Reducing your carbon footprint or committing to a vegan lifestyle may seem like a daunting task for some—it’s certainly true for this editor, at least. But as innovation may have it, more designers are dedicating their businesses to addressing sustainability, which can make it easier for you to go eco-friendly with a simple swipe of your credit card—er, hand-over of cash. From up-and-coming labels to industry veterans, these brands allow us shoppers to both look good and feel good via cruelty-free makeup, chic reusable totes and fashion-forward footwear made from ethically sourced materials. Here, shop the fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands that believe impeccable style doesn’t have to come at the expense of the environment.
St. Roche
The womenswear brand works with manufacturing partners in India and Peru to choose eco-friendly options from organically grown and locally woven cottons.
Öhlin/D
This fashion-forward brand recycles 75% of garment scraps, and upcycles 80% of their leftover fabric rolls. They also use alpaca and pima cotton from naturally irrigated cotton fields.
Elborne
The brand-house partners only with sustainable designers who don't carry leather or fur, design with minimal impact to the environment, and manufacture with transparency and full disclosure.
AMUR
AMUR, which stands for "A Mindful Use of Resources," designs with a focus on natural fabrics (like organic cotton and silk), forest-friendly materials (like cupro) and regenerated textiles.
Where Mountains Meet
This brand's denim is made of organic cotton both harvested and dyed only in the United States. The line also avoids overproduction and champions the responsible sourcing of materials.
PHACE Collective
For its debut collection, the unisex leisurewear brand is focusing on charitable causes centered on endangered species, like the pangolin and the African painted dog, which are featured on its knit pieces.
Vitamin A
Made from 83% recycled nylon and 17% Lycra XTRA LIFE™, the brand uses recycled nylon fibers to create its newest collection of eco-conscious swimwear, exclusive to Everything But Water.
CAMP Collection
The brand launched its Earth Day collection with slogans like this "Don't Mess With Mother" tee to encourage eco-consciousness. Other prints include a butterfly and sunflower.
Athleta
The brand uses recycled polyester, which takes less energy to produce than virgin polyester and emits minimal greenhouse gas emissions for a smaller carbon footprint and lowered dependence on fossil fuels.
Eddie Borgo
The brand released its first eco-friendly line of linen handbags, using flax linen that needs no pesticides to cultivate, relies solely on rainwater (60% less water than cotton) and leaves no waste.
Sydney Brown
This luxury footwear brand's motto is "reverence for life," and they prove their commitment by minimizing the use of non-renewable resources, as well as energy and water consumption.
Gräf & Lantz
The designers behind this brand minimize their carbon footprint by using extra scraps of fabric in their L.A. studio to create some of its accessories like wallets, key chains, coasters and luggage tags.
Lands' End
All renewable and biodegradable, the brand's tote bags can withstand countless trips to the grocery store or a weekend getaway.
Coclico
The slow-fashion footwear (aka, shoes that last season after season) brand locally sources materials near its family-run factory in Mallorca, and has received a Source Award for its ethical practices.
von Holzhausen
Nicknamed "the Tesla of handbags," the Malibu-based brand designs its products with Technik-Leather, which is 100% animal-free and contains neither formaldehyde nor toxic byproducts.
Filbert
After what its designers learned about the leather industry, the brand's vegan bags are both cruelty-free and mindfully made in an ethical factory in New York City.
H&M
After six years, the fast-fashion brand's Conscious Exclusive collection has grown immensely, with 26% of the brand's pieces now made from sustainable materials. (Their goal is to become fully climate-positive by 2040.)
Freedom Of Animals
This luxury brand lines its bags with recycled plastic, and uses post-consumer polyurethane and organic cotton. This finishing process requires 70% less energy than it would with synthetic fabrics.
Rothy's
A percent of each purchase will go to the Ocean Cleanup Project. Since launching last year, the brand has diverted 650,000 water bottles from landfills.
AITCH AITCH
The luxury handbag company uses salmon skin (a byproduct of the fishing industry) sourced from organic salmon farms in Ireland, which are tanned and dyed via non-toxic, non-chemical techniques.
Raven + Lily
Also socially conscious in its quest to help impoverished women, the brand engages in careful research to ensure each product is made with recycled or re-purposed materials.
MiaDonna
Known for its eco-diamonds, this conflict-free brand plants one tree (through the Nature Conservancy) with each order to help offset the carbon emission generated during the shipping process.
John Hardy
With each purchase from the brand's Bamboo collection, bamboo seedlings will be planted in Bali. Their commitment to sustainability stemmed from an effort to offset carbon dioxide emissions.
AUrate
From S1 clarity diamonds to Japanese-sourced Akoya pearls, the brand obtains its precious metals from conflict-free regions in order to comply with United Nations resolutions.
Ashley Pittman
The brand's jewelry is handcrafted in Kenya and features re-purposed Ankole cow horn, semiprecious gemstones and bronze that's indigenous to East Africa.
The Brave Collection
The jewelry brand designed its Banana Leaf Necklace exclusively for Earth Day, donating to the Rainforest Alliance during its launch week. Each piece is handmade by local artists in Cambodia.
Burt's Bees
Through its Bring Back the Bees campaign, the popular beauty brand has been donating funds from its limited-edition lip balms to help plant two billion wildflowers, in order to combat the declining bee population.
Tammy Fender
The holistic skincare brand contains ingredients harvested from the wild, or grown through methods with the least environmental harm. Products are cruelty-free, and packaging is 100% recyclable.
AHAVA
The brand's entire beauty collection is all-natural—not only do the products contain no petroleum, harsh synthetics or GMOs, but they're also paraben-free, cruelty-free and vegan.
Ktchn Apothecary
The brand's DIY kit contains a blend of carefully sourced ingredients such as aloe and beeswax. The result is a 99% natural product—unlike pharmacy products that are diluted with chemicals and fillers.
No Beach Plastic
The brand keeps plastic off of beaches and out of oceans by reducing reliance on single-use plastic water bottles through the purchase of its BPA-free, stainless steel tumblers.
