6 Cozy, Sustainable Vegan Knitwear Brands You Need to Know

May 19, 2023Fashion0 comments

class=”image-caption-wrapper”>

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated; we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. We only add brands & products we truly believe in. Thanks for supporting the brands who are working to make the fashion industry a better place!

Sustainable Vegan Knitwear You Will Love

Getting rugged up and feeling cozy amongst the cold of winter and other cooler seasons is such a simple pleasure. While often we might not think of our knitwear choices beyond what it looks like, how it feels, and if it will keep us warm, there are environmental and ethical considerations worth making whenever we buy new clothes. For the sake of the planet, as well as human and non-human animals, sustainable vegan knits are great to seek out.

What can make knitwear unsustainable?

If we’re wanting knitwear that warms us up, while not contributing to the warming of our planet, there are a few things we can do. Before we even talk about material choice, it’s important that we think about how often we purchase knitwear. Even the most sustainably made knitwear can become unsustainable if we don’t really want it, and it ends up going to waste.

Before buying any new piece of clothing it’s worth asking ourselves some questions, like, ‘do I really need this?’, ‘can I see myself wearing this hundreds of times, over years to come?’, ‘is this well made?’, ‘is this a timeless piece, or will it fall out of fashion quickly?’, and ‘do I absolutely love this?’.

If we ask ourselves these questions, we’re likely to slow down our clothing consumption, only buying things that we adore. This is a great win for the planet, as, across the globe, we consume 400% more clothing than we did just two decades ago, and globally, equal to one garbage truck full of clothing and textiles heads to landfill every single second.

Once we’ve made sure we’re being conscious about our knitwear purchases and how we make them, it’s a good idea to think about materials.

Why avoid synthetic knitwear?

As the fashion industry has sped up, we’ve seen the rise of synthetic fibers like nylon, acrylic and polyester. It’s worth avoiding knitwear made from these synthetic materials, including knitwear made with a blend of these materials (because organic cotton or wool knitwear isn’t going to biodegrade if blended with plastic) for a few reasons. First, while plastic fibers don’t biodegrade, returning to the earth, they do break down into tiny pieces. These microfibers can wreak havoc on already fragile ecosystems, including our oceans. There are more than500 times moremicroplastic particles in the ocean than stars in our galaxy. These particles end up inside fish, marine mammals, and birds and make their way into almost all parts of the planet as they wash up on beaches and are even eaten by people. When it comes to knitwear, if you ever wash a synthetic sweater, it will shed these microplastic fibers, contributing to this problem.

What’s more, the production and sale of synthetic fibers like polyester and acrylic funds the fossil fuel industry – as these materials are made of said fossil fuels. Did you know that producing polyester, which made up52%of all fibers produced in 2020, alongside other synthetics, means using an estimated342 million barrels of oileach year? We need to be transitioning away from this industry entirely, not supporting it.

Is wool knitwear sustainable since it’s biodegradable?

Often, once people learn about the environmental devastation associated with synthetic knitwear, they will instead consider opting for knitwear made from sheep’s wool, or alpaca wool, cashmere, and so on. But is this the sustainable choice that it might first seem to be?

While it’s true that (so long as animal hair isn’t treated or dyed with substances thatrender it non-biodegradable) these materials do decompose, there’s much more to material sustainability than this factor alone. The animal agricultural systems that produce these materials are hugely harmful to the environment, particularly when considering greenhouse gas emissions and land clearing.

The United Nations recognises the farming of animals as one of today’s ‘most serious environmental problems‘, which must be remedied with ‘urgent action’. This isn’t surprising, considering how much methane systems rearing animals, including sheep, alpacas, and goats, release.Higg’s Material Sustainability Indexshows that alpaca and sheep’s wool are the most climate impactful materials to produce, only after silk. In fact, did you know that if you chose an Australian wool knit sweater over one made from Australian cotton, that choice would emit about27 times more carbon equivalent emissions

Animal agriculture is also extremely land inefficient, with far more land needed to rear animals than to grow cotton, hemp, or other plant-based fibers (not to mention the benefits of recycled materials!). Given that forests, trees, and natural green landscapes can sequester so much carbon, this is also a climate issue. Using land for animal agriculture comes with a ‘carbon opportunity cost’, and if we transitioned to an entirely plant-based agricultural system by 2050, we could sequester99-163% of our carbon emission budgetto 1.5 C through rewilding of currently cleared land used for animal agriculture! If you’re wondering how that works, consider that producing a bale of Australian wool requires367 times more landthan is needed for a bale of Australian cotton – and hemp is considered to be even more land efficient.

Are all plant-based knitwear materials sustainable?

Given both synthetic and animal-derived yarn used to produce knitwear come with serious environmental harms, it’s worth looking into plant-based materials. Unfortunately, not all plant-based materials are sustainable – let’s talk about conventional cotton.

Conventional cotton is often made in a verythirsty system, requiring significant amounts of freshwater to be used. Then, too,pesticidesand fertilizer, which often run off farms and into waterways that are polluted and eutrophied – sometimes leading todead zones– are often mismanaged and over-used in conventional cotton systems. These are all significant reasons to seek better alternatives.

Fortunately, not all cotton is grown equally, and it can be grown sustainably. Often, certifiedorganic cottonis a great and sustainable choice. Some systems and countries have developed more sustainable production methods, andAustralian cottonhas come far in recent years. But, of course,recycled cottonis the most sustainable choice, making use of something which already exists, rather than requiring more resources to be made.

Other materials likehempand lyocell produced in a closed-loop likeTencel, and blends of these, can be really sustainable options worth seeking out.

Is all knitwear ethical?

Of course, sustainability in fashion isn’t only about the direct impact that materials have on the planet. We cannot sustain injustice on this planet either, and so we need to think about the ethics of how our knitwear is produced.

Another reason to consider the materials used in knitwear more carefully is because of the individuals who are harmed in the making of some fibers. For example, if cotton isn’t certified to be made fairly, it is far too often grown and picked by children, people forced to work, and even people working inmodern slavery conditions. Fortunately, ethical cotton and other plant-based materials exist.

Too, animal-derived materials don’t only have a harmful environmental impact, but their production harms animals. Not only are sheep often treated with extreme cruelty on farms and during shearing, butthe wool industry is a slaughter industry, and sheep are killed when they are no longer of financial value because their wool quality has degraded as they age. This happens about halfway into their natural lifespan and is a practice across thealpaca woolandcashmereindustries.

What’s more, even if an ethical and sustainable material has been used to produce knitwear, the knitwear itself won’t be ethical if it is knitted and sewn by a garment worker who is mistreated. Today, a shocking98% of garment workersare paid a poverty wage, and exploitation and abuse are far too common in the industry full of people – largely women of colour – who make our clothes.

With all of this being said, buying knitwear might begin to feel impossible! But don’t worry, there are plenty of wonderful brands out there making knitwear that is good for the planet, people and animals.

1) Willow and Claude

This brand isn’t so much a brand, but a project fromCollective Fashion Justice, a non-profit working to create a total ethics fashion system. Named after two rescued sheep, the project is made up of a collection of 100% Australian, sustainably grown and ethically made cotton knitwear – turtlenecks, scarves and crewneck sweaters – and anaward-winning short filmwhich explores the environmental and ethical issues of knitwear production, and a kinder alternative to these existing systems.

Shop Willow and Claude

2) Afends

This Australian brand grows its own hemp and offers beanies, knit sweaters, and other garments made from the planet, as well as from recycled and organic cotton.

The brand also provides details on how much better for the environment their hemp products are compared to others made across the fashion industry.

use code SUSTAINABLYCHIC15 for 15% off full-priced items

Shop Afends

3) Will’s Vegan Store

Another brand offering both feminine and masculine styles is UK-based Will’s. Ethically made across Europe, the knitwear selection is largely made of recycled materials, like recycled cotton, as well as recycled post-consumer polyester, made from recycled clothing. If opting for a recycled synthetic garment, it’s worth considering aGuppyfriendor other microfiber catching bag to use in your washing machine.

Shop Will’s Vegan Store

4) Kowtow

This gorgeous, New Zealand based brand offers a wide selection of knitwear like cardigans, crew neck sweaters, scarves, beanies and turtlenecks which are made ethically from certified organic and fair trade cotton. The cotton is dyed sustainably, and the knits feel weighty and luxurious.

Make sure to check the product details, as this brand also sells some wool.

Shop Kowtow

5) Kordal Studio

This beautiful label offers sweaters which are hand-knitted ethically in Peru, and botanically dyed.

While not all of the brand’s selected fibers are sustainable, Kordal offers a divine selection of organic cotton pieces like fisherman style sweaters, cardigans, and even knitted pants.

Shop Kordal

6) ArmedAngels

Offering styles for both men and women, ArmedAngels is a fairly made German brand which uses some excellent materials in their knitwear collections.

Through the site, you can set a specific ‘vegan’ search, and find knitted dresses, vests, jackets, sweaters, cardigans and more, made from materials like organic cotton and Tencel.

Shop Armed Angels

About the Author
Emma Håkansson is the founder and director of Collective Fashion Justice which seeks to create a total ethics fashion system that prioritizes the life and wellbeing of non-human & human animals, as well as the planet, before profit & production. She has written countless articles on ethics, sustainability, and fashion, and has two books due out over the next two years.

MAKE SURE TO PIN THE PHOTO BELOW TO SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!

WANT MORE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!

Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.

Shop the Sustainable Brand Directory

Blog

Are Crocs Sustainable? Plus 5 More Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Crocs

10 Sustainable Blazers For Women & Men Who Want To Elevate Their Looks in 2024

5 Simple Tips for a Successful Thrift Shopping Trip

The Dark Side of Luxury: An Inside Look into Italian Sweatshops

7 Brands Selling Sustainable & Organic Flannel Shirts (2024)

eBay’s Secondhand Fashion Show at NYFW 2024: A Winning Step Toward Circular Fashion

Review: Are AERA Shoes Worth the Price?

What is Fast Fashion? (And How To Spot It)

Can Sustainable Fashion be Profitable?

What is a Capsule Wardrobe? (& How to Build One in 2024)

Are you struggling every morning to come up with an outfit you’ll feel comfortable wearing? Worse, you think you have nothing to wear in your wardrobe? You are definitely not alone! If it is so difficult to take such a supposedly easy decision, how are we supposed to start the day on a positive note? Choosing an outfit might be challenging for some of us, but there is a simple solution: start a capsule wardrobe! Building a capsule wardrobe will help you present yourself to the world with a selection of well-curated outfits that you bought with intention and that you love. Here is a complete guide on what a capsule wardrobe is, why you need to start one and how to do it!

Stella McCartney’s Latest Collection: A Birdsong for Sustainability at Paris Fashion Week

Shein is Using AI to Create Clothing Quicker Than Ever While Becoming the World’s Fastest Polluter

Patagonia Donates $1M to Regenerative Farming

7 Sustainable Alternatives To UGGs For Cozy And Stylish Boots in 2025

12 Organic & Sustainable Underwear Brands For Ultimate Comfort (2024)

New California Bill Attempts to Tackle Fashion’s Textile Waste

Report Reveals that Nearly a Quarter of the World’s Biggest Fashion Brands Disclose Nothing on Decarbonization

Holding Fashion Brands Accountable With The #SpeakVolumes Campaign

Black Public Media’s #ShopLikeNana Campaign Invites Us to Fight Back Against Fast Fashion

Where Sustainability Meets the Runway: Highlights from NYFW

How are Lawmakers Around the World Tackling Fast Fashion?

12 Used Clothing Apps & Sites for Second-Hand Shopping & Selling (2024)

Labor Day Weekend Sales at Our Favorite Sustainable Brands

12 Sustainable Sandals For Every Summer Outing (2024)

10 Sustainable Brands Crafting Durable Flip-Flops You Will Want To Wear All Summer Long (2024)

10 Ethical Alternatives to Anthropologie (2024)

30 of the Most Affordable Ethical and Sustainable Fashion Brands (2024)

Conscious clothing, shoes & accessories at a more accessible price? Yes, it exists! We’ve compiled a list of sustainable brands Sustainably Chic has come to love over the years. & as always, quality and style are not compromised! Our advice is to use what you have, but we understand the excitement of adding a new piece to your wardrobe, and these brands are working extremely hard to make the fashion industry a better, fairer place. Thank you for supporting this sustainable & ethical fashion movement!

What Is Sustainable Fashion? (An Easy Guide for Beginners in 2024)

12 American-Made Denim Brands for High-Quality Jeans

Where to Rent Designer Dresses for Your Next Big Event

← Previous Post Next Post →