For most, the winter months are rough—rougher still without a warm and durable coat when the mercury drops the mic. Unless you live in a place like Florida, sustainable jackets are about as essential as socks.
Unfortunately, some winter coats—namely those made of synthetic fabrics—keep you warm at the cost of heating up our planet.
A winning winter wardrobe is one that keeps us toasty without melting an ice cap, so we sifted through piles of parkas and puffers to find the most sustainable coats for you and the planet that are made by brands that use low-impact materials, ethical labor, and transparent supply chains.
As we refresh our articles in the coming months, we’ll be layering up with our Brand Rating System to assess brands across 22 eco-related criteria, like chemical use and climate impact, that will keep us warm but not the planet. To learn more about these assessment points, see here.
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 Winter Coats & Jackets We Love to Bundle Up In
From puffers and vests to heavy couture winter coats, Bernardo merges New York style with recycled materials in their show-stopping range of winter getup.
Forget the city and hit the slopes with Patagonia’s range of sustainable puffer coats and waterproof ski jackets that we’ve been wearing for years without fail.
Index: Sustainable Winter Coats & Jackets
- Bernardo Jump to brand
- Outerknown Jump to brand
- Frank And Oak Jump to brand
- Patagonia Jump to brand
- Reformation Jump to brand
- Amour Vert Jump to brand
- prAna Jump to brand
Bernardo
About Bernardo
Price Range: $99—$299
Make frigid weather more bearable with European-inspired, NYC-designed couture stylings—or in Bernardo’s case, coat-ure ones. They’ve been specializing in “outerwear for the modern woman and her family on the go” for over four decades.
It’s no wonder they offer a sizable collection of women’s sustainable coats that includes puffers, vests, rain jackets, quilted coats, long coats, and heavy winter coats. Their selection of winter coats for men is limited to an insulated vest and the Northernmost Point Puffer Jacket.
Bernardo’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Bernardo’s most sustainable outerwear is made from either recycled nylon (i.e. their raincoats) or GRS-certified recycled polyester. In many styles, the latter constitutes both the outer shell and recycled plastic bottle Eco Plume™ fill, which is also bluesign®-approved.
To avoid materials like virgin polyester, traditional cotton, and acrylic faux fur trims, we recommend sticking to the Eco-Minded and Full Circle Collections.
Supply chain & labor practices:
There are no details about Bernardo’s manufacturing on their website, so we’ve reached out to get more details on the ethics behind their manufacturing and supply.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Bernardo’s use of recycled materials allowed them to repurpose almost 5 million plastic bottles this year alone. Their packaging, hang tags, and labels are also 100% recycled.
Taking circularity further, Ecoloved is their line of pre-loved garments on sale via a separate site through a collaboration with the online thrift store thredUP.
Inclusivity:
Standard sizes from this woman-managed brand run XXS-XL, but their Curve collection features sizes 1X-3X.
Outerknown
About Outerknown
Price Range: $331—$555
From sustainable swimwear to socks, Outerknown sure does cover a lot of clothing bases.
Founded by the world’s most famous surfer, Kelly Slater, they know their stuff when it comes to clothing that can withstand the weather’s wildest waves. But when winter winds blow, they offer sustainable men’s sports coats, utility jackets, water-repellant wind shells, puffer jackets, and ultra-thick flannel shackets in the form of their best-selling Blanket Shirt.
OK’s sustainable jackets for women aren’t meant for super frigid temperatures but are on-point for fringe seasons. These include shirt jackets, denim jackets, and the cozy-looking “oversized cocoon sherpa” Dorset Car Coat.
Outerknown’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Fabrics include recycled materials (polyester, nylon, polyamide cotton, and wool), TENCEL™ Lyocell, regular wool, cupro, and RDS-certified down. Only a few contain virgin polyester or minimal spandex.
If you want organic coats, they have several made of 100% organic cotton or a hemp and cotton blend.
Any water-repellency is thanks to a PFOA-free DWR coating.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Outerwear uses Fair Trade-certified facilities across Peru, China, and Mexico and works collectively with workers to ensure they’re paid a premium for their work along with extra funding to improve their lives even more. All suppliers must also adhere to a Fair Labor Association Code of Conduct.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
By 2030, Outerknown will be powered by 100% renewable energy—amongst other sustainability strategy goals like implementing repair and recycling programs.
Inclusivity:
Most items range from S-XXL.
My Personal Review of Outerknown’s Blanket Shirt:
“I’m totally in love with The Blanket Shirt from Outerknown. Made of tightly woven, thick, 100% organic cotton with biodegradable corozo nut buttons, it’s a game changer. Who knew flannel could be this cozy? I’ve got three now because I literally wear them ALL the time.”
Review by Christopher Ryan, SJ’s Menswear Tester
Frank And Oak
About Frank And Oak
Price Range: $149—$549
Designed in the chilly northern climates of Canada, warm sustainable winter coats come naturally to Frank And Oak.
Parka coats are their signature styles—namely the Alpine for men and Capital for women—but you’ll also find puffers, topcoats (or peacoats), and bomber jackets. That’s on top of all other manner of clothing, including hydro-less, circular, organic denim.
Frank And Oak’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Lots of innovative materials are at work with the Frank & Oak line (fabric made from recycled oyster shells or seaweed, anyone?) but their coats primarily utilize recycled materials.
This usually means recycled polyester for the outer, lining, and Thermore® Insulation fills—a down alternative made from recycled plastic bottles—for each insulated parka. Some eco-friendly coats contain natural fabrics, too, like recycled or certified cruelty-free wool, kapok, and GOTS-certified organic cotton.
Fabrics are dyed using aniline-free eco-dyes.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Frank And Oak is a Certified B Corp so we know their workers are protected by third-party audits, but we don’t know any further manufacturing details. We’ll reach out to inquire.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Frank And Oak writes, “From purposeful pockets to the very last recyclable button, every product we create is uncompromisingly designed to be as beneficial to you as it is to our planet’s welfare.”
78% of their line contains responsible materials and less than 13% contains virgin polyester.
For packaging, they utilize recycled paper kraft boxes and composable polybags, and their offices and stores are built and furnished using locally-sourced or recycled materials.
Inclusivity:
Sustainable women’s coats come in XS-XL and men’s styles add XXL to that range.
Patagonia
About Patagonia
Price Range: $117—$649
This sustainable outdoor clothing brand needs no introduction.
Patagonia has been equipping people for skiing, ice climbing, winter hiking, and extreme cold mountaineering for almost five decades—so suffice it to say they know their snow stuff. With ski jackets, GoreTex rain shells, insulated jackets, fleece jackets, and shackets, there’s something for everyone.
For both men and women, the Nano Puff® Jacket is a best-selling lightweight synthetic puffer for any and all occasions.
Or throw it back to one of Patagonia’s original styles in the form of the wind blocking Retro X fleece jacket. Either way, you’ll be wearing 100% recycled materials.
Patagonia’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The materials used by Patagonia’s lighter ethical jackets include regenerative organic cotton, recycled or ethically sourced wool, recycled polyester, and organic cotton. For more burly outerwear, you’ll find mostly recycled synthetics, like nylon and polyester shells coated in PFC-free waterproof coatings.
Their insulation consists of 100% recycled P.U.R.E.™ (Produced Using Reduced Emissions) PrimaLoft® Gold or RDS-certified down in the sustainable down coats.
Some still contain elements made from virgin synthetics, but the number of these garments shrinks season by season.
Supply chain & labor practices:
From Fair Trade-certified sewing for 87% of their outdoor apparel to the support of more than 66,000 workers with fair wages, Patagonia is doing a lot in the way of social responsibility.
They also keep things super transparent and traceable by matching all garments to their place of creation via the Footprint Chronicles.
Such efforts have earned them the top tier ranking in Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Planning to be carbon neutral by 2025, recycling poly shipping bags in any Patagonia store, pioneering a regenerative farming certification, and offering a line with 87% of garments are made from recycled materials—these are just a few of the things Patagonia is doing to stay green.
They buy-back and resell old Patagonia garments through the Worn Wear program (a way to get major deals on like new stuff) and offer a lifetime of repairs via their IronClad guarantee.
Inclusivity:
Recognizing their own inclusivity shortcomings, they are making efforts to address them. Sustainable men’s coats are now available in XS-3XL and women’s in XXS-2XL.
Community & charitable giving:
Environmental activism is a huge priority for Patagonia, both on a large political and small grassroots scale (which they help by connecting shoppers with local organizations through the Patagonia Action Works).
They co-founded 1% For the Planet and recently sold the company to two environmental nonprofits—meaning all profits moving forward will help fight climate change.
My Personal Review of Patagonia’s Nano Puff® Hoody Pullover:
“Among the many Patagonia pieces I’ve accumulated over the years, the Nano Puff® Hoody is by far one of my favorites, no matter the time of year. This fully recycled synthetic puffer is warm, wind-resistant, and incredibly lightweight. It can be packed down into its own chest pocket, and the hood fits snugly under a cycling or climbing helmet—making it the ideal layer for everything from outdoor adventures to everyday wear.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Reformation
About Reformation
Price Range: $115—$1800
Because the fashion industry is in need of one, we refer to Reformation, who use specific criteria to make sure their products are the best—or that consumers know where they need to improve.
They have a full line of women’s fashion items but we came for the coats. In addition to more stylish blazers, bomber, denim, and leather jackets, this fast fashion alternative has a full line of heavier sustainable winter coats in short to full-length designs.
For a year-round staple, be sure to check out the Marco Bomber sustainable jacket, made of 100% regenerative cotton.
Reformation’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Divided into five fiber standards, ranging from “Allstars” to “Eww, Never”, they ensure that 75% of what they sell is in the first two categories.
Most of their sustainable outerwear consists of wool coats, featuring a blend of 70% recycled MWool®, 12% recycled polyamide, and 18% polyamide. Others contain recycled or regenerative cotton and/or deadstock materials (i.e. leftovers from manufacturing or unsold garments from other companies) polyester and wool.
They offer a handful of sustainable leather jackets featuring leather sourced from LWG-Gold or Silver rated tanneries.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Between their map of suppliers and factory list (though 33 of these are owned by Ref themselves and located right in LA), their Code of Conduct, and compliance with international standards for fair labor conditions, Ref is committed to an ethical supply chain.
While 65% of their garments are USA-made, the others in China, Morocco, and Turkey are Global Social Compliance Program compliant.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Reformation is carbon neutral and each product page displays the sustainability impact (i.e. carbon dioxide savings, water savings, and waste savings).
As part of their Circular Fashion System Commitment, RefRecycling encourages you to rewear, resell, or recycle via a partnership with SuperCircle.
Similarly, they hope to have 100% of their fabrics be from recycled, regenerative or renewable sources by 2025.
Inclusivity:
Reformation tests the fit of its products on multiple women and has both a petite collection and an extended sizes collection (up to size 24 or 3X). Standard sizes only run XS-XL.
Amour Vert
About Amour Vert
Price Range: $44—$570
Remember that high school French class?
Yeah, us neither, but no worries because all you need to know is that Amour Vert translates to “green love”—which is accurate.
Their women’s-only outerwear includes blazers, biker jackets, and other lightweight options for less severe weather. Because it’s all professional-looking attire you’ll feel no hesitation throwing on sustainable fashion coats like the Tobie Double Breasted Blazer over their sustainable work clothing for that important upcoming project proposal.
Amour Vert’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Amour Vert’s large range is crafted using carefully selected fibers combined with non-toxic dyes. Their sustainable jackets feature fabrics like wool, recycled plastic bottles, upcycled acrylic, and recycled leather or suede.
Only a couple should be avoided, like those that contain virgin acrylic .
Supply chain & labor practices:
With every item, you can see the people behind the production as well as where it’s been made.
They also use GOTS-approved manufacturing processes and are committed to keeping production local—97% of their range is made close to their main office in San Francisco. This means most of the line consists of sustainable coats made in the USA, though a few are made in India.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Amour Vert is a member of the Responsible Packaging Movement and uses low-waste packaging: compostable garment bags, recycled boxes and filler, and soy-based inks.
Things are made in small-batches to prevent unsold stock and they offer an avenue for reselling used products through ReAmour is the brand’s resale marketplace.
Inclusivity:
The sustainable women’s outerwear comes in XS-XL sizes.
prAna
About prAna
Price Range: $119—$470
Just like the word behind the brand’s name, prAna gives us life in seeing how they’re trying to improve the world of activewear.
You can cool down in your sustainable yoga clothing before warming up in one of their sustainable winter coats and jackets for men and women.
You’ll find technical garments in the form of wool coats, puffers, wind anoraks, rain jackets, and more casual corduroy coats, fleece jackets, and shirt jackets, like the classic Bridges Flannel Jacket.
prAna’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
prAna’s clothing is a mixture of low-impact fabrics (like recycled materials, recycled wool, hemp, TENCEL™ Lyocell, and organic cotton) along with some not-so-sustainable fabrics (like virgin polyester, lycra, and elastane) to keep you warm and dry. However, you can find some made of 100% recycled polyester or nylon—like the Othello Falls Jacket.
Many are bluesign® approved and contain PFAS-free durable water repellent treatments.
While they use RDS-certified down, we wouldn’t consider theirs to be sustainable down coats because they all still utilize fully non-recycled polyester and nylon.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Not only are they members of the Textile Exchange, but they also became the first North American apparel brand to produce Fair Trade-certified clothing.
They work with several factories around the globe (mostly in Vietnam, India, or China) and ensure that they all meet strict standards when it comes to things like forced labor, child labor, harassment, hours of work, and health and safety.
Their supply chain list (along with the ability to shop by country of origin) gives interested customers a first-hand look at who they work with and where they’re located.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
prAna started the Responsible Packaging Movement to not only move to more sustainable materials for shipping but inspire other brands to do so, too.
Inclusivity:
prAna’s inclusive size ranges from XS-3XL for men and XXS-XXL for women. While plus sizes aren’t available for all garments yet, there’s still a healthy selection.
