18 Most Sustainable Canadian Clothing Brands: The Conscious Consumer’s Guide

18 Most Sustainable Canadian Clothing Brands: The Conscious Consumer’s Guide

By
Quynh Nguyen

Read Time:46 Minutes

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Stay impactful,

Amid growing concerns about the textile industry’s environmental impact, there is pressure to find greener clothes for your wardrobe. And as modern supply chains for clothing tend to spread out all over the world, there is an argument to be made for lowering the impact of buying clothes by sticking with brands closer to home. So, we had to ask: Which are the most sustainable Canadian clothing brands?

The most sustainable Canadian clothing brands are Tentree, The Good Tee, and hernest project, which source low-impact materials and offset their carbon footprint. In addition, BEDI and Encircled minimize textile waste while adhering to ethical manufacturing.

Whether you are searching for a winter jacket or a T-shirt made in Canada to add to your wardrobe without negatively impacting the soil, the water, the animals, and other people, there is a brand for you. So, let’s keep reading to learn more about the most sustainable Canadian clothing brands and how they ensure sustainable, ethical practices. 

Here’s How Sustainable Canadian Clothing Brands Generally Are

The geographical journey of garments often plays a big role in their sustainability because it affects many social and ecological aspects in a product’s life-cycle, from the treatment of textile workers to the use of chemicals. 

Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

To understand the sustainability of Canadian clothing, we’ve assessed the life-cycle and each stage’s sustainability. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials. Here’s a quick summary of our LCA of Canadian clothing!

Here’s How We Selected the Most Sustainable Canadian Clothing Brands

The brands on this list were chosen based on their commitment and actions to promote sustainable practices while reducing the environmental impacts of the textile industry. 

They are transparent about their materials, processes, and workforce management within their supply chain. 

Some brands focus their efforts on reducing waste and optimizing natural resources while others strive to reduce the carbon footprint of their clothes. 

All of these brands share the commitment to reshape the textile industry toward a more sustainable and Earth-friendly sector. 

These Are the 18 Most Sustainable Canadian Clothing Brands

Overall, these Canadian clothing brands are sustainable. Yet, they take various approaches to reduce environmental impacts and uphold ethical standards. Let’s dive into each brand and find out more. 

1

Tentree: A Lifestyle Clothing Brand That Plants Trees for Every Item Purchased

Logo for Tentree
Screenshot of the Tentree front page

“ We believe the future of business is restorative.”

Tentree 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Tentree ensures sustainability by planting trees, promoting circularity, opting for low-impact fabrics, and attaining responsible packaging

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Tentree enforces fair labor practices by collaborating only with manufacturers and suppliers that guarantee a safe and respectful environment for their employees

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Giving back is a cornerstone of Tentree’s mission. Tentree plants 10 trees worldwide for every item purchased, contributing to reforestation and combating climate change. In 2022 alone, their customers helped plant over 22 million trees across nine countries, restoring over 2,000 hectares of terrestrial forests, over 1,000 hectares of coastal mangrove forests, and hundreds of hectares of marine land.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: kidswear, menswear, womenswear
  • Product range: T-shirts, tank tops, shirts, sweaters, cardigans, dresses, pants, hoodies, dresses, shorts, skirts, joggers, jackets, coats, underwear
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XXS–XXL
2

The Good Tee: Responsibly-Made Fashion Essentials

Logo for The good tee
Screenshot of The good tee front page

“Unlike the wear-today/replace tomorrow lifespan of a fast fashion garment, The Good Tee strives to enhance the lifespan of its products by emphasizing quality in all things – from fabric to thread and trims.”

The Good Tee

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

The Good Tee ensures sustainability by sourcing eco-friendly materials and measuring their environmental impact to move toward net zero emissions.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

The Good Tee ensures their ethics by being fully transparent about their supply chain.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

The Good Tee advocates for the rights of farmers and textile workers by adhering to supply chain transparency and fair trade practices. Their manufacturing partner, Assisi Garments, invests in the community by supporting various social projects, including a nursing home and children’s orphanage in South India.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear, kidswear
  • Product range: short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, ¾-sleeve T-shirts, sweaters, dresses, tanks, bottoms, 
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: S–XL
3

hernest project: Sustainably Made Sleepwear and Loungewear

Logo for hernest project
Screenshot of the hernest project front page

“We cause zero harm. This means that we do not contribute to the systemic increase in substances extracted from the earth’s crust, to the accumulation of compounds that do not break down in nature, to degradation of natural systems and to the barriers that prevent people from meeting their needs.”

hernest project 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

hernest project ensures sustainability by sourcing a high proportion of low-impact materials, reducing textile waste, and offsetting carbon emissions to reach carbon neutrality

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

hernest project ensures their ethics by binding their supplier with a Code of Conduct, covering all of the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. They also have traceability for their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

hernest project works with women’s shelters to donate returns and samples of clothes.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: tops, cardigans, crewnecks, joggers, pants, shorts, tanks, T-shirts, sleepwear, loungewear, plus-size 
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XXS–3XL
4

BEDI: Sleek Winter Coats and Durable Bags From Recycled Materials

Logo for Bedi

Exceptionally sustainable materials and Canadian craftsmanship have resulted in a collection of utilitarian designs with impeccable detailing.”

BEDI

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

BEDI ensures their sustainability by sourcing low-impact materials, minimizing waste, and reducing carbon emissions. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

BEDI traces most of their suppliers and holds the final production stage in Canada, a low-risk country for labor abuse. They state that all BEDI employees and contractors are paid a living wage. They also share the makers of their products on their website. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

BEDI is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: outerwear, knitwear, accessories
  • Price range: $$$ 
  • Size range: XS–3XL
5

Encircled: Minimalist Clothing Essentials Made Without Compromising Style, Comfort, or the Planet 

Logo for Encircled
Screenshot of the Encircled front page

Ethically made from the finest, most soft and flattering eco-friendly fabrics, our collection is designed with intention, flexibility and exceptional fit at its heart.”

Kristi Soomer, Founder of Encircled 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Encircled prioritizes sustainability through minimizing waste and maximizing options. On top of that, they are vigilant about closing gaps in the supply chains and the life of each piece of clothing. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Encircled puts ethics at the core of their operations.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Encircled is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: skirts, dresses, pants, jackets, blazers, knitwear, tops, blouses, T-shirts, stockings, tights, jumpsuits, playsuits, accessories, plus-size 
  • Price range: $$$ 
  • Size range: XS–XXL
6

FRANC: Timeless Basics for a Conscious Wardrobe 

Logo for Franc

“We are a small business that is always striving to improve the lives of the people and planet around us, in whatever way we possibly can.”

FRANC 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

FRANC ensures sustainability by using eco-friendly materials and lowering their carbon footprint. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

FRANC traces most of their supply chain and visits their suppliers regularly. Their final stage of production happens in Canada, a low-risk region for labor abuse.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

FRANC donates all their seconds, samples, and overstock to the YWCA, a group of women’s shelters in Toronto. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: tops, sweaters, bottoms, dresses, accessories
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XXS–4XL
7

Wuxly: Next-Gen Jackets Made With Innovative and Plant-Based Textile

Logo for Wuxly

With only 1% of textiles being recycled worldwide, we’re working towards circularity, through up-cycling waste into high-performing outerwear and re-circulating older outwear to those in need with our Trade Up Program.”

Wuxly

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Wuxly ensures their sustainability by sourcing eco-friendly materials and striving for circularity.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Wuxly traces most of their suppliers and holds their final production stage in Canada, a low-risk country for labor abuse. Regarding animal welfare, their entire range is animal-free, avoiding the common cruel treatment subjected to animals in the fashion supply chain. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Wuxly funds a plastic collection across Ocean Co.‘s partner collection network, supporting projects that create the most impact for communities across the globe.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: menswear, womenswear, kidswear
  • Product range: parkas, puffers, vests, bombers, raincoats, fleece, loungewear, accessories
  • Price range: $$$
  • Size range: S–XL
8

Kotn: Quality Essential Designed in Canada and Made Ethically in Egypt

logo for Kotn

“A world of timeless designs that honour the people who make them and the places they’re made.”

Kotn 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Kotn ensures their sustainability by sourcing some eco-friendly materials and minimizing textile waste. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Kotn ensures their ethics by working directly with responsibly-run facilities to ensure fair wages and treatment throughout their supply chain, better prices for their customers, and 100% traceability from farm to hanger.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Kotn donates a portion of their annual proceeds to fund and build primary schools in the Nile Delta and Faiyum, Egypt, investing in their farming communities’ long-term economic growth. So far, they have funded 21 schools.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: T-shirts, tanks, tops, bottoms, dresses, suits, socks, accessories knitwear
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XXS–XXL
9

Londre Bodywear: High-Quality Swimwear Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles 

Londre logo

So far, we’ve taken over 1 million plastic bottles from the beaches and streets to create our swimwear, with a minimum of 6 recycled plastic bottles in every swimsuit.

Londre Bodywear

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Londre Bodywear promotes sustainability by reducing and minimizing waste. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Londre Bodywear holds their final stage of production in Canada, a low-risk region for labor abuse. They state that they pay all sewers well above the living wage. Additionally, Londre Bodywear traces most of their supply chain and visits their suppliers regularly. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Londre Bodywear has donated tens of thousands of dollars to environmental and women’s health initiatives, including Amazon Watch and The Ocean CleanUp Project. They have also partnered with other organizations involved with coral reef rejuvenation

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: swimwear, dresses, jackets, skirts, tops, plus-size
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–4XL
10

TAMGA Designs: Luxurious, Lightweight, and Forest-Friendly Clothing 

Logo for TAMGA Designs
Screenshot of the Tamga Designs front page

“We believe in a bright future for our planet, which is why we only use fabrics made from traceable and sustainable botanic fibers. ”

TAMGA Designs

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

TAMGA Designs ensures sustainability by lowering their environmental impacts throughout the life-cycles of their clothes.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

TAMGA Designs ensures their ethics by sharing every supplier that touches a TAMGA garment, from “field to fashion.”

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Since their inception, TAMGA Designs has always given back a portion of their sales to causes they care about. Through their partnership with 1% for the Planet, they give 1% of the annual sales to the Sumatran Orangutan Society (S.O.S.). The fund is used to replant the rainforests in Sumatra, restoring one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots and bringing back the habitat for four critically endangered species, including orangutans, rhinos, elephants, and tigers. Additionally, they have a special T-shirt collection made with Lenzing’s viscose fabrics, Trees Please Tee, for which they contribute $10 per every sold item to S.O.S. In 2022, they celebrated Forest-Friendly-Friday and International Orangutan Day, donating 20% and 25% of all sales, respectively, to the Sumatran Orangutan Society

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, kidswear
  • Product range: skirts, shirts, dresses, pants, tops, blouses, shorts, jumpsuits, playsuits, T-shirts, kimonos, loungewear, accessories, plus-size
  • Price range: $$$$
  • Size range: XS–XXL

Terrera: Thoughtful, Timeless, and Comfortable Clothing Made Sustainably

Logo for Terrera
Screenshot of the Terrera front page

 “Our women-led team designs bi-annual collections of easy-to-wear clothing using fine quality natural fibres including bamboo, organic cotton, and Tencel.”

Terrera

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Terrera prioritizes sustainability by opting for eco-friendly natural fibers, low-impact manufacturing, and less carbon-intensive ocean transportation.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Terrera is a part of Fashion Revolution, a global movement uniting people and organizations to work together toward radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced, and consumed so that their clothing items are made in a safe, clean, and fair way. Their suppliers are based in China and are audited annually by a third party to ensure that they exceed national standards for health and safety, workplace conditions, and workers’ protection.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Every November, Terrera hosts their Save Big, Give Back event, where they commit to donating 10% of all online sales to a selected charity. For example, in 2023, they supported the Dress for Success Canada Foundation, an organization that honors the courage of women to overcome immense obstacles to keep moving forward. Other organizations and charities Terrara supports include YWCA, Sanctuary Toronto, Urban Promise, Amazon Rainforest Conservancy, and Toronto City Mission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they donated thousands of medical masks and gowns to Markham Stouffville Hospital, St. Michael’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and long-term care facilities in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as reusable fabric masks to local charitable organizations.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: tops, tunics, sweaters, cardigans, dresses, jumpsuits, leggings, bottoms, sleepwear, socks, underwear, accessories 
  • Size range: XS–XXL
12

Miik: Canadian-Made Clothing With a Conscience 

Logo for Miik
Screenshot of the Miik front page

“Designed by women, for women, our collection of timeless classics and on-trend statement styles are designed to fit and flatter your body. ”

Miik 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Miik ensures sustainability by reducing their environmental impact in sourcing and manufacturing. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Miik traces part of their supply chain. Their final production stage happens in Canada, ensuring a safe, fair, respectful working environment for every person involved in their production. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Miik considers giving back as an integral part of their ethos. They donate proceeds from every Miik order to various causes. For example, the Miik Foundation, founded in 2022 by Miik founder Donna and her husband Michael, donates $10,000 per year, funding three separate awards for Indigenous women, non-binary, and two-spirit individuals who are seeking financial aid toward their post-secondary education. They also periodically contribute a percentage of their sales to change-making organizations such as Sistering, Rainbow Railroad, Daily Bread Food Bank, and Help Us Help

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: dresses, tops, tunics, leggings, pants, skirts, blazers, jackets, cardigans, jumpsuits, accessories
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XXL
13

Message Factory: Eco-Friendly Women’s Clothing Made Ethically

Logo for Message Factory
Screenshot of the Message Factory front page

We integrate sustainable practices into everything we do. From fabric to labels, our products are made of ecological materials. From presentation to delivery, we seek to minimize our impact on the planet. From choosing a supplier to hiring an employee, people are at the heart of our concerns.”

Message Factory

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Message Factory ensures their sustainability by using low-impact materials, minimizing textile waste, and reducing their climate impact.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Message Factory traces most of their supply chain and visits all their manufacturers. Their final production stage happens in Canada, a low-risk country for labor abuse.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Message Factory gives back 1% of their sales to organizations that share their values. For example, they support La rue des Femmes, an organization that welcomes and cares for homeless women. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: tops, bottoms, tunics, dresses, underwear, accessories 
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XXL
14

Mariclaro: Bags and Accessories From Repurposed Materials 

Logo for Mariclaro
Screenshot of the Mariclaro front page

We understand upcycling as a creative process of transforming discarded materials into contemporary and beautiful designs.

Mariclaro

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Mariclaro ensures sustainability by repurposing waste materials to make bags and accessories.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Mariclaro sources the waste materials that they use to make their products themselves and tries to trace back the origin of the material as best they can. Finally, their products are manufactured in-house. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Mariclaro is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: menswear, womenswear 
  • Product range: laptop bags, briefcases, handbags, backpacks, messenger bags, weekender bags, wallets, passport cases
  • Price range: $$$ 
  • Size range: one size
15

Good for Sunday: Canada-Made Clothing Focusing on Sustainability and Comfort

Logo for Good for Sunday
Screenshot of the Good for Sunday front page

 “At Good for Sunday, we think there’s a better way. We believe that when you do expand your wardrobe, it should be with pieces that are long lasting in both style and wear. Not trendy, but timeless. Crafted using high quality, ethical labour. Pieces that feature materials that have a lower impact on the planet, and use more sustainable cultivation practices.”

Good for Sunday

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Good for Sunday ensures their sustainability by lowering their environmental impact in sourcing and manufacturing.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Good for Sunday ensures their ethics by being transparent about the cost breakdown of their products, of which the largest percentage comes from manufacturing locally in Canada. Additionally, they trace most of their supply chain and visit their suppliers regularly.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Good for Sunday supports important causes. For example, they donate $5 of every purchase of their “Save the Ocean” line to Sea Shepherd, an organization dedicated to defending, protecting, and conserving our oceans.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear, unisex
  • Product range: tops, bottoms, accessories 
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–2XL
16

Wildflo Studio: Organic Garments Made Responsibly in Small Batches 

Logo for Wildflo Studio
Screenshot of the Wildflo front page

At Wildflo Studio, we know you care about what you wear, just as much as what goes into what you wear. From the fabrics used, to the packaging your items arrive in, everything that went into bringing you these garments was done consciously. All of our pieces are made with organic fabrics, in small batches and by an ethical production process.

Wildflo Studio

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Wildflo Studio ensures their sustainability by sourcing eco-friendly materials and minimizing textile waste. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Wildflo Studio traces most of their suppliers and ensures payment of a living wage in their supply chain. Their manufacturing partner is an India-based factory with Fairtrade and GOTS certifications, focusing on organic garment manufacturing to support local organic cotton farmers. The facility and its practices are also routinely inspected and assessed by third-party organic certifiers

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Wildflo Studio is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: tops, bottoms, dresses, jumpsuits
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XL

Meemoza: Feel-Good Clothes, Inspired by Nature

Logo for Meemoza
Screenshot of the Meemoza front page

 “Our ultimate goal is to tailor garments that allow you to feel good both inside and outside when wearing them.”

Meemoza

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Meemoza ensures their sustainability by sourcing low-impact materials and reducing textile waste.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Meemoza partly traces their supply chain. The brand holds their final production stage in Canada, a low-risk country for labor abuse.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Meemoza is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: cardigans, shirts, skirts, shorts, pants, dresses, jumpsuits, lingerie accessories 
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XL
18

Frank and Oak: Thoughtfully Design Clothing That Is Made to Last

Logo for Frank And Oak
Screenshot of the Frank And Oak front page

We design durable products that blend timeless style with functional features that help lay the foundation for better living.

Frank and Oak

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Frank and Oak ensures sustainability by adopting circularity and innovation as their design philosophy.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Frank and Oak ensures their ethics by upholding all their manufacturing partners to their Code of Conduct and having them audited by international organizations such as BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production), SMETA, and SA8000. They also share some of their partners and factories on their website. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Through their partnership with Town Brewery, Frank and Oak donates to the David Suzuki Foundation, which aims to protect Canada’s oceans and marine life biodiversity. Additionally, in the three years from 2021 to 2023, they funded the replanting of close to 70,000 sqm of land under their yak yarn supplier’s Grassland Regeneration Program. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: denim, pants, dresses, coats, jackets, T-shirts, tops, blouses, shirts, sweaters, cardigans, blazers, overshirts, accessories
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XXL

Why Is It Important to Buy Products Made of More Sustainable Fabrics

It is important to buy products made of more sustainable fabrics because a sustainable textile industry has a lower carbon footprint, helps save natural resources, and is better for forests, animals, and humans. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Reduces Your Carbon Footprint 

The production of clothing and footwear is estimated to contribute 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions—more than all international flights and shipping combined. If the fashion industry were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide

One way to reduce the carbon footprint of the clothes you buy is to opt for sustainable fabrics. Sustainable fabrics, which are often made with natural or recycled fibers, have relatively low carbon footprints compared to petroleum-based fabrics. For example, organic cotton made in the US has a carbon footprint of 2.35 kg CO2 (per ton of spun fiber)—a quarter of polyester’s carbon footprint.

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Reduces Demand for Natural Resources and Waste Management

The textile industry uses water and land to grow cotton and other fibers. It is estimated that 79 billion cubic meters of water were used for the sector worldwide in 2015. For example, producing a single cotton T-shirt requires as much water as one person drinks for 2.5 years (2,700 liters of fresh water).

Worse yet, the textile economy is vastly more linear than circular: the largest amount of resources used in clothes ended up in landfill (instead of being recycled to remake clothes). According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,

  • Less than 3% of materials used in the textile economy in 2015 came from recycled sources.
  • In other words, more than 97% of resources used in making clothes are newly extracted. 

When clothing items are disposed of within a short period of time—under a year in the case of half of the fast fashion clothes – the natural systems that provide raw materials for fabrics don’t have enough time to recover and regenerate, which could lead to ecological breakdown. 

Sustainable fabrics are made with less water and emissions while lasting longer:

  • Because they are durable, you don’t need to buy new clothes too often. 
  • Thus, you help reduce the pressure to extract more resources for making new items. 

Similarly, making and consuming sustainable fabrics made with recycled materials reduces the demand for virgin materials while helping tackle waste management. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Sustainable Management of Forests

Sustainable natural fiber fabrics are made with raw materials from forests and plantations that are sustainably managed, such as complying with FSC standards

When you buy sustainable natural fiber fabrics, you discourage unsustainable forestry practices like illegal logging. You can help reduce deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the effects of climate change. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Fairer Treatment of Animals 

The fashion industry is rife with animal mistreatment when it comes to making animal-based fabrics like wool or silk. Every year, billions of animals suffer and die for clothing and accessories.

Buying sustainable vegan alternatives can help to reduce the pressure on raising more and more animals to meet the demand for animal-based fabrics while sacrificing their well-being and lives. 

Suppose you have to buy fabrics made with, for example, wool or silk; make sure you only choose brands committed to cruelty-free products. In that case, you help advocate better treatments for animals raised within the textile industry. 

Using Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Fairer Treatment of Textile Workers 

Recent statistics from UNICEF estimated as many as 170 million child laborers worldwide, many of whom were engaged in some form of work in the textile industry. They don’t get paid minimum wages and often work long hours. 

When you buy sustainable fabrics from brands transparent about the working conditions at their factories, you discourage the use of child labor and help promote better working conditions for textile workers.

How Can You Generally Buy More Sustainable Fabrics

The key to sustainably buying fabrics is to check on relevant environmental and original certifications. 

For natural fabrics

  • Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): A globally recognized certification system that ensures a certain threshold of organic content has been met. It covers manufacturing, packaging, labeling, transportation, and distribution (but not what happens in the fields where crops are grown). 
  • USDA Certified Biobased Product: The USDA BioPreferred® Certification is a voluntary certification offered by the United States Department of Agriculture. The certification identifies products made from plants or other renewable materials.
  • Ecolabel: Ecolabel is the official Canadian Union voluntary label recognized worldwide for certified products with a guaranteed, independently verified low environmental impact. The label requires high environmental standards throughout the entire life-cycle: from raw material extraction through production and distribution to disposal. It also encourages companies to develop innovative, durable, easy-to-repair, and recyclable products. 

For natural fiber semi-natural/semi-synthetic fabrics:

  • Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification: PEFC’s approaches to sustainable forest management are in line with protecting the forests globally and locally and making the certificate work for everyone. Getting a PEFC certification is strict enough to ensure the sustainable management of a forest is socially just, ecologically sound, and economically viable but attainable not only by big but small forest owners.

For recycled fabrics:

  • Recycled Claim Standard (RCS): The Textile Exchange RCS was originally developed as an international, voluntary standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of Recycled input and chain of custody. 
  • The Global Recycled Standard (GRS): The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of Recycled Content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. It can be used for any product with more than 20% recycled material.

For all types of fabrics:

  • STeP by OEKO-TEX®: STeP by OEKO-TEX® is an independent certification system for brands, retailers, and manufacturers from the textile and leather industry. It communicates organizational environmental measures, including reducing carbon footprint and water usage.
  • OEKO-TEX® Standard 100: OEKO-TEX® labels aim to ensure that products pose no risk to human health (i.e., containing banned chemicals). 

Some certifications that are signaling brands’ efforts toward lowered environmental impacts and a circular economy are: 

  • B Corp Certification: The label B Corp is a certification reserved for for-profit companies. Certified holders are assessed on their social and environmental impacts. 
  • Cradle2Cradle certification: Cradle2Cradle provides a standardized approach to material circularity. It assesses whether products have been suitably designed and made with the circular economy in mind covering five critical categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.

Final Thoughts

The geographical journey of garments often plays a big role in their sustainability because it affects many social and ecological aspects of a product’s life-cycle, from the treatment of textile workers to the use of chemicals. Thus, it is important to keep the origin of your garments in mind when you make your next purchase.

By purchasing clothes from Canadian clothing brands that commit to sustainability, you support their mission to create a fairer and less harmful textile industry for all lives on Earth. 

Here is the list (again) of the most sustainable Canadian clothing brands:

  • Tentree 
  • The Good Tee
  • hernest project
  • BEDI
  • Encircled
  • FRANC
  • Wuxly
  • Kotn
  • Londre Bodywear
  • TAMGA Designs
  • Terrera
  • Miik
  • Message Factory
  • Mariclaro
  • Good for Sunday
  • Wildflo Studio
  • Meemoza
  • Frank and Oak

To make your use of clothing items from these Canadian clothing brands even more sustainable, follow these steps:

  1. Buy second-hand, recycled, or upcycled clothes made with low-impact materials. 
  2. Keep your clothes for as long as possible.
  3. At the end-of-life of your clothes, upcycle the materials to extend their usage and arrange for them to be recycled or properly disposed of.

Sources

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