Sustainable products are predominantly made and marketed to women [1]. While there are sustainable and ethical fashion brands for men, we cannot deny that the bulk of the sustainability narrative is often geared toward women.
However, positive changes over a decade have really begun to even out the accessibility of sustainable and ethical fashion for men! In the early 2000s, you’d probably be able to count prominent ethical men’s clothing brands with one hand.
Now, there are countless brands that design sustainable men’s clothes and involve masculine presentation in sustainable, fair trade fashion.
Here are some of our favorite sustainable fashion brands that have menswear collections.
Asket - US
Asket is all about the pursuit of less. In a world dominated by fast fashion and buying more, this brand aims to create meaningful closet essentials that come with zero compromises.
This clothing brand focuses on lifecycle responsibility and transparency and truly embodies sustainability through permanence and quality.
The Menswear Collection
Asket mainly focuses on the production of essential sustainable men’s clothing. The items in their collection are perfect for building a capsule wardrobe for any occasion.
While there are certainly some pieces with a seasonal focus (e.g., sweaters and scarves), their entire selection is made to withstand seasonal trends and fads. If you’re searching for a brand with an excellent basic collection, Asket is where to go.
Because they are focused on the basics, the brand’s color palette strongly leans towards neutral and cool tones like gray, light blue, and beige.
They have a convenient guide for building a capsule wardrobe right here.
If the term is foreign to you, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothes that you can easily mix and match.
A good capsule wardrobe has everything you need for each occasion, giving you the versatility of basics while still allowing you to integrate some statement pieces here and there.
We highly recommend trying out Asket’s sustainable clothing collection if you’re still experimenting with your style.
Materials & Sustainability
Asket believes that truly thoughtful design begins with the materials they use, and this thought process cascades down to the way they promote and market their clothes.
The brand uses various sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled cashmere, recycled wool, and traceable merino. Since they use some wool, they are not a vegan brand. For recommendations on sustainable vegan brands, you can check out our separate guide.
Currently, around 70% of their cotton comes from organic sources, and about 80% is made from mono materials or non-blended fabrics. Non-blended fabrics are easier to recycle or reuse since they are made from a singular material.
Asket has an attractive materials matrix where they rank fabrics according to preference—ranking them according to their extraction and milling impact, circularity, and biodegradability.
While they have made significant improvements in the use of natural and organic materials, Asket is still on the path toward utilizing preferred fabrics.
Ethics & Community
Asket is serious about transparency in business. This clothing brand is leaps beyond the fashion industry standard regarding disclosure and transparent production from material sourcing to impact assessment.
One of the best things we love about Asket is their recognition that shopping more from ethical clothing brands isn’t going to solve our environmental issues—and pretending otherwise is a damaging concept for all.
Instead, we should focus more on buying things, not for buying, but for the value, we see in what we buy.
Instead of buying trendy clothes, it’s much better to purchase closet staples that you know will still be part of your outfit for years to come.
In 2018, Asket launched Full Traceability, a program dedicated to tracking every aspect of its supply chain.
Many of their products are already fully traceable, and you can check each product listing for the full details on manufacturing, milling, and even trims! You can also read more about the program here.
Asket also discloses the actual cost of producing their clothes, ensuring that customers understand what goes on behind the production process.
In the spirit of their pursuit of increased traceability, Asket also has a comprehensive section on the factories they work with. A page dedicated to each factory details how many employees work there, the average salary, the average workday, and other relevant information.
Overall, Asket is one of the most sustainable clothing brands for men’s clothing. They aren’t only dedicated to more eco friendly practices but also actively participate in ethical practices that positively impact external stakeholders like employees, farmers, and local communities.
Reflo - UK
Reflo is all about future-proof apparel. In today’s increasingly volatile climate and vast oceans of pollution, it is vital to choose clothing brands that give us options we can continuously reach for—regardless of any trend in fashion.
The Menswear Collection
Reflo is primarily a menswear brand. Meaning their entire collection is intended to suit masculine tastes in fashion. Their women’s clothing line is currently under production and should be up by 2022.
This sustainable mens clothing brand offers a wide range of performance clothing, and its collection can be broken down into three main components: Gold, Active, and Leisure.
Their products range from classic tees and hoodies to golf polos and gilets. If your style is predominantly sporty-casual with a touch of sophistication, Reflo is one of the best ethical men’s clothing brands for your needs.
This brand’s pieces all look like they were designed intentionally, not just with their aesthetics but with function as well.
Reflo’s palette is pretty simple. They have plenty of darker colors like navy and black, but we love that they also have brighter colors like neon aqua and orange.
Their prices are slightly above average, but their products are easily worth the premium cost.
Reflo clothing comes in sizes XS-XXL.
Materials & Sustainability
Reflo uses three main components in their clothes. The first and most predominant is their recycled plastic yarn, made from single-use plastic.
This material is widespread across their technical and performance pieces that require some features natural materials cannot yet replicate. While synthetics are never our go-to fabric here at Puratium, we often make exceptions for performance fabrics like activewear.
Of course, this is only the case if the fabric itself bears a semblance of sustainability! Fortunately, Reflo’s recycled yarn is covered by multiple sustainable standards like Bluesign, OEKO-TEX, and the Global Recycle Standard. All in all, not bad!
This recycled yarn uses up 50% less energy, releases 70% fewer carbon emissions, and uses 20% less water than standard polymer production. So if you’re going to compare virgin polymers to recycled synthetics, it’s pretty clear who’s the winner.
The other materials Reflo uses are recycled coffee fabric and organic cotton blended with their recycled yarn.
Although it might surprise you that recycled coffee is on their list, it’s an excellent material for odor control and helps keep the fabric feel dry when you’re sweating. Reflo begins by extracting a chemical from the coffee that they then infuse into the fabric to change its characteristics for the better.
What we love most about Reflo is its commitment to Active Regeneration. With the state of the world right now, it is no longer enough to have less of an impact. All of us, especially producers, need to be more proactive in engaging in climate-beneficial practices.
Reflo, through projects linked with reforestation, green logistics, minimal waste, and sustainable packaging, effectively promotes these eco friendly practices. And although they still have a long way to go, we’re always glad to see a brand recognize the need for proactivity and regeneration.
Ethics & Community
Reflo clothing is made under fair labor practices in China. Many of you might be put off because the brand produces in one of the most notorious places for unethical labor practices.
However, as many other performance apparel brands have discovered, China’s intense labor market has also meant more development in the world of quality manufacturing in the region.
Of course, this does not mean we should skip out on diving deeper into the details and looking into fair wages, safe working conditions, and healthy working hours.
Fortunately, all Reflo factory partners follow the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) code of conduct, and all their partners are independently audited for these requirements. All workers are paid above minimum wage, paid a premium for overtime hours, and there is never any child labor utilized.
If you want to learn more about their factories, you can read more about the specifics right here.
Pact - US
Pact is an eco friendly and ethical fashion brand that we’ve talked about multiple times.
Intending to be the Earth’s favorite clothing brand, Pact practices eco friendliness through sustainable sourcing, production, among many other responsible business practices
The Menswear Collection
We’ve previously written about Pact’s pajama collection, but now it’s time to dive deeper into their sustainable menswear!
Just like with their other collections, Pact’s men’s clothing is primarily composed of organic basics you can reach for on days when you need to throw on something quick and casual.
Pact is meant for you if you are a fan of soft, earthy colors. Their designs and shades are reminiscent of earth-friendly practices and fashion rooted in timelessness and simplicity.
Pact has everything from men’s underwear and socks to knitted sweaters and heavyweight polos. And although Pact isn’t really what you would consider a classic t-shirt company, they also have undershirt sets that are perfect if you’re looking to buy multiple pieces.
Pact clothes are available in sizes S to XXL, although not all styles support these sizing options.
Materials & Sustainability
Pact clothes are made of one primary material, and it’s one of the best eco friendly fibers available: organic cotton.
As one of the most used fabrics worldwide, cotton is somewhat of a hot topic in the sustainability niche.
Conventionally produced cotton is frowned upon for its thirstiness and use of harmful chemicals. On the other hand, organically grown cotton is one of the most loved fabrics in the industry!
And it’s for a reason. Organically-produced cotton uses absolutely no toxic chemicals and may even help the soil recover through natural farming practices. The organic crop also uses around 80% less water than conventionally-produced cotton, which is incredible!
Pact products are certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the most popular certifying body for organic fabrics.
Apart from utilizing an earth-friendly material, Pact also reduces its carbon footprint by using thoughtful packaging and carbon offset shipping.
Ethics & Community
Pact’s products are all made in fair trade certified factories in India. The Fair Trade designation identifies manufacturers that operate under safe working conditions and provide fair pay to all employees.
Fair Trade is only applicable to specific countries with weak labor protections, such as India, Ghana, Ethiopia, etc.
Although Pact’s products are made in a country notorious for fast fashion disasters (i.e., Rana Plaza), the Fair Trade certification helps us discern that their clothes are made in good conditions.
Allbirds - US
Allbirds started as a brand heavily inspired by the fantastic qualities of merino wool. And while this brand may be famous for its footwear, they also have a sizable collection of men’s apparel.
As a B Corp, Allbirds is on a journey to make better things in a better way. The brand is 100% carbon neutral, and they are still trying to go further.
The Menswear Collection
Allbirds’ men’s clothing is mainly focused on performance and casual wear. They typically stock activewear like running tees and shorts, as well as more casual apparel like hoodies and sweatpants.
If you’re looking for simple sporty-casual fits, Allbirds is an excellent place to start. The best part is they offer inclusive sizing with up to seven sizes from XS-XXXL, so they can accommodate a broader range of body types.
Allbirds keeps their colors pretty straightforward, and much of their collection is tailored in variations of blue, green, and classic black and white.
Although their apparel collection isn’t as extensive as other brands, we think this adds to the ease of shopping for sustainable mens clothing.
Having a lot of options can be a good thing for the more experienced shopper. But if you’re a beginner in the world of sustainability, smaller collections are your best bet.
Materials & Sustainability
Allbirds’ primary material is merino wool. After all, the brand began due to interest and love for wool. However, the brand has also started to explore other natural materials and sustainable fabrics like Tencel Lyocell and a sugarcane-based foam!
They also use recycled bottles, recycled TPU, and even recycled cardboard (for their shoes).
Their materials also hold specific certifications that add credibility to their claims. For instance, their Lyocell is made from FSC-certified forests, which is an essential factor considering that wood pulp-based fibers are actually contributing to deforestation.
Unfortunately, since Allbirds mainly uses wool, they are not a vegan brand. Regardless, they do take steps to ensure their wool is sustainably and ethically sourced on all accounts.
Ethics & Community
Allbirds manufactures their products in several locations. They partner with factories in Peru, North Carolina, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. These factories are selected based on Allbirds requirements and must abide by their code of conduct.
Their partners must provide safe and healthy working conditions for all employees and must be dedicated to improving the living conditions of their staff through wage benefits and systems. If you’re interested, you can take a look at their complete code of conduct here.
Apart from their code of conduct, Allbirds also conducts regular audits of their partners. These evaluations are conducted by third-party assessment firms.
Audits may be announced or unannounced and are used as a tool for mutual transparency and an overall improvement in production processes.
Kotn - Canada
Kotn first began as a brand with the simple goal of creating the perfect, uncompromising t-shirt. Now, their goal is to help build a world of timeless designs that honor the hands that made them and the places they’re from.
This brand has the fourth-highest B-Impact score among all apparel brands in North America, making them one of the best places to find sustainable mens clothing.
The Menswear Collection
Kotn’s menswear collection mainly consists of staple wardrobe pieces like tees, long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and even some really comfy denim fits! They also have some accessories like gloves, socks, and slippers.
Kotn has a very neutral palette that you can easily integrate into your existing closet. Since these are basics, you can easily use a Kotn piece as a base for your outfit and layer from there.
If your style leans strongly towards cool shades, you’ll feel right at home in Kotn’s collection.
They have sizes XS to XXL available, so there is some variation, but it isn’t the most inclusive sizing chart we’ve seen. Before buying anything, make sure to check for additional sizing and fit details since some of their pieces do have some extra information you might find useful.
Kotn recommends sizing up if you want to machine dry your clothes. As advocates of sustainability, we also actively promote proper clothing care since doing so can considerably lengthen tyour clothes’life (and lessen the impact)
Materials & Sustainability
Kotn is one of the few brands that exclusively uses long-staple Egyptian cotton in their clothes.
Most clothing brands, even those we would consider ethical, use short-staple upland cotton. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. But if you are looking for softer cotton and a higher quality than the industry standard, Egyptian cotton is a good choice.
Do note that Kotn doesn’t exclusively use organic cotton. While we would prefer clothing brands for men that use only the most sustainable fabric options, it is not always possible.
In Kotn’s case, many of the farms they work with currently do not have the capacity to scale their production to be fully organic.
The good news is that Kotn won’t be leaving these farmers behind in their quest to source 100% organic cotton. Instead, they’ll be helping these smaller farms set up the appropriate systems so they can integrate more sustainable practices into their production.
Kotn’s materials are sourced from Egypt and Portugal.
Ethics & Community
Another good thing about Kotn’s sourcing methods is that they employ a direct trade method with their farmers. Instead of enriching intermediaries, Kotn trades directly with the farmers, enabling the company to pay the farmers above the industry average.
Most notably, Kotn pays guaranteed prices. In a world dominated by the bottom line and squeezing the supply chain for the lowest costs.
Threads 4 Thought - US
Threads 4 Thought is a lifestyle initiative that promotes more sustainable production in the fashion industry.
Founded in 2006, Thread 4 Thought has continuously operated with simplicity in mind. With timeless products that support local, in-need communities, T4T diverts their impact away from the environment and closer to those that need it most.
The Menswear Collection
T4T’s men’s clothing collection is composed chiefly of organic basics. Think sweatshirts, hoodies, crewnecks, henley’s, etc. Their clothes are available in sizes XS to 3XL, and they also have some “tall” variants!
They have plenty of color options in their collection, and you’ll definitely find a texture and shade that’s perfect for your tastes. They have 15 color options for their hoodies, so that’s a pretty impressive feat in and of itself.
Most of Thread 4 Thought’s products are certified carbon neutral. This means that the carbon footprint incurred throughout the entire supply chain is offset through various means such as purchasing carbon credits or reforestation initiatives.
The best part is that each product listing has complete details on what you need to know about the offset! They go so far as to determine which phases of the production process have been offset and which initiatives allow them to zero out their emissions.
Each listing also features the positive impact of each product in terms of water saved, plastic recycled, and emissions avoided.
It’s truly the little things like this that make us appreciate brands more. Although these are minor details, this level of transparency shows that the brand knows how their products are being made, and they know how they can lessen their impact.
Materials & Sustainability
Thread 4 Thought uses various natural and recycled materials throughout their products. They use fabrics like organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled nylon, and even rayons like Lyocell.
Do note that T4T uses a small percentage of rayon in their Triblend fabric. We have previously written about the nature of vicious rayon, and it isn’t something that we would recommend. However, the material is used in moderation, and we can easily see that T4T is making strides in other departments.
T4T production also uses up less than half of what is typically used in industry-standard production. This achievement has translated into a savings of around 500 million gallons of water in a year. Even better, about 80% of their water is recycled and reused!
Ethics & Community
Thread 4 Thought has two partner factories; one in China and one in Guatemala. They have a strict Code of Conduct that all partners must adhere to, and the document has provisions on hours of work, environment, discrimination, etc. You can read the complete document here.
We think there is definitely some work to be done in making this apparel brand more open to fair trade fashion and ethical factory practices. The good thing is that T4T doesn’t shy away from improvements.
Where they are lacking, Thread 4 Thought is always on a constant quest to improve their systems for the benefit of all stakeholders, communities and customers alike.
United By Blue - US
United by Blue is on a mission to prove that fashion can indeed be a force of good—despite what the fast fashion industry consistently shows.
A B Corporation since 2011, UBB has been committed to sustainable materials, ethical manufacturing, and a zero plastic policy.
The Menswear Collection
United by Blue’s menswear collection isn’t just composed of in-house produced clothing. They also stock some products from other notable sustainable and ethical clothing brands like Known Supply, Saola, Flamingo’s Life, Organic Basics, among other brands.
As a result, they have an excellent collection of eco friendly and ethical fashion clothing for men. They have everything from classic T-shirts and jeans to seasonal fits like coats and jackets.
Because UBB’s collection comes from in-house clothes and those from other sustainable men’s clothing brands, their overall style is hard to pin down.
However, this also presents opportunities for anybody (regardless of fashion preference) to shop at United by Blue. Whether your style is heavy on casual and modern, or if you like a more sophisticated look, UBB has something in store for you.
Materials & Sustainability
United by Blue offers a wide array of eco friendly materials in their collection. They use natural fabrics like hemp, organic cotton, and recycled polyester (which can be sourced from recycled plastic bottles).
They also use materials like corozo to make buttons! Corozo is a material that comes from the nut of the Tagua plant, which is often found in the rainforests of Central America. The best part is that the nuts themselves fall pretty far from the trees, diminishing the risk of deforestation.
Do note, however, that UBB uses some animal-based fabrics. So, while they are a sustainable brand, they are not vegan. Beginner to vegan fashion? Take a look at our comprehensive guide.
UBB is one of the most dedicated to its goals as far as sustainability goes.
They remove one pound of trash from the ocean for each UBB product sold, and they have so far removed more than 4 million pounds of trash from the ocean.
They have also created a “Quit Single Use” task force to help them deal with internal processes that still contribute to plastic waste. But more than that, they want these changes to translate throughout their supply chain and eliminate plastic waste for good.
Ethics & Community
UBB is a certified B Corp. If you aren’t familiar already, B Corps are companies that are held to the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility, ensuring that operations are beneficial to the environment and workers alike.
The company has several partner factories across the globe. Specifically, they partner with factories in China, Vietnam, Turkey, and Iowa. You can find more details about their factories here.
These factories have individual certifications that give us assurance that UBB is truly an ethical men’s clothing brand.
For instance, one of their factories in China is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, which is a fair labor association for those in the apparel industry. Fair Wear is not to be mistaken with Fair Trade as the two are different certifications.
Some of the other common certifications they have are the GOTS certification and OCS Standard.
UBB’s community programs often involve community cleanups and drives. If you’re interested, read more about these events in their impact report.
Warp + Weft - US
Warp + Weft is the world’s cleanest vertically integrated denim company. The brand’s ultimate goal is to change the fashion industry from every angle and make it more suited for inclusive, aware, and environmentally-conscious consumers.
With close to 600 million gallons of water saved throughout their production, Warp + Weft is definitely entering a league of their own.
The Menswear Collection
Warp + Weft is, before anything else, a denim company. They integrate a wide variety of cuts, fits, and designs into their denim products, resulting in an excellent collection of denim jeans, jackets, and shorts.
They have slim cuts, straight cuts, jogger cuts, and even carpenter-style jeans. They also offer different washes, from your typical dark blue wash to lighter options like beige and sage green. Warp + Weft also offers inclusive sizing from a size 00-24. Plus, they also have inseam sizing options, which adds a little more customizability to each pair of denim pants.
These pants fit comfortably, and most are perfect if you’re going for a modern look with some vintage touches.
Warp + Weft’s eco friendly denim collection is a great place to pick from if you’re building your very own capsule wardrobe. Their sustainable men’s clothing are perfect staple pieces for casual days out.
Materials & Sustainability
Warp + Weft uses a variety of sustainable fabrics and natural materials in their clothing. They use a combination of recycled and regenerative fibers, certified organic cotton, clean dyes, and other low-impact components.
Warp + Weft’s vertically integrated operations have really contributed to their positive environmental practices. Because they own and do everything in production, the company has a lot of room to practice sustainability throughout manufacturing.
For instance, a pair of Warp jeans requires less than 10 gallons of water to produce versus the 1500 gallons for a conventional pair of denim jeans. This is possible through the fact that Warp + Weft recycles about 98% of the water they use.
The brand uses many other strategies to keep their impact to a minimum. If you want to learn more, you can read about their factory here.
Ethics & Community
Warp + Weft is admittedly lacking in this department. Not that they are actively practicing unethical processes, but that there’s little information we could find on their fair labor practices.
What we do know is that their family-owned mills are located in Pakistan and that they’re fully compliant with the International Social and Environmental & Quality Standards. They also promulgate fair wages, reasonable hours, and safe working conditions.
We are incredibly impressed with the work Warp + Weft has done so far, and we are looking forward to more transparent information from the brand in the future.
Final Thoughts
If you dress in a predominantly masculine fashion, you may find it a bit challenging to find sustainable brands that cater perfectly to your style.
Although sustainability isn’t limited to any gender or presentation, menswear is often overlooked in the sustainability and ethics niche.
That said, we hope that this list of sustainable mens clothing brands helped you find a place to shop for wardrobe staples, and even some statement finds.
If you find that these brands aren’t fashion-forward enough for your style, we highly encourage you to check out your local thrift store for unique pieces. Here are some of our suggestions for the best online thrift stores.
Whenever you’re shopping, always remember that sustainability will never be achieved with shopping alone. While purchasing more sustainable clothing is leaps beyond mindless participation in hyper-consumerism, the best thing we can do is buy less.
