Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue in the fashion industry, and outdoor clothing is no exception. As more and more people turn to the great outdoors for recreation, it's crucial that the clothing we wear while exploring and enjoying nature is produced in an environmentally-friendly and socially responsible manner.
So, how do you know if the clothing you buy is truly ethical and working towards a sustainable future? To help you, we have put together an A-Z list of brands that are driving real and meaningful change to protect our natural environment and uphold the welfare of workers around the world.
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- 66North
This Icelandic company specialises in High-tec apparel and claims to be carbon neutral since 2019. Their design philosophy focuses on creating durable products and offers repair services for any existing products. The company also plants trees with every purchase, and runs its supply chain on green energy and electric vehicles.
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- Adidas
It might come as a shock that as one of largest sportswear makers in the world, Adidas, makes this list, especially given the decades of notoriety that many of the big sports brands have come to share. However, the company has adapted some strong environmental and labour standards, including a public commitment to reduce its direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2020. This represents a positive step because Adidas has a significant influence over the direction of travel for the sports and active wear industry, and is likely to signal to its fiercest competitors to follow suit, particularly as customers continue to shop more and more with their consciences.
- Aku Footwear
Aku is an Italian outdoor shoe specialist that is committed to searching for innovative design solutions that principally aimed at containing their environmental impact, by promoting the responsible use and reuse of materials, with a drive to ensure it operates on a circular economy.
- Arc'Teryx
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Arc'teryx is a high performance outdoor equipment company known for leading sustainable innovations in climbing, skiing and alpine technologies.
- Atmosea
Based in Byron Bay, Australia, Atmosea specialises in making functional, wetsuits exclusively for women who love surfing and swimming. The brand uses compostable liners instead of plastic for their swimwear and are committed to improving the working conditions for their workers.
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- Bamboo Clothing
Bamboo Clothing is exactly what it says on the tin, making outdoor apparel from sustainably sourced Bamboo. The company is driven by its ambitions to be Impact Positive, monitoring its impact across six key goal areas including climate, people, land, waste, chemical and water.
- Beaumont Organic
Beaumont Organic is a UK-based slow fashion brand that blends simple style with ethical production practices. Founded by Hannah Beaumont-Laurencia, the brand also has its own charitable foundation which supports workers in Fiji.
- Blackyak
Based in the UK, Black Yak is a supplier high quality and stylish clothing and crafts from around the world and is very proud to be recognised by The British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers (BAFTS) as a fair trade importer, wholesaler and retailer. Their ethos is to buy only, fairly and ethically produced goods from their supply chain partners, with whom they monitor closely to ensure that they earn a living wage consistently through the trade year, and to ensure that they have safe and pleasant working conditions.
- Boody
Boody products are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. The company actively seeks to minimise textile waste through low-waste cutting techniques, while reducing its water use by using a closed-loop system in its supply chain. The company's factories are certified by Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production - WRAP.
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- Cortazu
Cortazu is a Dutch brand that creates high-performance outerwear and premium outdoor essentials for each and every adventure and has also won an ISPO Gold award for its recycled Nylon 3-layer jacket. They have partnered up with Justdiggit, a non-profit organisation that uses environmentally sound techniques to restore degraded landscapes to create local benefits for communities in Tanzania and Kenya
- Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a US company that produces innovative and sustainable outdoor products. The company allocates 1% of annual revenues to fund sustainable poverty relief through their nonprofit partners.
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- Dakine
Based in Oregon, USA, Dakine specialises in backpacks, travel bags, accessories, outerwear and clothing for outdoor sports. Dakine's products are designed to be extremely durable, while also using environmentally friendlier materials and recycled polyester an increased use of PFC-free finishes for water resistant apparel.
- DK Active
DK Active uses some eco-friendly materials including organic cotton. It uses renewable energy in its supply chain to reduce its climate impact and it also reuses all of its offcuts to minimise textile waste.
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- Ecoalf
Ecoalf believes in creation through transformation by using recycled and low-impact materials. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including recycled materials. It uses recycled packaging. Its use of eco-friendly materials limits the amount of chemicals, water and wastewater used in production.
- Econscious
Econscious creates apparel and accessories that embody the best in sustainable design. They are committed to creating quality, long lasting clothing using 100% organic cotton. They also donate 1% of every sale made to not-for-profit environmental organisations.
- Eider
This French-based company specialises in mountaineering and ice-climbing gear. It focus on sustainable design through low-impact manufacture, and guaranteed durability.
- Elle Evans
Elle Evans is an Australian brand that produces sustainable swimwear and activewear for women and children, made from post-consumer waste fabrics. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including recycled plastic waste from the sea. They also donate $1 from every purchase directly to the Healthy Seas Initiative.
- Etiko
Etiko's slogan is "Wear no Evil" summaries the heart and soul behind this Australian brand's mission to make ethical fashion as seamless and integral in our shopping decisions as much as possible. The company designs eco-friendly, vegan and fair trade clothing and shoes. It also has it's own "Take Back Program" to help nurture a circular economy to minimise waste materials.
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- Finisterre
Finisterre is a pioneering, sustainable outdoor brand, built to inspire a love of the sea and anchored in exceptional product. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton. It uses plastic-free packaging. It reuses most of its offcuts to minimise textile waste. Its use of eco-friendly materials limits the amount of chemicals, water and wastewater used in production.
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- Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective creates minimal, luxury women’s activewear made with certified fair labour, certified by the Social Accountability Standard International SA8000. The brand uses recycled polyester as well as low-impact non-toxic dyes and is fully Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified.
- Goldwin
Goldwin is a Japanese company that offers highly designed and functional sportswear. The company is at the forefront of sustainable clothing innovation, having achieved major milestones in manufacturing the first sweater in the world using "Brewed Protein" a biopolymer fabric made through a microbial fermentation process that utilizes plant-based feedstock as well as a synthetic ski jacket made from spider silk.
- Groceries Apparel
Groceries Apparel is a California based fashion brand that uses organic fabrics such as eucalyptus, recycled plastic, hemp, recycled cotton along with non-toxic vegetable dyes for men and women.
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- Haglöfs
This Swedish brand is one of the world's largest suppliers of outdoor hardware, clothing and footwear. The company is working to reduce their C02 footprint and has been a bluesign® system partner since 2008.
- Helly Hansen
Built for the most extreme of sailing pursuits as well as mountain sports. This Norwegian brand is focused on manufacturing durable outdoor gear that is designed to last and made from materials specifically selected to have the least environmental impact. The company also actively promotes and monitors fair working practices throughout its supply chain.
- High Hope Clothing
High Hope Clothing is an independent UK clothing brand inspired by nature using creative and modern design styles centered around sustainable principles including fair-trade certified organic cotton, biodegrable packaging and eco-friendly inks.
- Houdini
Swedish outdoor clothing brand at the forefront of sustainable performance design. It uses some eco-friendly materials including recycled materials and it creates high-quality, long-lasting products. It manufactures all products locally to reduce its carbon footprint.
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- Icebreaker
Headquartered in Switzerland, Icebreaker is a brand where sustainability is the foundation in the design of their entire business philosophy. The company specialises in making outdoor clothing from 100% Merino Wool free from plastic microfibres, resulting in items that are breathable, comfortable and environmentally friendlier.
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- Jack Wolfskin
Jack-Wolffskin is a German outdoor brand pursuing a variety of sustainable clothing lines including products made of recycled material (including their waterproof TEXAPORE-ECOSPHERE jacket), a ban on PFCs, rejecting the use of fur and Angora wool – and supporting research and development into green and innovative materials.
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- Klättermusen
Klattermusen is a Swedish outdoor apparel and backpack company, which focuses on product designs with long life spans. It uses 100% organic cotton in its clothing and was the first to completely remove PFOA (one of the most hazardous fluorocarbons) from all garments fluorocarbon-becoming the first outdoor brand to become fluorocarbon free in 2017.
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- La Sportiva
La Sportiva is and Italian footwear brand that specialises in manufacturing shoes for mountaineering, skiing and climbing. The company is developing a circular economy to ensure better recycling and reuse of materials in the manufacture of their products. They also offer a product repair service to extend the life of existing products.
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- Mammut
This Swiss Outdoor brand is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The brand has laid out a 5 year plan to increase the measurability of its corporate responsibility initiatives including its environmental impact and working conditions of its suppliers.
- Miakoda
If you’re all about that organic plant-based lifestyle, then you’ll most certainly vibe with Miakoda and its organic, ultra-cosy, active, ethical and sustainable pieces that combines stripped-back colours and designs with comfort. Everything is manufactured in an ethical factory in New York City, and all packing materials are eco-friendly.
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- Natasha Tonic
Natasha Tonic is an LA-based vegan swimwear line made out of natural hemp fabric. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including organic cotton and hemp. It manufactures locally to reduce its carbon footprint. It uses low impact non-toxic dyes in all of its products.
- North Face
Even if you're completely new to the world of outdoor adventure, there's still a good chance you're familiar with the North Face. This iconic California based company is a pioneer in outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment. Lately, the company has been making some good steps towards prioritising sustainability in its design. |The brand is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and uses some eco-friendly materials, including recycled polyester. The brand has set a target to consume 100% renewable energy in its own operations by 2025.
- Nube
Nube turns recycled plastic into responsible and fashionable activewear. The brand partners with artists and designers around the world to create prints motivated by the environmental crisis that inspire connection and action. This fully woman-owned business uses a closed-loop manufacturing process by recycling all off-cuts created during the manufacturing process.
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- Organic Basics
Organic Basics offers high quality sustainable fashion basics for men and women manufactured with organic materials. This Danish activewear brand puts sustainable thinking at the centre of it's business policies: it only chooses fabrics that care for the environment, and works exclusively with factories that actively care about improving their social and environmental impacts.
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- Pact
PACT is a brand that is passionate about being part of a movement transforming the way apparel is made. All of its clothing is sweatshop-free and child-labour-free, and its activewear range is almost entirely made from certified organic cotton, with more than 50% also certified as Fair Trade.
- Pangaia
PANGAIA designs products for living in any situation, sustaining your basic needs with smart technology and utilising recyclable elements wherever possible. The company uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials particularly upcycled materials. It also uses low impact non-toxic dyes in all of its products. It uses compostable packaging and its persistent use of eco-friendly materials limits the amount of water and wastewater used in production.
- Passenger Clothing
Passenger is a UK brand that plants a tree for every product sold. The brand is partnered with not-for-profits Surfers Against Sewage and #2minutebeachclean. The company only works with suppliers that are Fair-Trade certified and close to the fabric source to reduce their carbon footprint.
- Patagonia
Patagonia is a brand which truly lives and breathes the great outdoors. This California company makes clothing for trail running, climbing, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding. Patagonia has strong labour rights and uses recycled, rather than virgin, polyester. It has also committed to reducing its energy use and emissions.
- Picture Organic
French-based Picture Organic designs eco-friendly, organic, and recycled apparel and products for snowboarding, skiing, outdoors, and surfing. The brand reuses all its offcuts to minimise textile waste and is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, working to ensure good working conditions for its workers.
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- Sage Larock
Sage Larock produces timeless swimwear and activewear that is sure to turn heads. Its stunning pieces are made from an Italian recycled plastic fabric that is high-quality and long-lasting—and a percentage of profits from each sale goes to support marine conservation non-profits
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- Tala
TALA creates fresh and funky active and athleisure wear. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including upcycled materials, and promotes body positivity with gorgeous diverse models in sizes XS-XL.
- Team Timbuktu
Team Timbuktu creates high-performance waterproof raincoats and sweat-wicking activewear, made from recycled plastic bottles and ethical manufacturing.
- Tentree
As its name suggests, Tentree plants ten trees for every item purchased. The brand uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including organic cotton. It uses renewable energy in its supply chain to reduce its climate impact.
- Threads 4 Thought
Threads 4 Thought uses a range of sustainable materials including Lenzing Modal harvested from the limbs of beech trees. This process means that the trees are never cut down and 95% of the production materials to make the yarn are recovered and reused. The brand’s manufacturers are a combination of Fair Trade USA certified and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production certified.
- Timbuktu
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- Vege Threads
Vege Threads is ECA certified and makes all of its clothing in Australia. Its range is sustainable and eco-friendly, and includes men’s and women’s basics, as well as women’s activewear and swimwear.
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- We-Ar
WE-AR clothing is designed for existential living, specialising in men and women’s yoga and casual wear. It uses organic cotton, linen, and lyocell, and sets a yearly target to increase its use of environmentally friendly materials, which is encouraging.
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- Zeal Optics
Zeal Optics See Grass frames combine 70% recycled plastics and 30% grass fibers in a renewable energy powered closed-loop supply chain to create some of the most sustainable sunglasses yet. This fibrous base is combined with recycled plastics to reuse waste material and keep it out of landfills.
