How Sustainable are Your Sustainable Brands?
5 min read
Our artisan, Baban, sews together panels of a baseball cap.
While it is exciting to see a growing number of sustainable product offerings, it's not always easy to distinguish honest companies from green-washing brands that are looking to hop on the bandwagon of “environmentally-friendly” merchandise. With companies like Reformation, a leading brand that we used to admire for their environmental initiatives, recently exposed for their discriminatory social practices, it is especially important for conscious consumers today to be aware of where their dollars are going. Frankly, planting a tree isn’t going to offset a product’s carbon footprint nor is it a substitute for ethical business practices.
Now, no one here is going to tell you what you should and shouldn’t buy, ultimately you have the freedom to choose how and where you shop. However, we’d like to inform you on what qualities you should consider so that you’re empowered to make the best purchase decisions when shopping with Planet Earth in mind.. Okay, let's get started.
#1 A Transparent, Easy-to-Navigate Website
Perhaps the best, and simplest, thing you should do is browse the company's website. I know, it sounds pretty obvious, but not every brand makes it easy to navigate their website. If your favorite eco-brand has nothing to hide, then why wouldn’t they make their sustainable practices easily accessible? If it’s unusually challenging to find information regarding material sourcing, manufacturing location and/or worker conditions, chances are they’re intentionally withholding this knowledge from conscious consumers.
Of course every brand journey to sustainability doesn't look the same, but the key words here are transparency and traceability. If a brand markets their products as sustainable, there should be an abundance of information surrounding their origin and their claims. Period.
#2 Look For The Right Materials
As far as which textiles are the most sustainable, there is always room for debate, but we’ve included this well-thought-out ranking chart made by (no pun intended) Made-By.org.
In the above chart, you can see commonly used textiles and their respective impact on the environment. Most of these materials are virgin materials, meaning they have been sourced from nature in their raw form. The few exceptions on this list are all under CLASS A with the word “recycled,” meaning that the materials have been collected as post-consumer products, to be broken down into fibers to be woven into something new. Amazing right?
We’ll admit, recycling post-consumer products into “new” fabric is no easy task indeed, and is mostly only available to large companies who can afford to procure these recycled fabrics. But this ranking chart only includes the most common fabrics, and does miss some other recycled material options that you wouldn't normally think of, so keep your mind open for alternatives and other innovative materials!
#3 The Who, How, and Where of the Product
When you think of a sustainable product, the first thing that comes to mind is “what is it made from,” right? Although the choice of materials is a cornerstone to determining sustainability, you shouldn't overlook where the product was manufactured, how it was manufactured, as well as whether workers are guaranteed living wages. As a brand ourselves, we know it is not easy to have all this information readily available, but when you find the brands that do, that's a brand you can trust.
With the three above points in mind, here are some helpful questions to ask yourself while you shop.
How trustworthy is this brand? Do they have a history of falling short on responsible or ethical practices?
Does this brand do their best to label all of their materials, along with their respective features? i.e. BPA Free, Recyclable, Low Impact Dyes, Certified Organic fabrics, Sustainably Harvested Materials, Cruelty Free, etc.
Is this brand transparent with their manufacturing location and methods along with paying their workers living wages?
Has this brand included sustainability in any of their mission statements and/or are part of internationally accredited non-profits that invest in sustainable programs, such as 1% For The Planet, or are they B-Corp Certified?
These are all important things to consider when spending your dollars wisely, but most importantly, by reading this you are already heading in the right direction. As a conscious consumer, fulfill that appetite for feel-good products by staying curious and digging deeper than what is offered at surface level. Don’t be afraid to supplement yourself with additional resources to achieve sustainable shopper nirvana.
It takes a village.
Behind the scenes process videos are also a great way for brands to show their operations with transparency, which is why we are proud to share our own sourcing and manufacturing process – you can view it by clicking Learn More below.