Conscious consumers are all too familiar with the struggle that accompanies voting with their wallets by identifying products that are ethically and sustainably produced. This struggle is complicated enough at the grocery store or down the skincare aisle while trying to find foods and products that are whole, organic, sustainably produced, not tested on animals, and produced by workers who are hired, treated, and paid fairly – but what about the purchases that go beyond the grocery store and skincare products? An area often neglected is clothing and the rise of fast fashion, and this subset of consumerism is notorious for unethical production.
It is important to remember that our everyday purchases have effects in communities around the globe, and information about conscious consumerism is readily available. Symptoms of mass production such as sweatshop labor, unfair wages, poor working conditions, and worker abuse are issues that we tend to know about, yet overlook due to a lack of knowledge for the alternatives. Below is a list of brands I’ve found for the everyday consumer trying to be more ethical in their purchases!
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1. Fair Trade Winds
FairTrade Winds connects creators along the entire trade route from farmers to artisans to organizations to the global market and works to make the communities it touches sustainable for the long term. They help those they work with to meet nutritional needs, get access to health care, receive financial training, have irrigation systems, get access to clean water, and other products depending on the community’s unique needs. They go beyond a fair wage to empower those they employ, and have a focus on women’s needs in these communities. Fair Trade Winds is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
Products: Women's and Men's Apparel, Jewelry, Accessories, Home Goods, Kitchen and Dining, Journals, Cards, Gift Ideas
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Has vegan products
Find them @fairtradewinds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+
2. Mata Traders
MataTraders is an ethical fashion company which merges vibrant style with fair trade practices in an effort to have an impact on global poverty. They partner with fair trade organizations in Nepal and India which work to employ artisans in marginalized communities with an emphasis on gender equity and women’s empowerment, and preventing child labor. They provide services to end the poverty cycle, including health care, paid maternity leave, retirement pensions, daycare, literacy classes, and nutrition education among others. They empower the fair global market and the cultural beauty of India and Nepal. Mata Traders is a member of the Fair Trade Federation and is a Green America certified business.
Products: Women's Apparel and Jewelry
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Find them @MataTraders on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube
3. PACT
PACT is a company which proudly states, “We make clothes that don’t hurt people”. They go to great lengths to make sure that every step from the farmer to the seamstress to the consumer is filled with positive experiences. Their factories are top-tier in environmental and social standards, as they only partner with those that treat and pay workers well so that they and their communities can thrive through PACT’s impact. They are free from child labor, pesticides, and non-GMO cotton. PACT partners with Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard, and Organic Content Standard to ensure their products.
Products: Cotton Basics (socks, underwear, tees, etc.)
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Find them @wearPACT on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube
4. People Tree
PeopleTree is a pioneer in Fair Trade and environmentally sustainable fashion for over twenty years. Their products are hand crafted in organic cotton and other sustainable materials and support rural communities to grow and develop. They produce high quality, sustainable fashion for all consumers and often collaborate with leading designers. People Tree was the first organization to achieve Global Organic Textile Standard, and is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization, the Control Union, meet requirements for Organic Dyes, and are working to meet Soil Standard requirements.
Products: Men's and Women's Apparel
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Has vegan products
Find them @peopletreeuk on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+
5. MooShoes
MooShoes is a vegan-owned business in Manhattan which promotes cruelty-free products and animal rights. They partner with rescue organizations in the community and house rescued cats to promote adoption.
Products:Shoes, Bags, Shirts, Accessories
Price Range: $$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Find them @mooshoes_nyc on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
6. mini mioche
mini mioche is a company based in Canada which works to make the planet a better place for the futures of our children. They utilize organic cotton yarn with low-impact, non-toxic, reusable dyes, and are packaged as minimally as possible without unnecessary plastic use.
Products: Children's Clothes
Price Range: $$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: not certified
Vegan: Some products are certified vegan
Find them @minimioche on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
7. prAna
prAna is a Fair Trade USA partner which creates versatile, stylish, and sustainable clothing for everyday activity and adventure. They are mindful of where and how their products are made and team up with local and international charities annually to serve their and the global community. They go out of their way to ensure that they seek resources that are renewable and sustainable, that their workers are treated and paid fairly, and that their methods improve the industry. They use organic cotton, recycled wool, repurposed down, hemp, and recycled polyester to keep their products sustainable, and hold partnerships with Blue Sign, Fair Trade, Fair Labor Association, Responsible Forest Initiative, Polybag Reduction, and Traceability.
Products: Outerwear, Activewear, Yoga Wear, Swimwear, Apparel, Accessories
Price Range: $$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Some products
Find them @prAna on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube
8. Naja
Naja Lingerie is passionate about empowering women from the seamstress to the wearer. They employ programs such as Naja’s Underwear for Hope which trains and employs single mothers from Colombia to create their handmade pieces. They are working to change the industry they are part of by empowering women instead of objectifying them – doing away with the male gaze in advertisements, employing single mothers or female heads of households, and paying for books, school supplies, uniforms, and school meals of children of Naja workers. They utilize environmentally friendly process in fabric printing reducing their water waste to almost none and include fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.
Products: Lingerie, Underwear, Bras
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Some products
Find them @naja on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
9. Wallis Evera
Wallis Evera is an eco-clothing brand which uses hemp as the main material for all products. They use locally made, sustainable fabrics which are naturally biodegradable and highly renewable which require no fungicides, herbicides, or pesticides to grow and consumes less water and energy than cotton does to produce, and they use low-impact dyes. The fabric is breathable, durable, and naturally resistant to mold, bacteria, and UV light damage. The company hopes to spark dialogue for a more sustainable future of fashion.
Products: Businesswear
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Find them @wallisevera on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
10. Noctu
Noctu is dedicated to creating ethically and sustainably made night and loungewear to lessen the impact conventional cotton production has on our planet and lives. All products are Fair Trade and Global Organic Textile Standard certified.
Products: Loungewear, Nightwear
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Some products
Find them @noctuorganic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
11. Zady
Zady is an activist company which recognizes the system of providing low-quality goods at unsustainable rates in the effort to train consumers to buy more and more as often as possible at high environmental and social costs. They provide an alternative with a wide range of products that proves there’s a better way to partake in the consumeristic culture we’re living in by creating a new standard. They utilize recycled synthetic fabrics, organic fibers free of toxins, worker empowerment, and fair wages to ensure their standard of product development. Zady is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard, Oeko-Tex, and Fair Trade.
Products: Lifestyle Product Range (Apparel, Home, Beauty, Jewelry, Accessories)
Price Range: $-$$
Fair Trade: Yes
Eco-Friendly: Yes
Sustainably Produced: Yes
Cruelty Free: Yes
Vegan: Some products
Find them @zady on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr
Bonus Round: Fast Fashion retailers* with Fair Trade or Animal Friendly Lines**
1. Aerie's Organics line
2. American Apparel does not support sweatshops and aims to be sustainable
3. Converse's shoes have achieved the D-Label for sustainability
4. Eddie Bauer no longer uses sweatshop labor
5. H&M's Conscious Collection aims to be sustainable and utilizes fair trade
6. TOMS shoes are fair trade and support sustainability in impoverished communities
7. Topshop has a Fair Trade fashion label
*as per the Humane Society's list
**Disclaimer: this does not apply to all products from these companies
