Here’s a quick-reference resource for me to keep track of companies, both consumer-goods brands and raw-material suppliers who I think are doing a good job working to right this textile sustainability problem. This will be a growing and changing list, as I continue to learn more about these companies. If you have any to add or any additional info on these brands, please shout!

Consumer Goods*

*I want to preface this list by saying the most sustainable products are the ones you’re already using. Prioritize lengthening the lifecycle of what you already own or using what has already been owned. However, if you must shop new, here are a few good options.

Undergarments

• Knickey: Organic cotton undies + bralettes with a transparent supply-chain and an in-house recycling program that takes your worn-out undergarments and turns them into insulation and batting (sounds more like a down-cycling program, but it’s better than nothing.) Carbon-neutral distribution as well!

Activewear

• Girlfriend Collective: Activewear is a tough category to turn sustainable since it traditionally relies on polyester for its performance attributes. Girlfriend Collective does a pretty good job using mostly recycled synthetic fibers, eco-friendlier dying processes, keeping a transparent supply-chain, and developing their own in-house recycling program. There’s room for improvement (i.e. their use of cupro), but it’s a great place to start.

Home Goods

• Suay Sew Shop: I have them in the home goods category, but this badass brand also sells apparel. They call themselves a “sewing and production shop” since they are part repair-shop and part upcycler of post-consumer waste and deadstock. They take circularity to the next level and address financial accessibility while they’re at it.

Raw Materials + Technologies

Alternative Textiles + Materials

• Bucha Bio: Leather-alternative grown by “fermenting bacterial-nanocellulose.” Sounds like someone turned kombucha into leather, but I’ll have to do a little more reading on it. 
• Bolt Threads: Mylo, Microsilk
• Mycoworks
• Piñatex
• Biophilica
• V-Textile
• Fleather
• Desserto
• AppleSkin

Alternative Fibers + Yarns

• Kintra Fibers: A sugar-based “bio-synthetic.” I’m not sure what this means, but it sounds like they’re addressing biodegradability and micro-plastic pollution. I’ll keep a tab on them.
• Algiknit: Kelp-based fibers! I don’t have much more information on them, but I’ll keep digging.
• Natural Fiber Welding: This is actually really really cool. Their technology chemically “welds” fibers together by controlling hydrogen bonds to extend between fibers. This is able to strengthen and improve recycled natural fiber feedstock to give them stronger performance attributes. Strengthening recycled fibers helps keep them in the lifecycle for longer, reducing the need to downcycle and ultimately helping circularity! Also they’re applying this technology to bio-based leathers!
• Evolved by Nature