Would you like to find the most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada? Of course you would. After all, you would then be able to judge others for buying their clothes from H&M, while you’re wearing a bamboo-hemp-organic-biodegradable shirt with a label stating that no children took part in making it, which might as well mean you have a halo over your head, while those other sods are sporting devil horns.
Ethics and fair trade in clothing has become a major talking point these days, with a lot of money spent on documentaries, books and funding for NGOs that aim to fight for the rights of workers in third-world countries. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t support unfair labor conditions in third-world countries. It’s just that we are all living a big lie by ignoring, missing, or otherwise deceiving ourselves of the fact that big clothing companies (and not just clothing companies) keep using child labor and underpaying workers in poor countries, even though they are telling us that they don’t.
In 2013, there was a building collapse in Bangladesh, where 1,134 people died. That building hosted factories that made clothing for companies like Primark and Benetton. People were outraged, and companies also pretended to be outraged and promised that they would change things. They did, sort of. Companies improved the transparency of their manufacturing processes and signed up for different indexes developed by NGOs and got various certificates showing how “good” they are. Companies like H&M publish sustainability reports and show videos of their factories.
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The awareness did improve the situation in a way. Clothing companies stopped using child labor at the top of their supply chains, where the manufacturing can be traced to the company. But, a lot of underlying processes, like the production of cotton, fabrics and some other work is subcontracted to other companies, usually local, and God only knows what they are doing and how they are doing it. Major apparel brands like Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU), Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL), Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA), and Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) have all been accused of being unethical over the years to varying degrees.
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Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) in particular has been roasted for years over its labor practices, which have included using child labor and physical abuse of its workers. Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA) has generally been perceived as a fairly ethical company in terms of the production of its clothes, though it has stumbled on the ethical front in other areas, including its attempted influence of NCAA athlete Lance Stephenson. Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL) has not done enough to support ethical clothing production, including refusing to sign an agreement to help improve conditions at clothing factories in Bangladesh, where it claims only about 3% of its clothes are made. Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) hasn’t made many huge ethical gaffes, but Founder Chip Wilson has come under fire for comments made at the Business Alliance of Local Living Economies conference in Vancouver, during which he endorsed child labor, saying that “third world children should be allowed to work in factories because it provides them with much-needed wages.”
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And we, the customers, are OK with this, because we love cheap clothes. We love to browse through sales and buy lots of stuff, put it in our closet and then not wear it most of the time. Then, when we do the spring cleaning, we can post images to social media of boxes of clothes that we are going to donate and collect likes and comments about how socially responsible we are.
You may also want to check out our list of the 10 Most Ethical Companies In The US.
Anyway, despite our consumerist society, there are many smaller clothing companies that are ethical and fair-trade. Of course, they don’t make as much money as bigger manufacturers as they don’t have the same scale and are usually manufacturing clothes in developed countries like the U.S and Canada, which is why their clothes are more expensive. And it’s fair, their work deserves to be paid well and you should pay more to feel better and to be able to judge others whose clothes were made by children in India and Bangladesh. It’s good that there are such companies and maybe we should buy more of their products so they can thrive, expand and become more affordable.
With that aim in mind, we’ve crafted this list of the 11 most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada. Check it out beginning on the next page.
Two Birds Apparel
Country: Canada
Two Birds Apparel is a family-owned and operated men’s fashion brand that was founded in Toronto in 2013. The company is currently headquarted in Vancouver and is using sustainability as the main pillar of its business. It uses a local ethical supply chain and environmentally-friendly materials that come from certified and ecological suppliers. The company also has a return policy that provides a discount for the next purchase if the first item that was bought is returned to be recycled or donated.
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Krochet Kids Intl.
Country: USA
We are continuing our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada with Krochet Kids Intl. that is actually a non-profit company that uses all of the revenue from its artisan-made clothing in Uganda and Peru with fair wages. In addition it supports the development of these countries through educational programs.
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Alternative Apparel
Country: USA
Up next in our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada is Alternative Apparel that is based in Los Angeles and not only employs ethical workplace practices in its supply chain, but also uses sustainable materials for the production of most of its clothing. The company, which is a member of the Fair Labor Association, makes sure that its factories in different countries operate under the Fair Labor Association Workplace Code of Conduct and has a Green Business certified in L.A.
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PACT Apparel
Country: USA
PACT Apparel that’s up next in our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada is a B Corp-certified company, which means that all of its supply chain, including the production of cotton and sewing, are very clean, responsible and transparent. In addition, it uses organic, non-GMA cotton.
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Patagonia
Country: USA
Patagonia is one of the oldest clothing companies promoting sustainability and labor ethics. It was founded in 1973 and is based in Ventura, California. Its factories in India, Sri Lanka and Los Angeles are Fair Trade-certified and the company uses organic cotton and recycled materials in its production process.
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Adhesif Clothing
Country: Canada
We are continuing our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada with Adhesif Clothing, that is a small Canada-based manufacturer of garments made from recycled and new materials. The clothing is hand-made and the company claims that each item is original and one-of-a-kind, so it has a sort of personality that it can attribute to the wearer.
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Miik
Country: Canada
The next company on our list of the 11 most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada is Miik, a Toronto-based manufacturer of 100% Canada-made clothing. The garments are manufactured from bamboo fabric that is milled locally in order to control the process. The company’s idea is to produce well-made clothing with striking designs and it has over 70 stores across Canada.
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Encircled
Country: Canada
Up next in our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada is Encircled, that is a Toronto-based company that produces clothes that can be worn in different ways, in order to partly reduce the need to have more clothes in one’s wardrobe. The company employs ethical production and uses ecological fabrics and other materials. Even its shipping is eco-friendly, with printing done on 100% recycled paper.
HOPE Made In The World
Country: USA
U.S-based company HOPE Made in the World goes the extra mile to prove that no children are involved in the manufacturing of its products and has a certificate that proves it. It specializes in artisanal clothes made around the world and uses eco-friendly materials. It also doesn’t change its collections very often, only once or twice per year, so it has to make sure that the items are classic and don’t go out of style in a world dominated by fast-changing fashion trends.
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Siizu
Country: USA
Up next in our list of most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada is Siizu that is based in New York and uses eco-friendly fabrics made from wool and cashmere that is grown and produced sustainably. It doesn’t use any toxins or polyester in its production, uses recyclable shipping materials and only sells clothes online in order to reduce its carbon footprint. It is also a partner of American Forests and donates to the organization, which plants trees across the country.
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Wallis Evera
Country: Canada
Wallis Evera produces its clothes in Canada in order to support local businesses and uses sustainable and biodegradable materials, mainly hemp. It’s mostly known for its hemp women’s businesswear.
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These are just 11 of the most ethical fair trade clothing companies in US and Canada. Of course there are many more, so next time you plan to go to the mall for a new pair of shoes or a T-shirt or anything else, do a quick search and see if you can find something more original and eco-friendly that is made by a more ethical company.
Disclosure: None
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