10 Most Sustainable Non-Toxic Clothing Brands: The Conscious Consumer’s Guide

10 Most Sustainable Non-Toxic Clothing Brands: The Conscious Consumer’s Guide

By
Quynh Nguyen

Read Time:27 Minutes

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Stay impactful,

Amid growing concerns about harmful synthetic chemicals used in the textile industry, there is a need to find safe clothes for your wardrobe. Organic fabrics are becoming quite the preferred textile materials as organic cultivation doesn’t depend on synthetic agrochemicals. But is there anything else brands can do to make their clothes more gentle to consumers’ health and the environment? So, we had to ask: Which are the most sustainable non-toxic clothing brands? 

The most sustainable non-toxic clothing brands are MATE the Label, PAKA, and Harvest & Mill, which use clean materials, employ full traceability, and maintain a relatively short supply chain. In addition, Pact and Organic Basics commit to using organic fabrics while reducing their carbon footprint. 

Whether you are searching for a sweater, a pair of yoga pants, or some comfortable underwear to add to your wardrobe without worrying about harmful chemicals, there is a brand for you. So, let’s keep reading to learn more about the most sustainable non-toxic clothing brands and how they ensure sustainable, ethical practices. 

Here’s How We Selected the 10 Most Sustainable Non-Toxic Clothing Brands

Toxic synthetic chemicals can be used throughout the fashion supply chain, from sourcing fibers to dyeing fabrics to packaging. Such chemicals have high environmental impacts and could be harmful to your skin. 

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

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 10 Most Sustainable Non-Toxic Clothing Brands

Overall, these non-toxic 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

MATE the Label: Clean From Seed to Skin

Logo for MATE the Label
Screenshot of the MATE the label front page

To provide people everywhere with essentials that are clean from seed to skin.

MATE the Label

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

MATE the Label ensures sustainability by sourcing low-impact natural materials, reducing carbon footprints, and recycling.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

MATE the Label has a Code of Conduct covering four of the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

In 2021, MATE the Label donated 1% of sales to nonprofit partners that are committed to saving the planet. On Giving Tuesday in 2021, they upped the donation from 1% of every purchase to 5%. Since their partnership with BEAM Impact, MATE the Label’s customers have been able to choose which organization the donations of their order should go to. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: minimalistic, versatile clothes for women
  • Product range: sweaters, dresses, pants, hoodies, maternity wear, blouses, T-shirts, jumpsuits, underwear
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–XL
2

Paka: Non-Toxic Outdoor Clothing Made With Traceable Alpaca Wool 

Logo for Paka
Screenshot of the Paka front page

Paka was created to bring you closer to where your clothing comes from, what it’s made of, and who made it.”

Paka

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Paka prioritizes sustainability by innovating and making low-impact, high-performing fabrics with ethical alpaca wool.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Paka ensures their ethics by making their alpaca wool products fully traceable, from free-roaming alpacas up in the Andes Mountains to customers’ homes in the US.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Through their partnership with Peruvian Hearts, Paka supports the education of underprivileged Peruvian young women with 1% of their annual revenues. Another 1% of their sales supports regenerative agriculture and alpaca families. Additionally, they provide free weaving training for women who want to learn a skill, as well as a “Wawa Wasi” (daycare) in the neighborhood, with full-time supervision and a trained psychologist to enable mothers to go to work. Lastly, Paka is helping to build an NGO that preserves the Inca traditions

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: women’s and men’s knitwear
  • Product range: jackets, sweaters, hoodies, baselayer, T-shirts, joggers, socks, underwear, accessories
  • Price range: $$$
  • Size range: XXS–XXL
3

Harvest & Mill: Carbon-Neutral Apparel Made in Organic and Traceable US-Based Supply Chain 

Logo for Harvest & Mill
Screenshot of the Harvest & Mill front page

We use zero fabric wholesalers or brokers and we use only 100% USA grown organic cotton yarns – because that is the only way to have true transparency in fashion and fabric chemical content.

Harvest & Mill

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Harvest & Mill’s sustainability efforts focus on using low-impact materials, minimizing textile waste, and achieving carbon neutrality. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Harvest & Mill traces their whole supply chain and visits their suppliers regularly. They state that from the farm workers to the factory workers, everyone who works on Harvest & Mill clothing receives a fair wage, safe working conditions, the legally protected right to organize, and protection from discrimination.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Harvest & Mill is a member of Fibershed, a nonprofit that develops regional fiber systems that build soil and protect the health of Earth’s biosystems. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: shirts, T-shirts, pants, shorts, socks
  • Price range: $$$ 
  • Size range: S–XL
4

Pact: Non-Toxic Essential Clothing Made Ethically and Sustainably 

Logo for Pact
Screenshot of the Pact front page

“We believe the planet, and the people on it, should always come first in fashion.”

Pact

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Pact ensures sustainability by using low-impact textile and packaging materials, offsetting the carbon impact of all their products, and facilitating the donation of used clothes to reduce waste.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Pact uses Fair Trade CertifiedTM factories, providing safe working conditions, community support, and additional development funds to workers in their supply chain. They also trace most of their supply chain, including the final stage of production. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

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

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: dresses, hoodies, sweatshirts, activewear, sleepwear, maternity wear, T-shirts, underwear, jumpsuits, playsuits, plus-size
  • Price range: $$$
  • Size range: XS–XXXL
5

Organic Basics: A Carbon Neutral Brand Creating Non-Toxic Underwear, Activewear, and Everyday Essentials

Logo for Organic Basics
Screenshot of the Organic Basics front page

We make our basics to be both Earth- and people-friendly — carefully choosing materials and fabrics that care for our environment, only partnering with factories that consider their impact too, and designing all the basics for all bodies.

Organic Basics

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Organic Basics promotes sustainability by choosing fabrics based on their environmental footprint and lifetime durability.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Organic Basics works only with trusted, certified factory partners, who ensure that their workplace is free of child labor and forced labor and that their workers enjoy a safe working space, earn a living wage, and benefit from employee perks like free lunches and childcare.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Organic Basics donates 1% of the value of all orders to sustainable projects. Their partnership with Beam Impact enables consumers to choose where their 1% donation will go, at no extra cost to the consumers, to support local charities that help Nature Conservation, Ocean Conservation, Rewilding, or Sustainability & Gender Equity.

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, menswear
  • Product range: underwear, bras, bottoms, T-shirts, tops, sweatshirts, hoodies, knitwear dresses, swimwear, socks, plus-size
  • Price range: $$$
  • Size range: XXS–XXL
6

Sustain by Kat: Organic Clothing Free of Synthetic Dyes

Logo for Sustain by Kat
Screenshot of the Sustain by Kat front page

“Sustain’s goal is to make clothing that is more than just low impact. We create clothing that actually has a positive impact on our world, helping both the environment and the people in it.

Sustain by KAT 

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Sustain by Kat prioritizes sustainability by sourcing plant-based fibers and dyes to eliminate harmful chemicals and help remove carbon from the atmosphere. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Sustain by Kat traces most of their supply chain. They state that they provide fair wages and safe working conditions to support small, marginalized communities in India where their Ayurvedic collection is produced. The rest of their apparel is made locally in the US.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

Sustain by Kat is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear, kidswear
  • Product range: tanks, tees, shirts, blouses, shorts, pants, underwear, bras, accessories underwear
  • Price range: $$ 
  • Size range: XS–XL
7

HARA the Label: Garments Designed Collectively for You and Our Earth 

Logo for HARA
Screenshot of the Hara the label front page

We stand for slow fashion, transparent supply chains and an ethical production line you can be proud to support.

HARA the Label

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

HARA the Label promotes sustainability by using mostly low-impact organic bamboo lyocell fabrics for garments.

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

HARA the Label traces most of their supply chain, including the final stage of production in Australia. 

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

HARA the Label is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: underwear, loungewear, loungewear, plus-size
  • Price range: $$$
  • Size range: XS–5XL
8

Colorful Standard: Non-Toxic Apparel Made With Organic and Recycled Materials

Logo for Colorful Standard
Screenshot of the Colorful Standard front page

Our brand centers around the fact that we don’t care much for seasons or trends, instead, we create timeless and long-lasting products to avoid the downward spiral that is over-consumption.

Colorful Standard

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

Colorful Standard ensures their sustainability by sourcing low-impact materials, minimizing waste, and striving to extend the product lifespan. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

Colorful Standard traces most of their supply chain. Their final production stage happens in Portugal, a medium-risk country for labor abuse. They also manufacture in-house at their own manufacturing center, RTG Textiles, to ensure ethics in the supply chain. On top of that, they state that they work under the European Labour Law, which ensures that all employees at their manufacturing center work fair hours for fair wages.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

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

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: menswear, womenswear
  • Product range: hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, shirts, tank tops, pants, shorts, underwear, activewear, socks, accessories
  • Price range: $$
  • Size range: XS–2XL
9

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

logo for Kotn
Screenshot of the KOTN front page

“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
10

The Standard Stitch: Non-Toxic and Sustainable Made Clothing 

Logo for The Standard Stitch
Screenshot of the Standard Stitch front page

We’re setting the bar higher by rethinking the way clothes are made at every step of the process. We believe that cleaner, more thoughtful practices can change the way fashion impacts people and the planet.

The Standard Stitch

🌎

How do they ensure their sustainability?

The Standard Stitch ensures their sustainability by sourcing a high proportion of low-impact materials and reducing their water use and carbon emissions. 

🌐

How do they ensure their ethics?

The Standard Stitch has 100% traceability into their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers and has mapped out 50% of Tier 3. Their Vendor Code of Ethics covers all of the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

🤝

Are they part of any giving-back programs?

The Standard Stitch is not known to be part of any giving-back programs. 

🛍️

What is their product range?

  • Best for: womenswear
  • Product range: dresses, shorts, sweatshirts, T-shirts, tanks, sweatpants, joggers, 
  • Price range: $$$ 
  • Size range: XS–5XL

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 ultimately 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 fabrics made in the US have 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 landfills (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 plant-based fabrics are made with raw materials from forests and plantations that are sustainably managed, such as by complying with FSC standards

When you buy sustainable plant-based fabrics, you discourage unsustainable forestry practices like illegal logging. By doing this, you can also 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. In this case, make sure you only choose brands committed to cruelty-free products. In doing so, 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 European 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 plant-based 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 also 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

Non-toxic clothing brands eliminate the use of harmful synthetic chemicals in sourcing, manufacturing, and transporting, reducing their negative impact on both the environment and the health of consumers and textile workers. 

By purchasing new or pre-loved clothes from non-toxic 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 non-toxic clothing brands:

  • MATE the Label
  • Paka
  • Harvest & Mill
  • Pact
  • Organic Basics
  • Sustain by Kat
  • HARA the Label
  • Colorful Standard
  • Kotn
  • The Standard Stitch

To make your use of these non-toxic clothes even more sustainable, follow these steps:

  1. Buy second-hand, recycled, or upcycled clothes.
  2. While using non-toxic clothes, maximize the number of wears between washes and keep them as long as possible.
  3. At the end-of-life of your non-toxic clothes, upcycle the materials to extend their usage and arrange for them to be recycled or properly disposed of.

Stay impactful,



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