Last Updated on March 2, 2023
Looking for mens sustainable clothing? You’re in the right place!
I used to be someone who didn’t think much about the impact of my clothing choices, however the more I learned about sustainability and ethics in the apparel industry, the more I realized how important it was to start shifting my priorities.
It’s mostly women’s clothing covered when it comes to slow fashion, but there are also some fantastic, comfortable, functional, and stylish options in mens ethical clothing as well!
I have also always been a big supporter of secondhand clothing which is another very sustainable way to shop but it’s not always possible to find what I need, so here’s a review of some of my favorite brands and a roundup of ethical and sustainable men’s clothing and shoes:
(please note: some affiliate links are used in this post which means we may get a small commission)
Tentree
If you’d not only like to get a product made in fair working conditions and with sustainable materials, but also to give back to the environment, Tentree is one to check out! It might sound a bit gimmicky, but they actually plant 10 trees for every piece they sell – though that’s only one part of their overall effort to become “the most environmentally progressive brand on the planet”.
I’m amazed at how often I see people, and especially men, wearing Tentree around the city, which is a great indicator that this is a sustainable clothing brand making it’s way into the mainstream.
They are one of my go-to brands, offering clothing in a variety of casual styles made from sustainable materials. I have a some staples from them, including tees, sweats, pants, shorts, and hoodies.
Size range: SM – XXL
Values: Sustainable materials, B Corp certified, strict code of conduct for manufacturing
Ordering: based in Canada, ships to North America, EU, UK, and some international
Knowledge Cotton Apparel
Knowledge Cotton Apparel puts sustainability first, and has a long list of certifications to back them up. They carry a large selection of organic and recycled casual wear.
This is by far my favourite jacket – it has a removeable insulated inner layer that doubles as it’s own light jacket, while the outer layer can be used as a standalone rain jacket with it’s water resistant waxed cotton exterior.
Size range: S – XXXL
Values: GOTS, GRS, OCS, KCA, Carbon Neutral certifications (as well as others)
Ordering: based in Denmark, ships worldwide
Izzy Lane
I only own a handful of sweaters, but this one will always be my favourite (and likely will be with me for my lifetime). There’s nothing quite like wearing a thick, soft, and high quality wool sweater on a chilly day.
Not only is this a stylish and timeless sweater, but the wool comes from sheep that Isobel Davies (Izzy Lane’s founder) rescues from the meat industry, to live the remainder of their lives on her farm in peace. The pandemic has slowed production for their menswear, but they will still be producing some men’s pieces in the future.
Size range: SM – XL
Values: made in the UK, natural & some undyed materials
Ordering: based in the UK, ships worldwide
KOTN
Kotn makes great basics while improving the lives and farms of their farmers in Egypt and Portugal through direct trading practices, guaranteed pricing, and a goal to help all their farms grow 100% organic cotton within the next 5 years. They also give back to the communities they work with by building schools, which help educate their children and narrow the poverty and gender gap.
Kotn is another great one for wardrobe staples and I like that they offer both classic and interesting colour options.
Size range: XS – XXL
Values: B Corp certified, responsible trade and manufacturing practices
Ordering: based in Canada, ships worldwide
MUD Jeans
Mud Jeans not only makes great organic jeans, but they take great effort to save water during their manufacturing process (via water recycling and innovative washing techniques at their factories, which saves over 90% of water vs. typical denim industry use) and are frontrunners in denim circularity – recycling used jeans into new ones.
The jeans I’ve had for around 5 years now have held up great to many miles of travel, and they’ve been wonderfully comfortable as well with the small amount of elastane in them!
Size range: 28×32 – 38×34
Values: GOTS Certified, zero waste, carbon neutral, circular
Ordering: based in the Netherlands, ships worldwide except UK
Arturo Denim Co.
They manufacture high quality denim, sewn locally, and are a Canadian brand I love to support because they are located in my city. Although they don’t carry sustainability certifications, I’ve focused on purchasing a great quality staple which will last for years, as locally as possible, and a huge benefit is I can drop my jeans off for repairs and alterations at Arturo which is another great sustainable practice.
Size range: 28×32 – 42×36
Values: great quality and long lasting products, in-house sewing, tailoring, and repairs
Ordering: based in Canada, ships worldwide
ARMEDANGELS
Most of my days are spent wearing t-shirts and hoodies, and the ones I’ve owned from ARMEDANGELS have always pulled through as a comfortable and good-quality option. They produce a solid variety of casual wear all while using eco-friendly materials, actively working to reduce their climate impact, and maintaining fair manufacturing practices.
Size range: SM – XXL
Values: GOTS certified, sustainable/regenerative materials, Fairtrade/Fairwear
Ordering: based in Germany, ships worldwide
Unbelts
I like wearing belts – In fact I usually need to wear belts, due to my complete lack of hips or butt. Nearly every belt I’ve worn in my lifetime have been generally OK, but I started noticing little holes in my t-shirts right in the area of the location of my belt buckle and realized that the holes were caused by carrying heavy things that push against the buckle. Unbelts are not only really comfortable and easy to adjust, but they are one of the only belt options I’ve found that prevent the holes forming on my shirt due to the extremely flat, non-bulky clasp!
They’re also a very conscious company who are striving to be leaders in sustainability and social responsibility. They’re a certified B corp, use recycled/diverted materials, focus on minimizing waste, and design for circularity. I also use their reuseable cloth masks which are great and very comfortable.
Size range: children’s, plus 24″-58″ hips (belts), S/M/L masks
Values: B corp certified, recycled materials, circular design, socially responsible
Ordering: based in Canada, ships worldwide
Nudie Jeans
Nudie has a very long list of sustainable initiatives including using organic fairtrade & recycled materials, selling repaired/reused jeans, lifetime repairs to your jeans for free, and a long list of UN sustainable development goals. They use 100% organic cotton throughout their garments, and produce a wide variety of sizes and styles. The Nudie Jeans T-shirt I’ve owned for many years is one of my favourites, and I plan to try out their jeans when my current ones eventually wear out.
Size range: 24″-38″ waist, 28″-36″ length (depending on jeans), XS-XXL other garments
Values: sustainable materials, free denim repairs forever, strict code of conduct/ethics, leading members of Fair Wear Foundation
Ordering: based in Sweden, ships worldwide
Organic Basics
Organic Basics is a company with sustainability at it’s core – even their website is designed to be low-impact! They make really comfortable basics using carefully selected sustainable fabrics, use seamless knitting to increase durability and stretch of fabrics, and work with certified factories. They offer a wide variety of basics (hence the name), including some with non-nano silver polymer blends to help control odour.
Size range: S – XXL
Values: B Corp certified, and many of their factories also have certifications such as GOTS, Oeko-Tex, SA8000
Ordering: based in Denmark, ships worldwide
WAMA
Even though I had never previously considered that I would have a favourite underwear brand, here we are. Since discovering Wama I’ve slowly been replacing my aging underwear stock with pairs of Wama’s hemp boxer briefs and I’ve got to say… they’re fantastic! I look forward to the part of the laundry cycle where I get to wear them, and am happy to report they are very sturdy while also remaining soft and extremely comfortable after many wears.
Hemp is also an anti-bacterial fabric and naturally organic which is a huge bonus, given that it’s, well, underwear. I plan to eventually replace all of my underwear with these hempen wonders.
Size range: S – 3XL
Values: sustainable materials, consciously made in China, vegan
Ordering: based in US, ships worldwide
Conscious Step
Most people probably don’t think much of what kind of socks they wear. My condition for the majority of my socks is just that they’re colourful or have a fun pattern on them – why wear boring socks? Fortunately for me, Conscious Step makes a wide range of sock patterns and every unique design you choose gives back to a specific charity. They currently support 18+ causes ranging from mental health initiatives, to nature conservation, to children’s literacy and girl’s education in Asia and Africa.
Size range: S – L
Values: GOTS certified, fairtrade cotton, vegan, supports many causes
Ordering: based in Canada, ships worldwide
Shoes
Kamik
As Erin talked about in her winter post, sustainable and ethically made boots are tough to find! But we both went with Kamik because of their quality, vegan options, and environmental and social initiatives.
These insulated rubber boots can hold up during -40 winters or the lining can be removed to use as a warm-weather rainboot. They’re made in Canada and Kamik’s rubber boots can actually be sent back for recycling!
Size range: 7 – 15
Values: many recycling initiatives including recycled rubber/plastic in boots, recycled packaging, and recycled water used for cooling (during manufacturing)
Ordering: based in Canada (with US and EU stores), ships worldwide
Allbirds
Allbirds makes shoes from merino wool, Tencel, sugarcane, and other natural and responsibly sourced materials. They are also one of the only sustainable shoe brands out there that offer actual running shoes (called “Dashers”). Erin has a pair and is really happy with both their comfort and performance.
They have a bunch of sustainability initiatives, including measuring the carbon footprint of every pair of shoes they make and are working on regenerative practices.
Size range: 8 – 14 (shoes), XS – XXXL (clothing)
Values: B Corp certified, sustainable and responsibly sourced materials
Ordering: stores in many countries, ships worldwide
SKYE Footwear
Skye makes a collection of shoes with a primary focus on recycled materials and some biodegradability. I always prefer a slip-on style shoe, so their laceless tying system is right up my alley, and who even likes tying shoes anyways? They’re a relatively new company, but seem like a promising brand who is trying to focus on sustainability and recyclability while producing high quality footwear you’ll actually like wearing.
Size range: 4 – 13
Values: recyclable materials, transparent supply chain
Ordering: based in Canada, ships to US and some international locations
Looking for more sustainable menswear? Check out our top sustainable clothing brands for the whole family or for more shoe options, we have a huge list of sustainable footwear!
Angela J.
What would you recommend for linen pants for men that are not just drawstring waist? I think my husband would like the fabric but don’t know where to look – we live in a hot climate.
Alex Wright
I really enjoyed this article. Especially as I don’t often see articles or videos about ethical menswear. I try really hard to buy ethically or second hand as much as possible ( I have size US 14 feet 😩). I’m definitely going to look at some of these brands next time I purchase something.
For anyone interested, I would also recommend Rapanui who are UK based but ship worldwide. They have a really innovative business that buy back your clothes after they’re worn out and recycle them in house into new products.