Holiday Gift Guide: Sweatshop-Free Businesses to Support This Christmas
Shopping from businesses that manufacture their products without using unethical practices and sweatshops is a great way to narrow down the selection pool so you feel good about your gift purchases.
December 2, 2020
With the holiday season now in full swing, it can be challenging to find the right gifts for your loved ones, especially given the added shopping limitations from COVID-19. Shopping from businesses that manufacture their products without using unethical practices and sweatshops is a great way to narrow down the selection pool so you feel good about your gift purchases.
Tunnel Vision is a small Los Angeles-based clothing and accessories store that sells clothing, jewelry, home goods, and miscellaneous items. They offer restored vintage items and original designs made in sweatshop-free factories certified by SGS and the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production program.
All of Tunnel Vision’s items can be purchased exclusively from their website, allowing users to shop by size, item category, or era of origin when shopping for vintage pieces. All original items are offered in sizes XS-4XL, and vintage items are available in the same variety of sizes.
Girlfriend Collective is a size-inclusive activewear brand that derives its fabric from recycled materials under SA8000 standards, a code of ethics set by a social accountability organization. Their sustainability information page offers shoppers an in-depth look at how each fabric is made and which recycled materials were used to make it.
Every clothing item is sold in sizes XXS-6XL, with most of the pieces also being offered in various colors. Girlfriend Collective is the perfect gift for the active people in your life who want to be equipped with quality sportswear without compromising their ethics.
Kiehl’s is a household name in the world of personal care, specifically thanks to their expansive skincare lines. The brand says that they “…focus on three key causes in their communities: the environment, children’s well-being, and LGBTQ+ causes.” The store started as an apothecary shop in SoHo, New York but has been focused on sustainability since 2009.
The company’s website provides shoppers with various quizzes to help find the products best fit to suit their needs and product pages for each skin type or specific skin concerns. For the holiday season, Kiehl’s has added a gift guide allowing shoppers to find gifts for all of their loved ones, including a line of pet-friendly products.
Another feature offered by Kiehl’s that adds to their reputation as a sustainable company is their “recycle and be rewarded” program. When Kiehl’s users bring their empty product containers into a storefront, they can exchange the empty containers for a stamp; enough stamps earns shoppers a discount towards their next Kiehl’s purchase.
Koi Footwear is a 100% vegan leather shoe brand offering a wide variety of options appealing to many different styles. While made in overseas Chinese factories, their shoes are produced in safe environments regulated under the BCSI code of conduct, which serves as a tool for businesses to ensure that their business practices are ethical.
An impressive aspect of Koi Footwear is their ability to keep up with trends without abusing the lack of labor laws in third world countries. Boots seem to be their specialty as they have a sizable amount of different models for men and women’s sizing.
A personal favorite brand of mine, Minga London is a U.K. based fashion company with bold, vintage-inspired clothes and accessories. Their factory is based in Portugal, where they manufacture all of their items using organic fabrics and materials. Since the company owns a private factory, they have full control over their hiring practices to ensure their employees’ safety in the workplace.
Minga’s clothing items come in sizes XS-XL; however, their jeans are sold in sizes 24” to 38” waist and come in a plethora of colors and fits. They also offer different clothing collections that fit specific aesthetics if you or the person you’re shopping for wants to stick to a particular look.
From totes to fanny packs, backpacks to laptop sleeves, Baggu offers any kind of bag you could want, all made from single pieces of recycled nylon to minimize waste as much as possible. The company’s first release was a reusable tote bag made to use as a substitute for plastic grocery bags.
The brand has committed itself to create almost no waste, including their pact not to landfill or burn their leftover materials. Baggu’s products range in price from $10-220, making the brand accessible to many price ranges.
In the wake of the coronavirus, Baggu also started selling reusable face masks made from cotton fabric. They now sell two mask designs, one with ties to fasten around your head, and another with adjustable bands to go around the ears.
