In the search for a stylish and versatile wardrobe, the polo shirt has always been a key piece for many men. For conscious consumers like yourself who value both looking good and doing good, this guide is your one-stop shop for finding ethical men’s polo shirt brands.
We’ll be diving into the world of six fantastic ethical brands, each with a commitment to using high quality materials, fair labor practices, as well as cruelty-free and eco-friendly processes. So, get ready to level up your polo shirt game while feeling great about your fashion choices!
Best Ethical Mens Polo Shirt Brands
Upgrade your style without sacrificing the planet! Sustainable fashion is no longer a niche trend, and ethical clothing brands are leading the way to a kinder and greener future. Choosing from these ethical mens polo shirt brands ensures that your wardrobe decisions support sustainable practices and fair labor conditions.
Whether you prefer organic cotton or recycled polyester, these sustainable options prove you can look sharp while making a positive impact. Discover the perfect blend of comfort, durability, and environmentally-conscious design with polo shirts that are as ethical as they are stylish.
1. Fair Indigo
More than just a brand, Fair Indigo, a company based in Madison, Wisconsin, specializes in fair trade clothing. It partners with artisans in Peru, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions and supporting traditional craftsmanship techniques to produce high-quality menswear.
Fair Indigo’s men’s polo shirts, made of Peruvian cotton, are incredibly soft yet substantial, ensuring years of comfortable wear. Plus, Fair Indigo’s unique pre-washing process prevents pilling, shrinking, and twisting, keeping your polo looking sharp wash after wash.
Here’s what makes Fair Indigo’s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Organic Excellence: | They offer polos crafted from 100% organic Peruvian Pima cotton grown on family farms, with a lower environmental impact than conventional cotton. |
Safe Dyes, True Colors: | All of the dyes used by Fair Indigo are earth-friendly and certified safe. They’re tested for dangerous colorants and adhere to stringent standards, reinforcing Fair Indigo’s reputation as one of the top ethical mens polo shirt brands. |
Fair Trade Certified: | Fair Indigo prioritizes fair wages and safe working conditions, ensuring sustainable lives and ethical treatment of garment workers. |
Timeless Design, Modern Appeal: | Their polos boast clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic that transcends trends, making them pieces you’ll go back to again and again. |
Quality Craftsmanship: | Made with traditional techniques by skilled artisans in Lima, Peru, each Fair Indigo polo is a high-quality garment that’s built to last. |
2. Tentree
Plant ten trees for every item sold? That’s the core mission of Tentree, a Canadian earth-first lifestyle apparel brand that wants to drastically reduce climate change.
Their polos, made from sustainable fabrics like recycled polyester, organic cotton, hemp, Tencel, linen, and more, are a perfect example of their commitment to the environment. As one of the top ethical mens polo shirt brands, Tentree combines style with sustainability.
With over 100 million trees planted to date, Tentree is actively combating the fashion industry’s negative impact on people and the planet—will you join the cause?
Here’s what makes Tentree‘s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Greener and Cleaner Materials: | Tentree uses only recycled, organic, and sustainable materials across its range of polo shirts. They use less water and emit less carbon compared to conventional options and minimize reliance on virgin materials. |
Casual Comfort: | Fabrics are naturally resilient, soft, and gentle on the skin. Polo shirts are crafted with total comfort in mind to make you feel like you’re not wearing them. |
Circular Clothing: | The company implements a take-back program that recycles and repurposes old Tentree clothing, reducing waste and giving items a new life. |
Thoughtful Packaging: | Mailers are made from post-consumer recycled plastic, tags are FSC-certified, and packaging is used mindfully on all products. |
3. Pact
If you’re looking for super soft, organic cotton menswear that can make the world a better place, meet Pact Apparel, a sustainable clothing brand born out of Boulder, Colorado. They aim to be the “Earth’s favorite clothing” with their affordable, well-fitted, and ethically made products.
Pact offers unique styles of polo shirts, including slub polos, button-ups, and long-sleeved polos, with a range of cool colors, such as camel brown, baked clay, French navy, and more!
Here’s what makes Pact‘s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Organically Awesome: | All Pact products are made with GOTS-certified organic cotton. Their soft, breathable, and versatile polos use plant-based corozo buttons. |
Worker Well-being: | Pact partners with Fair Trade Certified factories to provide safe and child-labor-free work conditions so you can feel good about who made your clothes. |
Simple Styles, Everyday Comfort: | Pact offers classic polo styles in a variety of colors, perfect for your day-to-day errands, casual hangouts, or a laid-back office look. |
Climate Friendly, Carbon Neutral: | Pact collaborates with SimpiZero to measure the impact of their clothing and offset it through renewable energy and reforestation. |
4. Outerknown
Outerknown, founded by surfing legend Kelly Slater, is an LA-based conscious clothing brand famous for its laid-back, coastal lifestyle apparel. It started off producing menswear for surfers, but today, you’ll find everything from jeans, blazers, shirts, and sweaters in its lineup.
With Outerknown, you can be sure that your polo shirts are sea-friendly and sustainable. Their products are primarily made from organic cotton, hemp, and responsibly sourced wool. Even the buttons are made of tagua palm nuts from the forest floor—a natural alternative to plastic!
Outerknown’s adherence to fair labor practices also solidifies its place among the best ethical mens polo shirt brands.
Here’s what makes Outerknown’s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Built from the Ocean: | Many Outerknown polos utilize ECONYL® regenerated nylon, a material created from recycled ocean waste like fishing nets. This innovative approach helps clean our oceans while giving a second life to plastic pollution. |
Organic Comfort: | Outerknown blends ECONYL® with organic cotton for polos that are both durable and breathable. Organic cotton boasts a 91% reduction in water usage compared to conventional cotton, making a big difference for the environment. |
Surfer Style: | Make waves with polo designs that are surf-inspired and adventure-ready. They’re made with strong fibers and stretchy fabric that’s soft to the touch. |
Ethically Made: | The brand implements a people-first Fair Labor Program, where they’ve invested $133,000 in improving the wages and livelihood of their workers. |
Circular Commitment: | Outerknown aims to make 100% of its products circular. They also donate profits to pro-ocean organizations like Ocean Conservancy. |
5. Patagonia
Anyone who loves adventure and enjoys exploring the great outdoors will be familiar with Patagonia, a trusted outdoor apparel company founded in Ventura, California.
Patagonia is renowned for its environmental stewardship and ethical practices, making it a key player among ethical mens polo shirt brands.
Discover more about Patagonia’s ethical standing here.
The brand is well-known among hikers, climbers, and backpackers for its high-performance outerwear, climbing gear and camping tents. However, sustainability is woven into every product Patagonia makes, including its staple pieces, like shorts, vests, jackets, and polo shirts.
Here’s what makes Patagonia’s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Sustainably Stylish: | The brand offers classic, clean-cut, and lightweight polos made from mindful materials like organic cotton, hemp, and linen, and synthetics like 100% recycled polyester. They also use ethically sourced down feathers and wool in winter clothing. |
Fair Trade Certified: | Patagonia products are made with Fair Trade Certified materials, and the brand has a Supply Chain Environmental Responsibility Program that ensures safe and ethical employment in all their partner factories. |
Worn Wear Program: | Conscious consumers can shop for pre-loved Patagonia gear or trade in their own on the Worn Wear platform. The brand also offers a lifelong repair guarantee, minimizing the number of clothes and fabrics that go to waste. |
6. Neem London
Neem London is a brand dedicated to creating sustainable and ethical men’s clothing, earning its place among the top ethical mens polo shirt brands.
Neem is named after an Indian tree famous for its healing properties—the London-based brand aims to “heal” fast fashion by crafting sustainable casuals that are easy on the environment.
Their clothing is skillfully constructed using people and planet-kind manufacturing processes in solar-powered mills that produce zero discharges of any toxic chemicals. Safe and sustainable!
Neem polos are made of biodegradable and recyclable fabric that doesn’t add to landfills. They’re soft and suitable for all seasons, with excellent moisture and odor-resisting properties.
Here’s what makes Neem London’s polo shirts an ethical and eco-friendly choice:
Wool Done Right: | The brand uses fully traceable, ethical 100% ZQ Merino Wool in its polo shirts, promoting a better quality of life for people, animals, and the planet. |
Comfort Fit: | Neem excels at producing well-fitted and stretchy shirts that stay warm even when wet, feel cool even in warm weather, and are naturally odor-resistant. |
Plastic-Free Packaging: | Minimal packaging and recyclable labels for all Neem products. |
Recycling Revolution: | Neem encourages UK-based customers to send in worn-out menswear for recycling and upcycling to new products in exchange for store credits. |
Gift of Giving: | The brand donates to three different charities to offset carbon emissions, including a UK Tree Buddying scheme, the Harmanlik Wind Power Plant, and a Guatemalan community project that prevents local deforestation. |
When Style Meets Sustainability: Final Thoughts on Ethical Mens Polo Shirt Brands
Embracing ethical clothing is now easier than ever! From Tentree’s tree-planting mission to Outerknown’s ocean-friendly fabrics and Fair Indigo’s support of traditional craftsmanship, these six menswear brands prove that style and sustainability can coexist beautifully.
As you move away from fast fashion essentials, our comprehensive guide to ethical menswear brands provides trustworthy recommendations for building a more conscientious wardrobe.
By choosing organic materials, recycled packaging, and fair trade practices, you’re investing in a better future for people and the planet. So upgrade your wardrobe with confidence, knowing that each polo shirt purchase represents a positive step towards a more conscious fashion industry.
When it comes to looking good while doing good, these ethical mens polo shirt brands nailed it. Happy shopping!
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