Is It Sustainable?

It can be quite difficult to know if a company is truly sustainable or not. Not to mention the word ‘sustainable’ in itself can be puzzling. It can mean the company uses biodegradable materials, doesn’t use fur, reduces plastic use, produces locally, pays fair wages, zero waste practices, is conscious about the end life of their garments, and the list goes on and on. So- how do we personally vouch for companies at ODC and what can you look for when shopping to ensure you’re supporting a company that cares? Check out our suggestions below!

What ODC looks for:

We like to support companies that care, and while we list brands that may not do everything perfectly, we’re looking out for those that are transparent about their practices and ones that talk about short and long term goals for sustainability. Our red flag? When brands list they are fully sustainable, totally ‘green’, or use words like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’, or ‘conscious’ loosely. We understand all these words are thrown around a lot, we use them too, but try and avoid supporting companies that use these words as a cover. You can usually tell whether they are being authentic or not based on the evidence they back their claims with.

Some things you can look out for when looking into a business; factory information & certifications, production practices (i.e. renewable energy use, recycling, water treatment), carbon footprint/greenhouse gas emissions, packaging & shipping, and a list of fabrics they use.

1) Factories:

with regards to factory information, it’s always helpful when a company discloses where their factories are located or what kind of values the factory has; i.e. is it family run, what certifications they have or if it’s local to where the company is based? Does the company care about where their items are shipped from to avoid high carbon emissions? Lots of times, on their ‘about us’ or ‘sustainability’ section of the website, a transparent company will have pictures of some of the factory workers or a list of ‘must-haves’ for working with that facility. For them, there’s nothing to hide.

2) Production practices:

In addition to the factory information, sometimes companies will list things they practice in their factory or office. Things like water treatment, using renewable energy to run the factory/office space, mandating recycling, using low-impact dyes and chemicals in the treatment processes or ensuring there is a way to take back customers used garments to close to loop on fabric waste. Reformation does a great job listing what specifics their factories and office spaces do. When thinking about the end life of a garment, I personally think if a business is part of the production process, they should also be held accountable for where their garments end up, (somewhere other than a landfill!). Companies like For Days figured out a way to take back all customer’s used clothes and rework the fabrics are therefore high up on my ‘favorites’ list.

3) Local vs. overseas production:

Some companies will choose to source and produce all their clothes locally. While ‘made in China’ tends to have a negative stigma attached to it, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. You can find some amazing ethically run factories abroad and help finance family run or artisanal businesses this way by providing them with orders. This can help give them exposure to the Western world too. Local production does however severely cut down on carbon emissions from shipping internationally. Check out the ‘our mission’ section of Los Angeles Apparel, they talk about their reasoning for producing locally in L.A..

4) Shipping materials:

While I don’t necessarily think using recycled/biodegradable mailers is ‘enough’ of a qualification to call yourself a sustainably-minded brand, it is nice when companies ensure everything they ship their items in are made from eco-friendly materials. My personal favorites are biodegradable mailers. No Issue is a great company to support if you’re in the production world and looking for a supplier.

5) Fabrics:

Lastly, nearly all of the companies we have on this site use some sort of sustainable materials in their fabrics. Tencel, recycled cotton, hemp or linen are some awesome options and alternatives to synthetic materials (like polyester). Generally speaking plastic is quite hard to avoid, so if it’s something they mention they’re trying to phase out, that’s great. Just check in if they’re working to meet that goal. You can write e-mails to companies under their ‘contact us’ section and say you’re a proud supporter of sustainability and love the brand but wish they would invest in more materials besides plastic. Our dollar is our vote, so let them know you want to support a company that cares about the environment! We’ve survived in the past without plastic, let’s phase it out and demand more earth-friendly materials in the garments we buy (demand will help lower costs too, in addition of course to the necessity of subsidies created by policymakers).

We hope this guide helped define what different qualities make a brand sustainable or not. As a customer, think deeply about what qualities (one or all) of the aforementioned attributes resonate best with you and support companies that share the same values. And remember, the absolute best thing we can to do be conscious of our purchasing habits is to first, reduce your purchases overall. Reuse what you already have, go shopping in your own closet and if you do need something, think before you buy to make sure it’s something you truly need to buy new. Try borrowing from a friend or hosting a clothing swap party. You can also support second hand shopping. As mentioned, reusing something that’s already been produced can easily help it stay away from another landfill. This is a powerful tool we can all incorporate into our lifestyle habits.

Lastly!

Beyond small daily actions, if you can we must vote this November! Supporting companies who are doing it right is a great start but unfortunately it goes far and beyond that. Ultimately, it needs to be a combination of our individual actions and those in power who can control what protection agencies are being funded, what eco-friendly materials get subsidized, and what sources of energy are heavily taxed. Activate yourself, rally with your friends, and demand a government in power that aligns with all your values and for the safety of our planet.. And remember, the planet will live far beyond our existence. Protecting the environment is a problem that will affect us all, rich and poor. Vote!

Your Off-Duty Holiday Guide for the On Duty Citizen

Recently on ‘What to Wear’, we featured some of our favorite holiday looks from staying warm in the wintertime to holiday gift guides and sequined dresses for New Year’s Eve. While that section of the site serves the purpose of quick inspiration, it’s also our intention to provide a little background information on all the brands we choose to feature so you can dive deep and find new companies to support with an ethos that resonates best with you.

For the holiday parties…

Reformation

RefScale tracks transparency of CO2, water, and waste savings
Factory ensures eco-friendly practices
Reusable totes, recycled hangers, and recycled clothing program
Carbon offsets available for purchase on site

Fame and Partners

Designed with (almost) zero-waste sustainable manufacturing platform
Craft everything to order; eliminates need for excess stock (and air conditioned, CO2-draining warehouses where stored)

Mother of Pearl

Launched “no frills”- first fully sustainable line of core classics
Tries to use less water and source materials to the seed
Replant trees with each tree cut down used to make product
Traceability through entire supply chain
Summer 2020 line, 5% of their materials were synthetics-working to phase out entirely

Matt and Nat

Transparent company working towards becoming better in their production
Works with vegan leather and recycled materials
One of their factories is certified under SA8000 Standard meaning all workers are paid well in a safe work environment

Beachy vacations…

Fisch

Handmade from Italian ECONYL® fabrics
ECONYL® is 100% regenerated nylon fiber crafted from abandoned fishing nets and other nylon waste found in the ocean
Fabric mill is two hours from their factory; minimizes carbon dioxide waste from excessive shipping
Every year FISCH donates 10% of global profits to the Healthy Seas initiative

Hereu

Engages with local artisans to preserve mediterranean craft in Spain
Uses local materials for production
Hereu works with a local factory in Barcelona and artisans in Majorca to produce all of its Spanish leather and woven straw bags

Vitamin A

Uses sustainable fabrics like EcoLux superfine jersey made from recycled nylon fiber
Choose factories that conserve water and energy use
Made in USA

Faithfull the Brand

Designed, sourced, produced in Bali
Hand-dying, hand-printing
Work with local factories, vendors and artisans in Bali and scaled factory growth over the past decade
Faithfull team visits factory weekly to ensure sustainable/ethical standards

Stay cozy this winter..

Ninety Percent

90% of distributed profits shared with charities and those who make collections
Consumers choose which charitable cause money goes to
Garments made in Bangladesh and Turkey in ethical factories
Use organic cotton and Tencel (working to find more sustainable solutions and fabrics)

AG Jeans

Donates to Charity: Water
Made in own vertically integrated facilities; ensures quality control
Production facilities utilize Ozone Technology; cuts water consumption by 50%
Also minimizes use of chemicals and energy
Many (not all) fabrics eco-friendly
Excess scraps collected for recycling on weekly basis and repurposed as insulation
Conducts announced/unannounced audits of suppliers’ facilities

Boy Smells Candle

Developed, mixed at the founder’s home in LA
Fragrance and natural oils
All-natural coconut oil and beeswax
Hand-poured in reusable glass vessel

Everlane

$5 of every Human collection purchase goes to ACLU
Hands-on relationships with factories
Transparent about costs with customers
Uses some natural fibers like recycled cotton

Patagonia

Promotes fair labor practices and safe working conditions
Protection and preservation of the environment
Takes responsibility for entire lifecycle of products
Works with outside auditor and an in-house corporate responsibility specialist to establish working conditions
1% of sales to grass-root activists
Goal to be carbon neutral across entire business including supply chain by 2025
As of 2018, 100% renewable electricity in retail stores in USA
Current practices/goals; measure impact, reduce impact, convert to renewable energy, capture carbon

Gift giving

Ilia Beauty

All cream lip products come in recycled packaging
Certified organic bio-active ingredients
Ethos: not all natural ingredients good for skin, not ever synthetic ingredients bad for skin, finds balance in using both
Ensures everything is safe for skin

Veja

Fair trade philosophy
Avoids retail markups by doing less advertising
Careful consideration of available materials

Soko

Uses technology to empower artisans
Working with artisans and connects them with international market
They're after an ethical fast fashion world
Their mobile-enabled virtual factory operates at a fraction of the cost of traditional production; gives more earnings to artisans

Stella McCartney x Parley

Stella McCartney
No leather or fur
First and only vegetarian luxury line
Transparent and always striving to be more sustainable

Parley
Yarn used from recycled and reclaimed ocean waste
Parley hosts talks to share state of the oceans and to get support for a related initiative or project
Work with companies on collaborative projects to better our oceans
Currently they have collaborations with American Express, Soma, Adidas, and Stella McCartney..

New Year’s Eve..

Rachel Comey

Uses fur/leather from animals that have died from natural causes
Conscious sourcing from tanneries in Peru
Small-scale batches

Fame and Partners

Designed with (almost) zero-waste sustainable manufacturing platform
Craft everything to order; eliminates need for excess stock (and air conditioned, CO2-draining warehouses where stored)

Reformation

RefScale tracks transparency of CO2, water, and waste savings
Factory ensures eco-friendly practices
Reusable totes, recycled hangers, and recycled clothing program
Working to become 100% sustainable (some materials still outsourced)
Offsets available for purchase on site, partner with Brazilian Rosewood Amazon Conservation Project and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) Water Restoration Program

Brother Vellies

Creates and sustains artisanal jobs within Africa
Transparent about who makes shoes and factories they're made in
Most shoes made with Kudu leather; animal byproduct from government mandated culling due to overpopulation
Other materials sourced from local farmers in Kenya and South Africa and are entirely byproducts from edible food industry
Many pieces are vegetable-dyed
Schedule large batch cargo shipments to reduce carbon footprint

Affordable Finds

Boyish Jeans

Uses 1/3 of water typically needed to make denim
Recycled materials for hangtags, hardware, labels and polybags
Ensure suppliers meet standards for social responsibility
Yarn, fabric and manufacturing facility within thirty miles of each other- less C02 footprint
Recycle all cutting waste

Threads 4 Thought

Uses sustainable materials like Organic Cotton, Recycled Polyester, and Lenzing Modal
Factories hold high certifications of ethical practices
Partners with International Rescue Committee

Everlane

$5 of every Human collection purchase goes to ACLU
Hands-on relationships with factories
Transparent about costs with customers
Uses some natural fibers like recycled cotton

Patagonia

Promotes fair labor practices and safe working conditions
Protection and preservation of the environment
Takes responsibility for entire lifecycle of products
Works with outside auditor and an in-house corporate responsibility specialist to establish working conditions
1% of sales to grass-root activists
Goal to be carbon neutral across entire business including supply chain by 2025
As of 2018, 100% renewable electricity in retail stores in USA
Current practices/goals; measure impact, reduce impact, convert to renewable energy, capture carbon