The 15+ Best Organic Cotton T-Shirt Brands You Need In Your Closet
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There’s nothing quite like a good t-shirt to complete an outfit. Tossed over a pair of jeans, tucked under a blazer, or worn at home while having a Netflix binge, a classic tee goes with almost everything and is a versatile piece found in wardrobes worldwide.
Typically composed of cotton, t-shirts can have a large environmental impact if produced with traditionally destructive farming and manufacturing practices.
While a Hanes t-shirt is beloved for its comfort and cost efficiency, environmental repercussions come with each item. Nevertheless, brands are reinventing the way t-shirts can be made with organic cotton practices, localized production, and closed-loop technology to ensure that generations to come will still be able to enjoy a classic tee.
Why Traditional Cotton Manufacturing is Unsustainable
Water Use: The production of just one t-shirt can use up to 713 gallons of water, and this massive water usage has been linked to worldwide environmental damage. The Aral Sea has completely dried up due to irrigation techniques to support cotton production in Uzbekistan, where what once was the world’s fourth-largest lake now lays a barren basin.
Pesticide Use: In addition to massive water usage, cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop, accounting for 16% of global pesticide use. These pesticides heavily impact the farmers and workers regularly exposed to them, resulting in mild to serious health problems. Long hours in extreme heat heavily impact the workers cultivating the cotton who typically are not supported or paid fare wages and continue to toil in poverty.
Exploitation of Farmers: Over the years, the rise of genetically modified cotton has affected local communities, with Indian farmer suicide rates climbing in conjunction with the reliance on genetically modified cotton.
In fact, between 1995 and 2014, more than 300,000 farmers committed suicide. Genetically modified seeds are very costly but account for 95% of cotton farming in India, and to afford these costs, farmers fall victim to loan sharks to pay for the seeds. Due to the unreliability of the weather conditions and cotton prices, farmers can accrue an insurmountable debt to keep up with the demands of gentically-modified cotton.
Bt cotton is a genetically modified cotton that is popular as the Bt gene has a protein that is toxic to the bollworm, a typical pest for cotton plants. However, the bollworm has now developed resistance to the Bt cotton, so a snowball effect emerges as more and more toxic chemicals need to be used to prevent pests.
The Process of Making a Sustainable T-Shirt
Through new innovative methods, brands are creating a closet staple that is also eco-conscious using materials ranging from organic cotton, recycled cotton, and Supima cotton.
Regenerative farming techniques are at the forefront of sustainable cotton production with revolutionary techniques that protect the soil health and prevent land devastation. Organic cotton requires up to 91% less water to produce than conventionally grown cotton and does not include the use of toxic chemicals for pesticides.
Many of the brands listed below are implementing practices into their business that support communities, whether supporting farmers in India with fair wages or localizing production in the United States to minimize the carbon footprint associated with cotton goods. Through community programming, these brands bring together the makers and the buyers in a united front to reduce climate change.
Recycled cotton is also being incorporated into the design process of sustainable t-shirts as brands creatively weave recycled cotton with organic cotton to create durable and timeless pieces that are built to last. Through in-house recycling programs, these brands reduce their textile waste from production and incentivize customers to return their old garments to be upcycled into new pieces.
The Best Sustainable Brands
KOTN
Started with the goal of creating the perfect tee, Kotn’s directly works with 2,390 smallholder farmers in the Nile Delta to create ethically-made Egyptian cotton t-shirts. Voted as one of B Corporation’s Best for the World, Kotn intricately understands and supports the communities that make their brand possible with fair wages, a guaranteed pricing model, and educating the younger generation with their charity, The ABCs Projects. A portion of proceeds from each product sold goes directly back to the Nile Delta and Faiyum, Egypt to fund and build primary schools.
All of their dyes are OEKO-TEX non-toxic certified and their collection includes classic crew neck tees as well as trendier varieties such as the 90’s Crop Tee and the Racer Tank.
Four Objects
Exhausted by fast fashion’s constant “buy more” mentality, Four Objects was created by two best friends to create a sustainable luxury capsule collection that includes timeless and fashionable pieces.
Their Best Friend Tee is a re-creation of a beloved tee shared between the co-founders, and its classic but the elevated silhouette is designed to be loved for many years.
Made of 100% Organic GOTS Certified Peruvian Pima Cotton and natural hand dyes, the Best Friend Tee is a perfect addition for anyone looking to create a capsule wardrobe.
The Standard Stitch
With a localized supply chain in Los Angeles, The Standard Stitch’s signature shirts aim to keep their carbon footprint low with their clothes only traveling 10.3 miles in total to be made.
Their t-shirts are OCS, GRS, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX certified and use both organic and recycled cotton. They save all of their cutting scraps to be recycled into new materials, and they also have introduced the Re-Stitch program, where customers can send in their items from The Standard Stitch that will then be upcycled into new fabric.
Everywhere Apparel
Everywhere Apparel is pioneering the sustainable fashion industry with the first and only closed-loop t-shirt. Made of 100% GRS-certified recycled cotton, this tee not only keeps textile waste out of the landfill but also saves hundreds of gallons of water compared to water usage in both the organic and non-organic cotton industries.
Their online calculator compares how much water, carbon emissions, and landfill waste is saved with their t-shirts as opposed to organic cotton t-shirts, conventional cotton t-shirts, and 50/50 Poly-Cotton blend t-shirts.
They also have a wholesale option for their signature t-shirts for those looking to buy their products in bulk.
Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn’s Earth Tee is an airy, oversized t-shirt made of remnant cotton fiber from the farming, ginning, and spinning process to create Christy Dawn’s Farm-to-Closet fabric.
Originally designing pieces using deadstock material, Christy Dawn began their journey to creating clothes that heal by investing in the regeneration of 80 acres of depleted farmland in Erode, India.
By working with farmers and artisans to replenish the soil through regenerative practices, the Farm-to-Closet collection brings harmony to fashion and nature. For those wanting an upgraded take on the classic tee, Christy Dawn also has the Rayne tee in a delicate 100% organic cotton pointelle fabric.
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