There’re more and more fashion brands committing to a sustainable way of manufacturing. Some of them may be doing it slowly, but they are on their way to make a big positive change to the environment, and to our future generations.

Before meeting with top 10 sustainable clothing brands around the world, let’s figure out what “sustainability” is.

Top 10 sustainable clothing brands around the world

What is sustainability?

We can easily look up the word “sustainability” in any dictionary. However, the word we mention here has a trendy meaning and refers to a painful issue in the present time. In order to understand this specific definition of this word, you will need to go further.

So, what does “sustainability” mean?

According to the second result of Cambridge dictionary , “sustainability” means “The quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore being able to continue for a long time.”

And based on Collins dictionary , “(of economic development, energy sources, etc) The ability to be maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage”

Basically, “sustainability” here is not causing any harmful impact that the earth cannot naturally reproduce, and not creating anything that the earth cannot naturally dissolve.

This “sustainability” refers to the ecological balance of our mother earth and is mostly preferred on mass media platforms in terms of fashion, or sustainable clothing.

Sustainability refers to the ecological balance

What is sustainable clothing and why should we care about it?

What is sustainable clothing?

Sustainable fashion is any kind of fashion that is environment-oriented. Which has the making process that is mindful of resources, materials, the environment, and anything that is related to or be affected to in the whole process of making a product.

That process includes collecting materials, manufacturing, distributing, consuming, disposing, and dissolving back into the landfill.

Why is sustainable clothing important?

The fashion industry today is not only wasting, but also overexploiting our natural resources, and polluting our environment to an alarming situation. Although the fashion industry is not the only one causing harmful impact to our habitat, it is still mentioned the most in the media and often becomes our chatting topic.

Why is that?

That is because sustainable clothing is the only industry that can make a better change the most easily and quickly. As you can see, the moment the consumers change their buying behavior, the brands need to follow up and make a change in order to meet customers’ demand, too.

Sustainable clothing helps change the world by changing people’s behavior.

How were sustainable clothing brands born?

Sustainable clothing has made its way to our notice in recent years when people started to notice more of the harmful impacts caused by fast fashion. Fast fashion is cheap, trendy, easily disposable, and is harmful by polluting plastic microfiber into the environment.

Sustainable fashion is like standing on the opposite side of fast fashion and trying to make up for the amount of carbon footprint that fast fashion is leaving behind.

And when people become increasingly conscious about the issue, the brand can no longer ignore it.

Consumers, especially ones in the latest generations like Gen Z, are aware that their shopping behavior reflects their support, their commitment and their responsibility towards what they believe in. Therefore they chose to take more care, of their environment, of their future.

Sustainable clothing appears when consumers change their buying behavior.

The moment people change their buying behavior into sustainable clothing and eco-friendly products, fashion brands know it’s time to make change, too.

In fact, they know this sustainable clothing segment has a great potential not only for the earth but for the business also. Therefore, despite the not so impressive results in a short period of time launching sustainable clothing campaigns, many fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara are still keen on their green plan.

What are sustainable clothing brands and what do they do?

Sustainable clothing brands are fashion brands that have their products made in a sustainable process, or those who committed to manufacturing their fashion products sustainably begin from the whole process of making it, to their lifespan after that.

That whole process includes collecting materials, hiring and managing their employees, manufacturing, launching, promoting, distributing, consuming, disposing, and recycling.

Normally, in order to make their commitment of sustainable practices into an official one, the fashion brands will need to submit to sustainable certifications.

Here is the list of top 10 sustainable clothing brands that are well-known in the world.

Sustainable fashion cares for the earth and its people

Top 10 sustainable clothing brands

As the fashion industry continues to grow in a more environmentally responsible way, more and more clothing brands around the world are making their way into the sustainability commitment.

Below are top 10 sustainable clothing brands that are helping raise awareness of how important sustainability is to the environment.

Levi’s

“Buy Better Wear Longer.” - Levi’s

Levi's is one of the famous brands to commit to sustainability with their denim jeans. By creating the best jeans product that you can wear for a lifetime, Levi’s not only helps you bond with a sustainable environment but also with your favorite jeans.

What they do: Produce the most durable jeans product and committed to a sustainability manufacturing process and saving water by heading to:

• Applying Water<Less® technique in manufacturing to save water.
• Using 100% sustainably sourced cotton by 2025.
• Using only renewable energy in owned & operated facilities by 2025.
• Reducing 40% in greenhouse gas emission in the supply chain.
• Reduce 50% of water use in manufacturing in water-stressed areas by 2023.

What they have archived:

• Having 80% of their products made in Worker Well-being facilities from 2020.
• Saving 4.2 billion liters of water saved with Water<Less® technique in 2011.
• Reusing and recycling 9.6 billion liters of water.
• Having 75% of their cotton now comes from more sustainable sources.
• 65% of other products are currently made in factories that run our Worker Well-being programs.

Zara

Join Life by Zara

Being well-known as a premium fast fashion brand, Zara are also making their way to be one of the most sustainable clothing brands with the “Join Life” project. Join Life is a new label created by Zara that has its products produced using the best processes and more sustainable raw materials, so that the customers can identify them easily.

What they do:

• Aiming at 50% of their items in 2022 will be made following Zara’s best processes called “Join Life’s standard”.
• Using 100% renewable energy in their operations in 2022.
• In 2023, Zara decided to abandon all the un-recycled material in their operations by using 100% sustainable fibers, 100% paper bags, 100% zero waste materials, and 100% more sustainable cotton.
• In 2025, the brands continue their intended mission in sustainability with the reduction of water, un-recycled materials, and more by the year of 2040.

What they have achieved:

• The Join Life project with more than 14% of their items in 2021 are manufactured according to Join Life’s standard.
• Helping in raising awareness of sustainable clothing for consumers around the world.

Nike

Move to Zero by Nike

Nike is getting notice on the sustainability playground with their “Move to Zero” project. Move to Zero aims towards zero waste and zero carbon footprint in their operations.

What they do:

• Recycling & Donating: Reduce waste by cleaning, donating and recycling worn athletic shoes and apparel.
• Refurbished: Reuse eligible returns and package footwear for a lower price.
• Lowering carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to virgin poly
• Divertsapproximately 1 billion plastic bottles in a year from landfills and waterways.

What they have achieved:

• Reducing carbon waste and making environmentally friendly products that are long lasting in 2021.
• Powering 100% renewable wind energy for all of the manufacturing facilities for Nike’s Air in North America in 2020.
• 100% of the cotton used for the entire product lines is certified organic, recycled, or Better Cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in 2020.
• All of our organic cotton is grown without fossil fuel-derived pesticides or synthetic fertilizers and we also recycle more than 1.5 million pounds of cotton each year.
• Launching Nike Flyknit with 60% less waste than traditional footwears.
• Reusing over 90% of the waste used for Air soles.

H&M

Let’s change. For tomorrow - By H&M

Together with Zara, H&M is a famous sustainable clothing brand that has committed to the sustainability of the planet by reducing waste, reuse, and making their products sustainable.

What they do:

• Since 2017, H&M has set up its sustainable goals of increasing the use of recycled materials and reuse sustainable waste from their operations.
• Aiming to be a prior sustainable clothing brand that is climate positive by 2040.

What they have achieved in 2021:

• The recycled materials used in garments increased by 3 times from 5,8% to 17,9%.
• Reducing the plastic used for packaging by 27,8%.
• Having 98% suppliers of H&M Group are fair business partners.

Adidas

Sustainability ad campaign by Adidas

Adidas is one of the priority in sustainable clothing in the world with their well-known products made by recycled materials. The brand is doing an excellent job in helping end plastic waste around the world and is being supported by consumers worldwide with extremely light, trendy, fashionable and environmentally friendly footwears.

What they do:

• Replacing all virgin polyester with recycled polyester by 2024.
• Aiming to 90% of their articles will contain sustainable material.

What they have achieved:

• Million of footwear products that are sustainable manufactured with recycled polyester.
• Raising people’s awareness in sustainability in general and sustainable clothes.

Uniqlo

UNIQLO’S sustainability statement

Having committed to the sustainability process for over 20 years since 2000, Uniqlo has been on the sustainability path for quite a long time and is consistent to that direction since then.

What they do:

• Launching the Re.Uniqlo (includes recycled, reuse, and reduce) project for over 20 years since 2000.
• Changing from plastic to paper packaging.
• The Blue Cycle Jeans projects which helps save water used in manufacturing.

What they have achieved:

• Environmental friendly products that can be reused, and recycled.
• Raising awareness of sustainable clothing in their customer segment.
• Reducing plastic used.
• Reducing water use by up to 99% in the finished process with Blue Cycle Jeans projects.

Mango

Sustainability campaign by Mango

Since joining the Fashion PAct, the first global major movement in the fashion industry, Mango has done a great job in minimizing the environmental impact regarding: Oceans, Climate, and Biodiverse.

What they do:

• Joining the Fashion Pact in order to commit to the sustainability of the globe in 3 areas: Oceans, Climate, and Biodiverse.
• In 2020, Mango has joined the United Nations Fashion Industry for Climate Action which is aiming to: fight against climate change, and reduce GHG emission by 30% by 2030 and aim to archive: 100% sustainable cotton by 2025; 50% recycled polyester by 2025; 100% cellulosic fibers of controlled origin.

What they have achieved:

In 2020, Mango has archived the followings:

• Over 38,700 of materials were used.
• 96% denim labeled as committed.
• 24% reduction of water use.

Patagonia

Patagonia is a typical sustainable clothing brand.

Although Patagonia is not one of those fast fashion clothing brands, they are making the garment industry sustainable by creating the most durable and timeless clothing that can be worn for a really long time.

They also partner up with Fair Trade USA in order to provide their workers with more benefits, ensure their living wages, and help in improving their lives.

What they do:

• Providing sustainable clothing with life-time use.
• Partnering up with Fair Trade USA to ensure a better future for their workers.

What they have achieved:

• Recycling 87% of their most recent clothing line.
• 100& of the cotton used is organic grown.

Lucy & Yak

The Original by Lucy & Yak

Lucy & Yak, a youthful clothing brand that wants to protect mother nature with their eco-friendly products made of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton.

This fashion brand coming from New zealand is also working hard in reducing water use and waste in their manufacturing process.

Their efforts are also recognized in providing a better working environment for the employees.

What they have achieved:

• Using 100% recycled and biodegradable materials for packaging and mailers.
• Ensuring the lives of their workers and their working environment.

Mudjeans

The recycled tour of Mud Jeans

What they do:

• Using non-toxic and low-impact dyes for all of their products.
• Manufacturing high quality jeans in a sustainable and ethical way.
• Reducing the emission of 15% by 2020, and 80% by 2030.
• Reducing the consumption of water by 7% by 2020, 80% by 2030.
• Reducing the consumption of energy by 6% by 2020, 60% by 2030.
• Reducing the land use of 15% by 2020, 80% by 2030.

What they have achieved:

• Since 2019, Mud Jeans has
• Manufacturing their products from all sustainable materials.
• Recycling and reusing 40% of their jeans.
• Saving 300 million liters of water
• Saving 12,000 pairs of jeans
• Avoiding 700,000 kilos of CO2.

Conclusion

Above are Top 10 sustainable clothing brands that are changing themselves to meet the demand of the customers and maintain the green element of the earth. It's great news that there are still many more of them around the world with different ways of operation which all aim to the sustainability of the fashion industry.

From using more recycled materials in manufacturing, reuse of their old or used products, applying manufacturing systems that help save energy and water, to launching campaigns help raise awareness on the importance of sustainable clothing industry, etc, they are making small steps at a time but it ensures us a better future for mother earth.