Sustainable hats off to you and your sustainable fashion journey! Hats made from virgin plastic and unethically-sourced wool have us feeling like the Mad Hatter: “A dream is not reality, but who’s to say which is which?”.

But who’s to say something can’t be both?

Our dreams of (stylishly) messy hat hair that’s better for people and the planet are becoming a reality, with several brands that we’ve curated here creating ethically made felt hats to low-impact trucker hats. And they do this by not only using responsible materials but also ethical labor and transparent supply chains.

Speaking of eco-efforts, we’ll soon be rolling out our new Brand Rating System in the coming months. It will assess brands against a range of factors, like climate impact, chemical use, and green business practices, to provide a comprehensive look at which brands are truly the best. You can read more about it in our explainer.

We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.

Ethical Hats Tipping Their Brims To Mother Nature

It should come as no surprise that we head right to prAna, who won’t let you lose your head with a wide range of hats made out of recycled materials. As one of our favorite sustainable clothing brands, we were more than happy to top off our personal prAna collection with one of their cozy winter hats.

Storied Hats isn’t telling tall tales with its catalog of responsibly manufactured, ethical snapback hats. They’re not just one of the coolest hat brands but also one of the most conscious, and we can personally vouch for how comfortable and durable they are.

Index: Eco-Friendly Hats

  1. prAna Jump to brand
  2. tentree Jump to brand
  3. Storied Hats Jump to brand
  4. Cuyana Jump to brand
  5. Patagonia Jump to brand
  6. Eileen Fisher Jump to brand
  7. Accompany Jump to brand

prAna

prAna has not been rated.

About prAna

Price Range: $16–$49

prAna has you quite literally covered with bucket hats, beanies, headbands, and other women’s and men’s sun hats made from high-quality, low-impact fabrics.

The Fair Trade-certified unisex Kootenai Bucket Hat is a fan favorite, made entirely out of recycled polyester, but we personally love their winter line like the Trapper hat that we own.

prAna’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Organic cotton and recycled polyester make up the bulk of prAna’s fair trade hats. They also use hemp, recycled cotton, wool, nylon, acrylic, and some elastane/spandex in the headbands.

Supply chain & labor practices:

prAna works with several Fair Trade-certified factories, aiming to make 100% of its sustainable yoga clothes and more in certified factories by 2028. They partner with facilities in Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam adhere to their Code of Conduct, which follows the FLA and ILO labor standards.

prAna started the Clothing for Positive Change (C4PC) movement to ensure fair wages, living conditions, and workers’ respect across its supply chain.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

prAna is a founding partner of The Renewal Workshop, where discarded clothing and fabrics are turned into renewed products, upcycled materials, or recycling feedstock. They also have a manufacturing climate goal of a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030 and use packing materials with recycled content and FSC-certified paper.

My Personal Review of prAna’s Hurricane Trapper Hat:

“I live in Wyoming, where the winters are straight-up freezing. I’m talking 30 below zero freezing, and that’s before you even add the wind chill. Needless to say, proper winter gear is essential. With its long earflaps and recycled polyester fleece lining, the Hurricane Trapper Hat keeps me super cozy.”

Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content

tentree

tentree has not been rated.

About tentree

Price Range: $25–$55

tentree: the name says it all. This tree-planting brand uses earth-friendly materials and carbon-negative practices to make “earth-first apparel.” Besides apparel for our bodies, tentree also keeps us outdoor-ready withtrucker hats, sun hats, and other durable hats for men and women.

tentree’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Some of our favorite materials also happen to be those used by tentree in their sustainable beanies and baseball caps, including hemp, recycled polyester, organic cotton, recycled wool, and TENCEL™ lyocell.

tentree uses a little spandex/elastane to get that perfect fit on your noggin.

Supply chain & labor practices:

In each product description, you’ll see where the sustainable caps are crafted. Most are made in Vietnam, and some in China. The Certified B Corp’s manufacturing partners adhere to high standards and a Code of Conduct based on ILO standards. Many are also backed up with additional certifications like WRAP, BSCI, SA8000, and Fair Trade.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

You can see the impact each piece has on our planet (water, waste, and CO2)—which is far less than conventional hats and garments.

My Personal Review of tentree’s Harlow Boater Hat:

“I’ve practically been living in the Harlow Boater Hat all summer because its wide, full-circle brim has been the perfect way to keep the scorching summer sun off my face, ears, and neck. And thanks to its cream color that helps reflect the sun, even its wool construction can be worn on warm summer days, while also being warm and temperature regulating enough for cooler temps, too.”

Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content

Storied Hats

Storied Hats has not been rated.

About Storied Hats

Price Range: $28–$44

Storied Hats produces bright, fun, sustainable baseball hats in multiple sizes for kids and adults.

All hats are designed in their Portland and San Francisco offices before being ethically manufactured in China.

Storied Hats’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Each hat is made from fabrics like recycled and organic cotton, hemp, recycled polyester, recycled wool, and ramie.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Storied Hats sources its materials from the United States, Taiwan, India, and China. The custom hats are manufactured in a WRAP-certified facility outside Shanghai.

My Personal Review of Storied Hats’ Saved By The Bell Hat:

“If you appreciate retro graphics and punny names as much as I do, the hardest part of shopping Storied Hats will be picking just one. I went with the Saved by the Bill design, which perfectly CAPtures those carefree Saturday mornings in the 90s vibes I miss so much. The fabric is a tightly woven blend that is both durable and comfortable to wear, and the extra-wide flat bill provides ample shade for the face on sunny days.”

Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content

Cuyana

Cuyana has not been rated.

About Cuyana

Price Range: $48–$128

We’ve got more Quechuan language to translate: Cuyana means “love,” and this brand loves people and the planet. Their love for us is driven by a “fewer, better” mentality, meaning they responsibly design their clothing and accessories to maximize wearability.

The same applies to their ethically made straw hats, like the earthy and ultra-protective Wide Brim Ecuador Hat that will have you both standing out and fitting in at the farmer’s market.

Cuyana’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Stay elevated and cool in Baseball Cap made from OCS-certified organic cotton. The rest of their Boleros and Panama hats are made from sustainably harvested toquilla straw. These Ecuadorian palm fronds are harvested without harming the main tree.

Supply chain & labor practices:

The straw hats are woven by women using UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity techniques. All manufacturing partners agree to a Code of Conduct and are regularly visited and audited.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Their products are made to last, and that’s not just a marketing gimmick—a two-year warranty backs them and can be sent back to Cuyana for repair. They partner with thredUP to encourage reselling, and recently launched their own Revive resale site.

Cuyana aims to make 100% of its collection from sustainably-certified materials sometime in 2023 and 100% neutral packaging by 2025.

Patagonia

Patagonia has not been rated.

About Patagonia

Price Range: $35–$59

Does Patagonia even need an introduction? After 50 years of improvements and environmental initiatives, Patagonia covers all clothing categories, and hats are no exception.

As with all their clothing, sustainable backpacks, and more, their hat range is extensive and includes sustainable sun hats, trucker hats, beanies, baseball caps, and a range of other adventure-ready hats for men, women, and kiddos. Our P-6 Logo Trucker Hat has been a wardrobe staple for years, which we grab whether we’re heading to the beach, on a run, or to the supermarket on a bad hair day.

Patagonia’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

While we especially love their 100% organic cotton hats, we don’t mind seeing recycled nylon mesh (from fishing nets) in their snapback hats, ethical wool in their winter hats, or recycled polyester components.

Most are bluesign®-approved, meaning they’re produced without harmful chemicals.

Supply chain & labor practices:

At the bottom of every product listing, you’ll see the “Footprint Chronicles”, which includes how and where it’s made. Most hats for men and women are produced in a fair trade factory in Shanghai.

Patagonia is a Fair Labor Association founding member with many certified fair trade hats and partners to their arsenal. They’re still working on ensuring everyone gets a living wage per their Code of Conduct based on ILO core labor standards.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

For happy pockets and planet, Patagonia’s Worn Wear line accepts, sells, and transforms used Patagonia clothes and gear! Of course, if you don’t want to get rid of your jacket because it ripped, you can also send it back for free repair… FOR LIFE!

More than three-fourths of their line is made with recycled materials, and 100% of their cotton is grown organically.

Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher has not been rated.

About Eileen Fisher

Price Range: $118–$125

If you’re looking for the best winter hats for women, sustainable also means oh-so-comfortable with the cashmere beanies from Eileen Fisher. While their collection is small, they cover all seasons between these beanies and the delightfully summery Mar Y Sol floppy hats.

That’s all topping off their whole catalog of sweaters, cardigans, jackets, pants, jumpsuits, dresses, and other sustainable work clothing essentials.

Eileen Fisher’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

The Silk Bliss knit hat is made from cashmere, silk, nylon, and a bit of spandex. The Mar Y Sol is made from responsibly sourced raffia palm fiber, with an interior cotton band and brim.

Supply chain & labor practices:

As a Certified B Corp, Eileen Fisher adheres to strict standards regarding ethical production and environmental practices. They’re also a Fair Labor Association and Fair Factories Clearinghouse member, with partners adhering to SA8000 and the ETI ethical manufacturing base standards.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

The Waste No More take-back program transforms returned and recycled garments into new products (like upcycled accessories or carpet pads), in addition to their Renew vintage and resale platform.

EF utilizes renewable energy and carbon offsets and consistently looks for more responsible production practices and fabrics to further reduce its footprint.

Accompany

Accompany has not been rated.

About Accompany

Price Range: $30–$200

Accompany is on a humanity-focused mission to change our world for the better through accessories like ethical felt hats and straw hats. Instead of quick fixes and temporary solutions, they’re working to create permanent change in some of the systems and cycles that keep people in poverty.

Our favorite is the Made In The Shade Hat, which is their only ethical vegan hat available.

Accompany’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Straw, cotton, woven palm leaves, vegetable tanned leather, and wool are the materials you’ll find across Accompany’s hats. Although the Night Reversible wool hat blends alpaca wool with acrylic, the Paresi Hat contains 100% felted wool.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Accompany is accompanied by two artisan groups who craft their sustainable wool hats and straw hats range. Artesano and Shupaca, both collectives of Ecuadorian artisans that focus on using sustainable materials and empowering the communities in which they’re based. All artisans are fairly compensated for their work.