Shop these sustainable fashion brands this Black Friday

27 / 11 / 2020

By CNN - -

The Black Friday shopping frenzy is officially upon us. There are thousands of sales going on throughout the week all over the internet, but if you’re shopping for some new clothes, you might be doing more damage to the earth than you’d think. The fashion industry is notoriously horrible for the environment, so what’s the best way to shop responsibly this year?

The easiest answer is to keep your clothes for as long as possible and buy used. Sites like ThredUp, Poshmark and Depop allow you to sell and buy clothes online, like a fashion-exclusive Craigslist. Or, if those aren’t your style, you can even rent clothes from services such as Rent The Runway.

However, if you’re set on buying new clothes, there are certain brands that are doing the work to ensure their products are more sustainable, whether the clothes themselves are recyclable, or they’re crafted with recycled materials.

In the end, the most important thing is to really do your research to see if a brand meets your own sustainability standards. Below, we’ve listed out some of our favorite sustainable fashion brands, many of which have Black Friday sales live now.

Sustainable fashion brands

Girlfriend Collectiv

If you’re shopping for activewear, it’ll be pretty hard to find a more eco-friendly option than Girlfriend Collective. It uses 100% recyclable packaging and tons of recycled materials in its products. We tried out some Girlfriend Collective leggings ourselves, and thought they were fantastic. Dive into the brand’s sustainability efforts on its site, and while you’re there, check out its Black Friday sale, where you can get 30% off sitewide through December 1.

Naadam

Naadam responsibly sources and creates luxuriously soft and stylish cashmere from sheep herded in Mongolia. On its site, you’ll find the famous $75 cashmere sweater (which always seems to be selling out) and the brand’s first ever Social and Environmental Impact Report. Naadam also has some lofty goals for 2025, including paying a living wage across its entire supply chain, using recycled materials and going carbon neutral. Right now, you can save 40% on select styles for men and women with code BLACKFRI40.

Patagonia

The outdoors brand creates a ton of its clothes with recycled materials, which is a huge plus, but a big reason why Patagonia is a great brand for the earth is its 1% for the Planet tax, which it imposes on itself to provide support to environmental nonprofits around the globe.

Reformation

Los Angeles-based Reformation puts a huge focus on sustainability — and it’s not quiet about it. You can check out the brand’s initiatives and progress in making itself cleaner and more sustainable right on its site. And now, you can save 30% off sitewide to stock up on dresses and more.

Allbirds

That’s right, Allbirds doesn’t only make shoes, the brand has recently ventured into apparel. The cozy knits are made from merino wool and are tested for harmful substances according to the strict global criteria of Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX.

Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher has made its place as a large force in sustainable fashion, and you can research its practices for yourself right on the site. The brand uses recycled materials, works with responsible factories, dedicates itself to SA8000 standards and much more. And now, you can get an extra 50% off sale items now through December 2 for its Black Friday sale.

Uniqlo

While Uniqlo isn’t the most sustainable company you’ll find, it’s taking big steps to become more eco-friendly. It’s begun to use recycled materials in some of its clothing, like this new recycled down jacket. You can find tons of items on sale at Uniqlo every day this week, just be sure to check back frequently as the deals change.

Sustainable shoe brands

Cariuma

The Brazil-based shoe brand uses tons of recycled materials and plastic-free packaging to create comfy and stylish shoes. It’s also got a great initiative that plants a pair of trees in the Brazilian Rainforest for every pair of sneakers purchased to fight deforestation in its home country.

Nisolo

The shoe brand Nisolo puts a huge focus on providing workers in its supply chain a living wage. The certified B Corporation also combats climate change by helping protect trees in the Amazon Basin. You can check out a ton of sustainability resources it provides on its website and even check out a full impact report. Right now, you can save up to 60% sitewide and take 25% off everything with the code EXTRA25.

Veja

Using organic materials and fair trade sourcing, the French shoe company Veja is a fantastic sustainable alternative for your everyday sneakers. It traces its entire supply chain and ensures all its workers in that chain get paid a living wage.

Rothy’s

Rothy’s shoes are made from repurposed plastic bottles, taking single-use plastic directly out of the waste chain. The thread is spun from those bottles, while the outsoles are also made from eco-friendly materials like rubber and vegan leather. Did we mention they’re washable? And stylish?

Allbirds

We mentioned Allbirds’ new apparel before, but the brand has become famous due to its ultra-comfy shoes. But not only are the shoes stylish and cozy, but they’re made from wool, recycled bottles and other eco-friendly materials.

Everlane Forever Sneaker

We reviewed the Everlane Forever sneaker ourselves and loved its style and washability. The shoe is also 100% recyclable, all you have to do is drop it off at an Everlane store and send it through the mail and the brand will recycle and repurpose the materials.

Greats

The Brooklyn shoe brand uses top-rated factories, upcycled plastic bottles, recyclable packaging and has removed harmful chemical dyes and adhesives from its packaging. Greats has a wide variety of shoes to choose from, all of which you can get 25% off if you spend $75 or more and you use code CYBERWEEK.