21 Best Sustainable Clothing Brands to Help Lessen Your Environmental Impact

SHOP LEVI'S

From growing the cotton to dyeing and finishing, it takes over 2,000 gallons of water just to make one pair of jeans. Levi’s focuses on the finishing processes to remove water wherever possible with its WellThread collection. This assortment features pieces that took less water to produce and use more recycled materials. And while Levi’s has taken steps towards more sustainable production, the most sustainable Levi’s jeans are preowned. The brand now has an easy-to-shop interface for secondhand Levi’s denim. With more affordable prices, it’s also the perfect spot to score long-lasting jeans at a discount.

• Size range: 23-34 (standard size) and 14-26 (plus size)
• Price range: ~$70-$150
• Brand initiatives: Water reduction during production, secondhand shopping interface, recycled materials

SHOP PACT

All of the cotton garments from this brand are certified organic by GOTS, meaning the entire manufacturing process follows organic guidelines. They’re also Fair Trade Certified, which looks at ethical factors like wages and working conditions. The clothes themselves are mostly soft and comfy staples that you can wear every day, but they also offer pajamas and underwear so you can opt for organic 24/7. PACT also makes clothing for the whole family, including men, kids and baby.

• Size range: XS-XXL
• Price range: ~$20-$80
• Brand initiatives: GOTS organic cotton, Fair Trade Certified

SHOP BOYISH

Not only are these styles majorly on trend, but GH textiles pros were impressed with Boyish’s commitment to environmentally conscious production and materials. Using organic cotton, recycled cotton, Lyocell and deadstock fabrics, the brand has a wide range of styles including wide leg jeans, cropped pants, dresses and denim jackets. Boyish has been a carbon neutral brand since day one, continuing to offer sustainability updates to their consumers.

• Size range: 22-32
• Price range: ~$150-$250
• Brand initiatives: Organic cotton, recycled materials, deadstock fabric, carbon neutral

SHOP EVERLANE

Everlane focuses on ethics and transparency, showing its markup process for each garment and showcasing factories to give an idea of where it sources from. It claims every factory gets audited and scored during the selection process. There isn’t a clear impact from an environmental perspective, but the styles are good-looking without being super trendy so you can wear them year after year (i.e. you don’t have to buy more and create waste). Everlane sells everything from clothing and outerwear to footwear and accessories, plus styles for men.

• Size range: XXS-XXXL
• Price range: ~$20-$150
• Brand initiatives: Supply chain transparency

SHOP REFORMATION

This brand calculates the environmental footprint based on the carbon dioxide emissions, water usage and waste produced in what it calls the “Refscale” to help understand the impact of each garment. For each item listed on the website, you can see the savings for these areas (though unfortunately, it doesn't tell you the total amounts used). Unlike most sustainable fashion brands, Reformation offers trendy pieces and formalwear with extended sizes 0 through 24.

• Size range: XS-XL and 0-12 (standard sizes), XL-3XL and 14-24 (extended sizes)
• Price range: ~$90-$280
• Brand initiatives: Full view of supply chain impact and climate neutral

SHOP THREDUP

It’s not a clothing brand itself, but thredUP buys and sells women’s and kids' used clothing that’s in like-new condition with lots of life left in it. The budget-friendly retailer closely inspects second-hand garments before selling them, so you know you’re getting garments that are in great shape. Buying used clothing is more sustainable than anything new and on top of that, you’re getting top fashion brands for a fraction of the cost. You can also send your unwanted clothing and the brand will either buy it or consign it for you. Anything that it doesn't accept gets repurposed or recycled.

• Size range: Size availability based on what users are currently selling with a plus-size section on the site.
• Price range: ~$5-$300
• Brand initiatives: All secondhand items, recycles unusable pieces

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SHOP ADAY

When shopping, it can feel impossible to find any info on a brand’s sustainable practices, but Aday makes it easy. Aday clearly lists its suppliers, ethical production and sustainable manufacturing goals. Nearly half of the fabrics used are made with recycled materials and 30% use regenerated cellulose fibers. The design ethos of the brand is to create pieces that can “be worn different ways, for different activities, on repeat.”

• Size range: XS-XL
• Price range: ~$80-$200
• Brand initiatives: Supply chain transparency, recycled materials and regenerated cellulose fibers.

SHOP RALPH LAUREN

This is another example of a large brand making a simple change, yet it has the ability to make a significant impact on the environment because of its volume. The Earth Polo (also available in men's and kids' variations) is made of recycled water bottles and uses dyes that don't require water in the application process.

Even though it's just a shirt, Polo Ralph Lauren estimates that it will save the equivalent of 170 million plastic bottles from landfills by 2025. The company also publishes a sustainability report to showcase its efforts and goals for years to come.

• Size range: XS-XL
• Price range: ~$100
• Brand initiatives: Use of recycled materials in best selling designs

SHOP ALTERNATIVE APPAREL

For casual closet staples like T-shirts, hoodies, leggings and more, Alternative Apparel focuses on using organic cotton and recycled materials. The pieces have a worn-in, vintage look that’s timeless so they won’t go out of style. The brand also uses lower-impact dyes and follows strict ethical standards for the factories it sources from. And it’s not just for women: there are also styles for men and kids.

• Size range: XS-XXL
• Price range: ~$10-$70
• Brand initiatives: Organic cotton and recycled materials

SHOP H&M CONSCIOUS CHOICE

Each item in the Conscious Choice collection has an aspect that lessens its environmental impact, like organic cotton or recycled polyester. The best part is that the styles start at just $10 so you don’t have to spend a fortune on sustainable fashion. You can also recycle your unwanted clothing at H&M stores for a discount to buy something new. Even if it’s torn up and can’t be reworn, the brand makes sure the clothes are used for something else and won’t end up in a landfill. The H&M Group parent company says overall it uses 64% recycled or sustainably sourced fibers, with a goal to reach 100% by 2030. Just note that the percentage of recycled content may be low for certain products.

• Size range: 0-20
• Price range: ~$15-$60
• Brand initiatives: Organic cotton and recycled materials

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SHOP EILEEN FISHER

This luxury brand is a leader in sustainable fashion and takes a full lifecycle approach: It looks at everything from the fibers, to the dyes and finishes, to ethics during the production process, to repairs and waste at the end of the cycle – and the list goes on. The garments can get pricey, but under the Renew website, the brand buys back and resells its own label’s gently worn clothing so you can get it for a lower price in excellent condition. If the clothing isn’t good enough to be resold, it'll turn the fabric into art using special felting techniques.

• Size range: XXS-3XL and 0-28
• Price range: ~$150-$300
• Brand initiatives: Full lifecycle approach, secondhand shopping interface, organic materials

SHOP AMOUR VERT

To avoid waste, this brand says it makes smaller quantities in the US (though it still does have a sale section on the website). It sources fibers from all over the world and focuses on choosing more sustainable options when possible, like organic cotton and Tencel. The designs range from basics to more stylish pieces and there are a few baby styles available as well. On top of that, the company plants a tree for every tee that’s purchased, with over 350,000 trees planted so far. You can even opt to have an extra tree planted for $1. The brand launched ReAmour for customers to sell pieces from the brand they no longer wear, keeping clothes out of landfills.

• Size range: XXS-XL
• Price range: ~$100
• Brand initiatives: Organic cotton, regenerated cellulose fibers, secondhand shopping interface

SHOP RENT THE RUNWAY

Rent the Runway lets you borrow clothing so you can save money (not to mention, you get to wear garments that may otherwise be unaffordable!). But there's also a big sustainability component to this closet sharing platform: renting clothing allows each garment to get the most possible use during its lifecycle and it helps you buy less as a consumer. There are several options for renting, including one-time rentals for special occasions or monthly memberships where you can constantly swap out items in your wardrobe. The brand has everything from evening gowns to work clothes to athleisure wear and the memberships let you rent from any of the categories.

• Size range: 0-22
• Price range: Starts at $30 for rentals and $90 for memberships
• Brand initiatives: Rented secondhand pieces

SHOP CUYANA

The concept behind the brand is “fewer, better things” – meaning if you buy good stuff that’ll last, you won’t need to buy as much. It’s mostly known for accessories like its versatile tote bags, but it also sells timeless clothing. And while it’s not cheap, there’s great value for the amount of use you’ll get from its garments. While leather is not regarded as a sustainable material because of its extensive environmental impact to produce, it does last longer, keeping it out of landfills. The brand also manufactures in a mindful way, choosing factories that are near the raw materials so there’s less shipping involved and sourcing its items where there’s the most expertise, like cotton shirts from Turkey and alpaca sweaters from Peru.

• Size range: XS-XL
• Price range: ~$100-$350
• Brand initiatives: Mindful manufacturing with factories close to raw material production, long-lasting products

SHOP ABLE

Ethical fashion is the driving force behind ABLE, which focuses on fighting poverty by offering fair wages and creating jobs for women. In fact, it even publishes its wages on the website. It also has an internal system to evaluate its manufacturing partners in areas like safety, quality and wages so they can see the impact of its supply chain. The brand makes clothing, shoes, jewelry and bags, all of which are trendy yet still look timeless. They use durable and naturally-occurring materials like leather for the bags and shoes and cotton for the clothes.

• Size range: XS-3XL
• Price range: ~$30-$250
• Brand initiatives: Ethical manufacturing with transparent wage info

SHOP PEOPLE TREE

With a main focus on ethics and fair trade, this UK brand promotes good wages and working conditions for the people making the clothes. In fact, it’s Fair Trade Certified so you know the supply chain has been inspected against strict standards. It also opts for materials like organic cotton, Tencel lyocell and low-impact dyes during production. You can buy everything you need for your wardrobe from this brand, from tops and dresses to undergarments, sleepwear and activewear.

• Size range: 8-16 (UK sizing)
• Price range: ~$20-$200
• Brand initiatives: Fair trade certified, organic cotton, low impact dyes, regenerated cellulose fibers

SHOP EPOQUE EVOLUTION

This brand puts a lot of thought into how and where it makes its clothes. For starters, it tries to use more sustainable materials wherever possible or buy from mills with ethical practices like waste management. It even uses waste from other companies’ production processes to make shirts and it only uses fabrics that don’t need to be dry cleaned. The upscale athleisure styles are perfect for traveling because they pack nicely and don't wrinkle easily.

• Size range: XS-XL and 0-16
• Price range: ~ $75-$250
• Brand initiatives: Uses deadstock fabric, materials that don't need to be dry cleaned, organic cotton and recycled materials

SHOP PATAGONIA

This outdoor brand is widely recognized as one of the best in ethical clothing. On top of using more sustainable materials when it can, it helps you repair your clothes and gear to make them last longer and it has collections that are Fair Trade Certified and Bluesign approved (which means the supply chain is closely monitored to make sure it’s safe for the environment, workers and consumers). Patagonia also buys and resells its own styles, so you can get credit for bringing in your old Patagonia clothing or buy something pre-owned for a lower cost.

• Size range: XXS-XXXL
• Price range: ~$40-$250
• Brand initiatives: Fair Trade Certified, Bluesign approved, buy and resale program, repairs available

SHOP COLUMBIA

Columbia also looks at the full supply chain to improve its sustainability, but what makes it stand out from other brands is the innovation in the production process. Its Outdry Eco jackets are made from recycled water bottles, use no dye to save over 13 gallons of water per jacket and have a water-repellent finish without harmful PFCs. The brand also says over half of its vendors are Bluesign certified, meaning they are more efficient with water, energy and waste while following strict safety requirements.

• Size range: XS-XXXL
• Price range: ~$30-$200
• Brand initiatives: Recycled materials with sustainable finishes, Bluesign approved

SHOP ATHLETA

Right now, this athleisure and activewear brand says that 60% of its products are made with sustainable materials. Its clothes are constructed using fibers like organic cotton, recycled polyester and Tencel or it produces the garments in an ethical factory, like ones that are Fair Trade Certified. On top of that, the company is B Corp Certified, meaning it meets strict social and environmental standards. We’re also big fans of this brand’s performance; it consistently does well in our Textiles Lab’s tests.

• Size range: XXS-3XL
• Price range: ~$50-$100
• Brand initiatives: Organic cotton, recycled polyester, regenerated cellulose fibers, Fair Trade Certified, B Corp