9 Sustainable Coats & Ethical Jackets To Keep You Consciously Cozy

How We Found The Best Ethical & Sustainable Winter Coats

Most of the coats in your closet will contain synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, spandex, and fleece.

While these may prevent you against an icy chill, they won’t do much if global warming sends us plunging into the next ice age.  

Synthetic fibers are associated ethical and environmental issues like microplastic pollution—with polyester fleece being the worst. 

They’re also associated with oil and lots of it—some estimates suggest 70 million barrels are used to make polyester each year!  

So then, what are the most sustainable coats?

We’ll let our sustainable and ethical fashion criteria guide us through the blizzard.

Materials:

As with sustainable beanies, natural fabrics are far better alternatives, so we look for materials like organic cotton (which requires less water and fewer hazardous chemicals than its traditional counterpart), hemp fabric, linen, and upcycled wool. 

Virgin down ethical wool coats aren’t so bad either, so long as they’re sourced cruelty-free and sourced from places that prioritize animal welfare.

For obvious animal rights reasons, we see no possible sustainable fur coats unless they’re vintage—and these brands seem to agree.

While natural waxes can be used to give organic materials waterproof qualities, synthetics are often still preferred for their superior weather resistance, a quality needed in your defense against the elements.

However, substituting virgin synthetics with recycled materials (like nylon made from abandoned fishing nets and polyester from plastic bottles) is a far better option because it at least prevents more crude oil from being harvested.

It doesn’t, however, solve the microplastics issue so while winter coats require less frequent washing than, say, your sustainable activewear, you should still use a Guppyfriend wash bag.

Ethical leather jackets are tricky unless the leather is recycled, but beyond that, we look for vegetable-tanned leather.

• Certifications: GOTS-certified, Bluesign®, OEKO-Tex, Global Recycle Standard (GRS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Responsible Down Standard (RDS) , Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Leather Working Group (LWG)

Supply chain and labor practices:

While we like ethical and sustainable long coats, we’d rather supply chains that aren’t long, as smaller ones are easier to trace.

However, for larger brands, transparency is key. If a brand doesn’t know who they’re working with or where its materials come from, how can it ensure that workers are properly supported?

We then like to see codes of conduct in place and regular visits to these entities to ensure they’re being upheld.

Third-party certifications can provide some assurances, but be aware that you shouldn’t entirely rely on one certification, like B Corp’s reliability which has been called into question.

• Certifications: B-Corp, Fair trade (i.e Fair Wear Foundation, Fair Labor Association, etc)

Green business practices:

In addition to sourcing ethical and sustainable materials, brands can take implement sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint.

Eco-friendly winter coats feel much warmer when produced using renewable energy or carbon offset programs, environmentally conscious processes, or packaged with plastic-free packaging. 

Inclusivity:

Just because you have a little extra natural insulation around the middle, doesn’t mean you don’t need a winter coat. Inclusion means sizes and modeling that represent all bodies, shapes, and sizes.

Community & charitable giving:

If a brand is large and profitable enough to give back to a good cause, that’s fantastic. 

For those who haven’t made it yet financially, we love to see how they support their employees with perks and incentives to do good (like paid days off to volunteer).