Goodbye Fast Fashion: How sustainably and ethically made is what you wear?

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Living out of carry-on travel packs year-round, we have researched (almost) all our gear. Whatever we purchase meets our needs as location-independent, minimalist travellers and will stand the test of time. Quality over quantity is not just a snappy phrase but a necessity. But with sustainability among our core values, we want our gear not only to be technically the best gear for our lifestyle but also to be made in a way that does not harm our environment or the people and communities involved in its manufacturing.

This article might be for you if you’re in the same boat. We’ll talk about how to learn more about the brands you wear, and we’ll share what brands we use and how they stack up when it comes to doing the right thing for people and the planet.

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As travellers, we should all be aware of our travel behaviour and its environmental, economic and social impact; and make conscious decisions about it. Too often, we hear negative stories in the media about tourists behaving badly.

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Where to learn more about your clothes and how they’re made?

If you, too, want to ensure that what you buy wasn’t manufactured by poisoning rivers in India or forcing seamstresses in Bangladesh to work in an unsafe building, start asking where your clothes came from (and I don’t mean the department store three blocks away).

Unfortunately, manufacturers are not always forthcoming with that sort of information, and there is no single global, independent body that monitors the manufacturing industry and assures us that they are doing (and we are buying) the right thing. So, how do you know?

Independent bodies

Firstly, there are a bunch of institutions out there that have made it their mission to find out. While their methodologies cover different aspects and thus don’t always come to the same conclusion, their databases and reports are a good starting point:

The databases also allow us (consumers) to compare brands with each other (using the same assessment criteria).

khaleda rana plaza survivor wikimedia commons

If you want those who make your gear to work in a safe place and earn a fair wage ask how and where your gear is made | Photo on Wikimedia Commons

Manufacturers directly

The other port of call is the manufacturers themselves. Many publish Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Statements (and other information). But if you spend some time reading them, you can tell which ones are just marketing gimmicks/greenwashing tactics and which ones genuinely address the sustainability and ethics of their supply chain:

  • Signs they genuinely care: Full transparency of the supply chain, standards of conduct and sustainability policies, regular (unannounced) visits of manufacturing plants, use of recycled materials and eco-friendly manufacturing methods, regular reporting
  • Greenwashing indicators: Empty marketing statements without a (meaningful) proof (or with evidence relating to a small portion of products only), no transparency, no (regular) reporting, token charity projects to distract from shortcomings

Other public domain information

Another data point is search engines. Simply searching for “{brand} worker payment/safety/{whatever else you want to know}” may return something (and if there is nothing, it’s usually a good sign). I just did that for Nike, a brand sadly still in the news for its worker mistreatment and environmental pollution.

Search engines serve as effective testing grounds for assessing whether a company engages in greenwashing or if a previously criticised brand is making genuine efforts to improve.

rhodamine pollution redwood river

Use public domain searches to confirm if manufacturers are walking the talk | Photo on Wikimedia Commons

How sustainably and ethically made is what WE own?

We were curious to establish a baseline a few years ago and started researching the companies that manufacture our gear. Some of our initial findings were mere confirmation of what we already knew, while others were eye-opening (and not in a good way)—incentive enough for us to look for alternatives once these items reached their end of life.

We review and update our assessment (at least) annually as we add and remove items from our packing lists (Female packing list | Male packing list).

So, how does our gear stack up? The below table lists all the brands we currently own. We include links to the companies’ sustainability statements/policies for brands without independent assessment.

BrandOwnerB LabCSRHubEthical ConsumerGood On YouKnow The ChainShop EthicalTearfund
BellroyPrivately Owned83.8N/RN/R3/5N/RN/RN/R
BoodyPrivately Owned101.6N/RN/R4/5N/RBN/R
BuffPrivately Owned105.7N/RN/R4/5N/RN/RN/R
CorkorPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/R4/5N/RN/RN/R
Fox RiverStandard Merchandising CoN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
HammamasPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
IcebreakerVF CorporationN/R95/100 (VFC)5.0/15 (VFC)3/562/100 (VFC)C54 (VFC)
KuhlPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
MarmotNewell Brands IncN/R71/100 (NB)3.5/152/5N/RFN/R
MatadorPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Mitch DowdPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Mons RoyalePrivately Owned83.1N/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Mountain Equipment Company (MEC)Privately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
OspreyHelen of Troy LtdN/R76/100 (HOT)N/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Outdoor ResearchPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
PacktowlCascade Designs IncN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
PacsafeOutpac Designs LimitedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
PatagoniaPatagonia Purpose Trust151.498/10011.0/154/5N/RA68
PrAnaColumbia Sportswear CompanyN/R71/100 (CSC)4.0/15 (CSC)3/539/100 (CSC)F (CSC)N/R
ProvizPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Ron HillBollin Group LtdN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
SalomonAmer SportsN/R99/100 (AS)6.5/15 (AS)3/5N/RF (AS)N/R
Sea to SummitPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RAN/R
SmartwoolVF CorporationN/R95/100 (VFC)5.0/15 (VFC)3/562/100 (VFC)C (VFC)54 (VFC)
Toad and CoPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
Unbound MerinoPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R
N/R
Xero ShoesFeel the World IncN/RN/R10.0/15N/RN/RN/RN/R
ZpacksPrivately OwnedN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/RN/R

Ratings Explained

RatingMeaning
B LabAs score of 80 and above qualifies for B Corp Certification (maximum possible score: 250+)
CSRHubBenchmarks companies based on their overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance; from 100 = Best to 0 = Worst
Ethical ConsumerScores brands on 300 topics in 5 main areas (animals, environment, people, politics and product sustainability). Every company starts with a score of 14. Points are being deducted when the company lacks in an area, but it can also earn points for product sustainability or company ethos; from 15 = Best to 0 = Worst
Good On YouRates brands based on their impact on workers across the supply chain as well as resources use and disposal; 2/5 = Not Good Enough, 3/5 = It’s A Start, 4/5 = Good
Know the ChainBenchmarks companies based on the forced labour risks within their global supply chain; from 100 = Best to 0 = Worst
Shop Ethical!Rates companies considering their environmental and social impact, including the treatment of animals; B = Some Praise/No Criticism, D = Criticism/Some Praise, F = Criticisms
TearfundGrades manufacturers on the strength of their systems to mitigate against the risks of exploitation in their supply chain; from 100 = Best to 0 = Worst (* indicates that company was assessed on public information only)
N/RNot Rated

How important are a brand's eco and ethics credentials when you buy?

What resources have you found useful for making informed consumer choices? And which (travel) clothing and gear brands that genuinely care about people and the planet can you recommend? Please let me know.

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