising during the manufacturing process. From their OEKO-TEX® non-toxic certified dyes, to the farming community in Egypt where the idea for Kotn originated, they are definitely a brand that supports the little guy i.e the independent cotton farmers.
They use plastic-free packaging, limit waste through recycling water and other resources.
Kotn supports and stands by fair and equal pay for their farmers, as they should.
They have also been voted B Corporation’s Best for the World™ in the Community category.
9. Fair Indigo Fair Trade Cotton Brand
Fair Indigo supports the Peruvian farmers by using the top 0.005% of cotton available. The company states that its cotton comes from two family farms that harvest the best cotton.
The Peruvian farmers are paid a fair and sustainable wage, while also producing great cotton for the manufacturing process.
Fair Indigo has a foundation that focuses on the education system in Peru providing computer labs, books, salaries for teachers and much much more. Buyers of this brand have the option to donate $5 during checkout to support this cause!
10. The Good Tee Eco Friendly Clothing
The Good Tee is an eco friendly and sustainable brand that produces Fair Trade certified clothes. They are a Certified B Corporation that uses only Certified Fairtrade cotton sourced from India.
The brand is very involved in the whole process to make their environment friendly approach to sustainable clothing. They do this by active involvement from seed to customer.
They are a contributor to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Two thumbs up.
11. Yes Friends Fairtrade Clothing Company
Yes Friends have some of the best quality clothing out there that is highly sustainable and follow some strict fair trade practices. Yes Friends based out of the UK, is a Fairtrade producer. They use fair trade cotton for all their cotton products. They support their farmers through the Fairtrade Minimum Price and the Fairtrade Premium.
They are also vegan and support a cruelty free manufacturing approach.
Yes Friends focuses on workers through Fairtrade and other worker protection practices. They are also under the GOTS standard of organic clothing. They have multiple certifications, approvals and foundations that back them up.
These include:
- Their cotton that is labeled under Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO)
- Fair Wear Foundation (worker protection)
- Leader status by Continental Clothing
- Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) that ensure accountability for supply chains, safe labor practices, fair and free from forced and discriminatory practices.
- Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) worker dignity and respect
- PETA approved Vegan – who doesn’t love this?!
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Conclusion
So there you have it. The 11 best eco friendly and sustainable textiles companies to buy from today. You can’t go wrong with any of them. It just depends on what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend.
However, knowing that your money is going to a more sustainable and eco-friendly future while protecting the workers who made your clothes, is a great reason to spend the extra dollar.
So, which brands are you going to buy from and support?
Featured photo courtesy of wearfranc.com
