Merch, company, and event printed tees are typically not very sustainably made, but a few companies are trying to change that. If you’re looking for more eco friendly t shirt printing or other sustainable custom clothing, check these companies out:
(please note: some affiliate links are used in this post which means we may get a small commission)
Known Supply
Through Known Supply you can get Fair Trade certified, organic cotton, custom apparel including t shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags, beanies, tanks and more. Items can be silk-screened, embroidered, or ordered as blanks for your own printing.
How They’re Better
Known Supply calls themselves a human brand – “reimagining apparel production in a way that honors and celebrates the people behind the clothing we buy.” They are Fair Trade certified and each garment comes with the signature of the person who made it.
Sizing
Their tees are available in sizes XS – 4XL
Costs & Minimums
Costs vary depending on the apparel and project. Use this form to get a quote and more information about working with Known Supply.
Known Supply has no minimums, but they are selective with who they work with.
Location
Known Supply is based in the USA and ships to some international countries.
Teemill
Teemill’s print-on-demand service and dropshipping platform is primarily catered to artists, designers, influencers, musicians, and charities who want to set up their own merch store or run a fundraising campaign. However they also offer custom printing on their sustainable t shirts starting at single items.
How They’re Better
Teemill uses 100% organic cotton t shirts which are made using renewable energy. The whole company is carbon neutral, they use plastic-free packaging, and the tees and inks are Oeko-Tex certified.
They also have a circularity program where any of their t shirts can be sent back to be recycled into their Remill fabric – 50% recycled cotton, 50% organic cotton.
Sizing
T shirts are available in sizes XS – 4XL
Cost, Minimums & Lead Time
Their drop-shipping service is free to use. You set the price of your T shirts and the profit you wish to make, basic tees start at £15.
Their costs for orders of custom printed basic t-shirts through TeemillFactory range from about £15 (for 1) to £7 each (for 150+) and there are additional discounts for orders over 200.
They have no minimums. For larger bulk orders (200+) the lead time is 10-15 business days, but with smaller orders it’s 5-7 business days.
Location
Teemill is based in the UK and ships to most international countries.
Last Shot Apparel
Last Shot Apparel offers custom printed or embroidered t shirts, sweatshirts, toques and bags made in Canada from reclaimed and deadstock materials.
How They’re Better
The company was created when founder Briggs Gibbins wanted to find a solution to the unsustainabilty of company event merchandise. So instead of adding to the excessive amount of new textiles created, Last Shot Apparel uses 100% deadstock materials (leftover and unused fabrics from textile mills or production runs).
Since they exclusively source deadstock, slight color and fabric variations within large orders should be expected but LSA tries their best to source matching fabrics.
Sizing
Their garments are available is sizes XS – XXL
Cost, Minimums & Lead Time
Adult shirts are $24 cad (t shirts) – $35 cad (sweatshirts), and a 20% discount is offered for orders over 15.
They have no minimums and lead time is 14 business days.
Location
Last Shot Apparel is located in Canada and ships international.
Print Natural
Through Print Natural you can order sustainable, organic, and fair trade clothing custom screened with eco friendly inks. Through their partner brands they offer t-shirts, tanks, sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags, kids tees, and baby onesies which can be printed with your design.
How They’re Better
Screen printing inks are often made of plastics and can contain toxic chemicals. However Print Natural uses Oeko-Tex certified, vegan, water-based inks which also meet GOTS and Soil Association requirements.
Print Natural does not manufacture clothing themselves but instead partners with 6 brands to offer a wide selection of clothing styles and sustainable features to choose from.
Cost & Minimums
Use their Quick Quote Calculator to get as estimate of the cost for your project.
Minimum orders start at 25 units.
Ordering and Location
Print Natural is based in the USA and offers fulfillment services to individually or bulk ship orders.
The Good Tee
Focused on transparent and ethically made apparel, The Good Tee offers not just t shirts, but also tanks, sweatshirts, and other clothing made from Fair Trade and GOTS certified cotton.
How They’re Better
The Good Tee is involved in their entire supply chain from farm to finished garment ensuring ethical policies and sustainable practices are followed.
Sizing
Their tees are available in sizes XS – XXL
Cost, Minimums & Lead Time
Their classic tees and apparel can be purchased as blanks for your own customization or they also offer printing services for larger orders.
A minimum of 250 units is required for customized orders and they have a lead time of 3-5 months. Find more information about their custom and wholesale orders here or fill out this form to get a quote.
Location
The Good Tee is based in Canada and ships internationally.
Ethical Tee Company
The Ethical Tee Company offers custom printing, embroidery, as well as print-on-demand services on a variety of apparel options including t shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tanks, bags, children’s and baby clothing.
How They’re Better
They have 3 collections depending on what features you’re looking for:
- Earth Positive Collection, made from 100% organic cotton (GOTS certified)
- Salvage Collection, made from 60% recycled cotton, 40% recycled polyester
- Fairshare Collection, made from 100% fair trade, organic cotton (GOTS and Fair Trade certified)
Additionally all their products are PETA Vegan Certified and made in Fair Wear audited factories, and the Earth Positive and Fairshare collections are made with renewable energy.
Sizing
Varies by garment but their largest size range is XS – 5XL
Cost, Minimums, & Lead Time
Use this form to request a quote for your project.
Minimum order of 10 units for custom order, no minimum for print-on-demand service. They have a lead time of 3 -4 business days
Ordering and Location
The Ethical Tee company is based in the UK and ships internationally
Farm Fresh Clothing Co.
Through Farm Fresh Clothing Co. you can get custom t shirts, tanks, sweatshirts and bags all made in America from organic cotton. They offer both printing and embroidery services.
How They’re Better
Proudly made in America, Farm Fresh Clothing Co.’s apparel is made in a Californian factory who pays a living wage. Their garments are made from GOTS certified organic cotton and they use water-based inks.
Sizing
Women’s tees are available in XS – 2XL, and men’s in XS – 3XL.
Cost, Minimums, & Lead Time
Contact them for a quote.
They require a minimum order of 150 units for custom printed items and 36 units for embroidered items. There is a 2 week lead time for orders.
Ordering and Location
Farm Fresh Clothing Co. is based in the USA.
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