Feature Photo by Ivan Smakov
As we adjust to the start of 2024 and the idea of returning to our normal lives after a long break, I’ve been busy reflecting over the past year; from the sustainable habits I welcomed into my life, to the changes I still need to make to live as green as possible.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I’ve been on a focus frenzy about sustainable gifting and have given you plenty of ideas in one of my latest articles, but when it comes down to gifts for children, it’s a little more complicated. As I was looking for children’s presents for my friends and family before Christmas, I struggled to find real ethical choices out there for the little ones, so I’ve done my usual research and I wanted to share this with you, so that, from now on, you know the benefits of sustainable children’s wear and some of the best places to get your kids clothing from.
Sustainability & Children’s Wear
Fashion plays a significant role in our lives, influencing everything from our clothing choices to how we reflect our identities. It’s a means of self-expression, creativity, and personal style. For children, fashion can be an exciting way to express their unique personalities without the need to keep up with trends, unlike for some of us grown-ups! For kids, it’s about finding what makes them feel comfortable and confident. Perhaps it’s a favourite colour, something that sparks their imagination, or the texture of the fabric, or even a fabric that suits sensitive skin.
When we talk about sustainable fashion, it’s usually a very wide concept that involves designing, producing, and distributing clothes in environmentally friendly ways and the use of sustainable fabrics.
Related – WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL FASHION?
Sustainable fabrics are often made from natural or recycled materials, aiming to reduce harm through the production process, fibre properties, or overall environmental impact. These fabrics can also contribute to the reduction of waste, water conservation, lowered carbon emissions, and soil regeneration.
It works the same for sustainable kids’ clothes. These need to be made from fabrics that are kinder to the environment, such as organic cotton or recycled fabrics, and to be produced in ethical conditions, to be considered sustainable.
When shopping for kids’ clothes, there are simple steps you can take to help the environment.
To make it a little easier for you, I’ve listed what you should be looking out for next time you’re buying:
Certifications
Look for certifications such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OEKO-TEX, or certifications and standards that help consumers identify products and brands that prioritize sustainable practices, ethical production, and a reduced environmental impact.
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): GOTS is a leading standard for organic fibers, covering the entire production process, including environmental and social criteria. It ensures that textiles are produced sustainably, from harvesting raw materials to environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing.
- Fair Trade Certified: Fair Trade certification ensures that products meet social, environmental, and economic standards. It focuses on fair labour practices, ensuring workers are paid fair wages, operate in safe conditions, and promote community development.
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100: This certification ensures that textiles and materials used in clothing are free from harmful substances. It tests for substances that are potentially harmful to human health and sets limits on their use in the final product.
- Cradle to Cradle Certified: This certification evaluates products based on their environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. It looks at factors like material health, recyclability, renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social fairness.
- Bluesign® Certification: Bluesign® assesses the environmental impact of materials and processes used in the textile industry. It aims to eliminate harmful substances and promotes resource efficiency and worker safety.
- Carbon Trust Certification: This certification focuses on reducing carbon emissions and promoting carbon neutrality within fashion supply chains. It helps brands and manufacturers measure and reduce their carbon footprint.
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): While not specifically a fashion certification, LEED certification applies to buildings and infrastructure. However, many fashion brands use LEED standards in their stores and offices to ensure sustainability in their physical spaces.
Material Selection
Choose natural or recycled materials like organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, recycled polyester or other sustainable alternatives:
- Organic Cotton: Produced without toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, organic cotton has a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional cotton and avoids genetically engineered seeds.
- Tanboocel™ Bamboo Viscose: Made from bamboo canes without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, this fabric is environmentally friendly, biodegradable in soil without causing pollution, organically certified, and hypoallergenic—suitable for those with sensitive skin conditions.
- Hemp: Hemp’s sustainable attributes stem from its low environmental impact, fast growth, versatility, and ability to be used in diverse industries while being biodegradable and requiring fewer resources for cultivation.
- Recyclable Materials: Recyclable materials contribute to circular use which is the future of sustainability. Non-recyclable fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, or acrylic, take decades or more to biodegrade, whilst making up 7.7% of solid waste in landfills.
- TENCEL™ Modal: This eco-friendly fabric uses significantly less water in production than cotton, recycles all water used, and offers excellent colour retention, breathability, and moisture absorption. It’s exceptionally soft and suitable for babies and children, enduring multiple wash cycles and being skin-friendly for those with sensitivities.
Invest in Quality
Purchasing fewer high-quality pieces that last longer is known as slow fashion. Slow fashion is an approach to clothing and fashion that emphasizes mindful consumerism in contrast to the fast fashion model, which is characterized by rapid production, quick turnover of clothing collections, and often low-quality, disposable garments.
Maybe a little more difficult with growing children, slow fashion encourages consumers to invest in higher-quality garments that are durable, timeless in style, and designed to last longer, as this will significantly reduce consumption and environmental impact. Good quality clothing can, however, be reused and there are many initiatives where pre-loved clothing can be resold.
Shop Secondhand
The most sustainable option is to shop for pre-loved clothes – second hand isn’t second-best. It can save you money, and it starts all kinds of conversations with the kids. I believe it’s never too early to start teaching children about sustainability and making conscious choices that show a respect for the environment.
Children often outgrow their clothes before they are outworn, so second hand products are often in excellent condition, particularly the well-made and durable ones.
Online pre-loved stores such as and Worn in Wardrobe, Sweet Pea and The Octopus Club, as well as online platforms like eBay and Marketplace, and apps such as Vinted play pivotal roles in the burgeoning second-hand revolution. For instance, Vinted boasts a staggering 45 million users, with its kids’ category ranking as the platform’s second-largest segment.
Beyond these digital spaces, treasure troves await in brick-and-mortar charity shops like FARA Kids’ which are scattered across London and niche boutiques like Wolf & Mabel, specialising in pre-1970s clothing for both girls and boys and Petit Pays Vintage in Brighton.
The secondhand marketplace thredUP also has a kid’s section: their “Goodie Box” subscription service provides a curated selection of secondhand clothing for kids based on their style preferences and Preworn an online store that holds nearly 1 million items across more than 10,000 brands has categories for boys, girls and babies wear.
RENTALS
Fashion rental options for children’s wear have gained popularity, providing parents with sustainable and cost-effective alternatives. Several platforms and services offer clothing rental specifically for kids, allowing parents to access high-quality, stylish garments without the commitment of purchasing. Some notable fashion rental options for children’s wear include:
- Rent the Runway Kids: A branch of the well-known Rent the Runway, this service offers designer clothing and accessories for children, providing a wide range of sizes and styles for various occasions.
- The Borrowed Boutique: Specializing in upscale children’s clothing for special events, this platform offers rental options for formal wear, including dresses, suits, and accessories.
- La Belle Couture Kids: Catering to special occasions and events, this service provides rental options for designer children’s clothing and accessories.
- Le Tote Kids: Similar to Rent the Runway, Le Tote offers a subscription service for kids’ clothing, allowing parents to rent and exchange items regularly based on their children’s sizes and preferences.
- Circos: Focused on sustainable fashion, Circos offers a subscription-based service for kids’ clothing, allowing parents to rent and exchange items made from organic and eco-friendly materials.
- The Little Loop: The Little Loop is a rental subscription fashion platform that specializes in sustainable and stylish clothing for children, offering a rental subscription service that allows parents to access high-quality, eco-friendly clothing options for their kids.
- Bundlee: Bundlee offer a wide array of children’s clothing items for rental, providing parents with an easy way to access and rotate their kids’ wardrobe without the commitment of buying new clothes each time.
- Dotte: Dotte allows parents to buy, sell, donate, and recycle kids’ clothes, creating a sustainable and convenient system that promotes reuse and reduces clothing waste. Dotte acts as a one-stop-shop for parents, fostering a community-driven approach to children’s clothing consumption.
These rental options not only provide access to a variety of high-quality clothing for children but also promote sustainability by reducing the need for constant purchasing and supporting the reuse of garments.
Support Ethical Brands
Many brands prioritise sustainability and ethical manufacturing practices. By supporting these brands, you can make a difference.
The Benefits of Sustainable Kids’ Clothing
By choosing ethical clothing, parents can instill values of sustainability, conscious consumption, and social responsibility in their children from a young age.
There are many benefits to buying ethical kids’ clothing as it supports sustainability, promotes healthier choices for children, ensures better working conditions for garment workers, and contributes to creating a more responsible and mindful fashion industry.
Reduce the Risk of Skin Irritation
Synthetic fabrics can irritate kids’ skin since infants’ skin is very porous and absorbs everything that comes into contact with it. Therefore, choosing clothes made from quality materials, particularly organic ones, is necessary. Organic cotton, in particular, is known to be much softer than conventional cotton because it has a thicker fibre. It is also considered a hypoallergenic material, meaning it does not cause any allergies, therefore it reduces the risk of skin reactions, such as eczema and itching. Recycled materials are also a great choice for our kids’ clothing, as there are no new materials and resources involved in the production process.
Ethical clothing also tends to use non-toxic dyes, reducing exposure to harmful chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin or cause allergies. This is especially beneficial for children who may have skin sensitivities.
Positive Impact on the Environment
Choosing sustainability for children’s clothing is essential if you want to reduce your ecological footprint on the environment. Clothing made from sustainable textiles often use organic, recycled, or natural materials that have a lower environmental impact compared to conventional materials. For instance, organic cotton reduces the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which can harm ecosystems and waterways; and recycled polyester reduces the need for new petroleum-based materials, conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable textile production methods typically involve processes that require less water and energy. For instance, techniques like waterless dyeing or using renewable energy sources in production contribute to conservation efforts; and many sustainable textiles avoid or minimize the use of harmful chemicals and dyes that can be detrimental to the environment and human health. Natural dyes and non-toxic alternatives are often used, reducing pollution in water systems.
Good Investment
Although buying sustainable baby clothes may be more expensive, in the long run, it is cheaper. This is mainly because organic and recycled clothing are much more durable than synthetic ones.
Bamboo and organically produced cotton are both robust and long-lasting materials. They can be washed ten times more than their conventional counterparts before the material starts to degrade, meaning there’s less need to replace them.
Your baby’s clothes will look as good as the day you bought them and your baby’s clothes, blankets, and bedding will last longer, saving you money in the long run.
The People Who Make the Clothes Matter
By buying eco-friendly clothing and by looking for ethical certifications, we can be assured that the benefits don’t just reflect on the environment, but also on the people who make the clothes. Sustainable brands must make sure their garment workers are not exposed to toxic chemicals that are harmful to them and their families and often prioritize fair labour practices and safe working conditions for workers along the supply chain, contributing to social sustainability alongside environmental considerations.
BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS
It’s great to know that kids’ clothing brands and designers are prioritising environmental sustainability while still offering the same level of comfort that you’d expect from children’s wear. I’ve put together a short list of some of the most innovative and exciting eco-friendly children’s brands currently available in the UK!
BELLABU BEAR
Bellabu Bear brand is making the best quality kids’ bamboo pyjamas out there for babies, kids and adults. Their organic bamboo yarn is grown without pesticides and is Oeko-Tex Certified to be free of harmful chemicals. Thanks to this material, the brand has also managed to earn the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association for its commitment to safety and comfort.
The bamboo used to make their pyjamas is sourced from reliable growers, and it’s certified by Oeko-Tex and Eco-Cert to guarantee that the clothing is safe for babies and the environment. They use YKK zippers, the industry leader, in their pyjamas. These zippers have passed all safety tests and are designed to be pinch-free and worry-free, as well as also being certified by Oeko-Tex, ensuring that it’s free from harmful substances and safe for babies.
MODERN NURSERY
From baby gear to clothing, toys and bedroom accessories, Modern Nursery has everything you’ve been looking for – from car seats to baby monitors, as well as clothing and costumes.
They offer a wide range of organic clothing and bedding items that are free from harmful chemicals and toxins and provide a subscription rental service, UpChoose that helps new parents dress their children in high-quality organic cotton brands for a fraction of the price – you can rent a set of new or preloved organic baby clothes curated from premium certified organic cotton brands such as L’ovedbaby, Colored Organics, Under the Nile, Parade Organics, Kate Quinn and more.
Not only are they practical and stylish, but they also give back. When you purchase from their collections, a portion of the proceeds goes to support charitable causes such as children’s healthcare, education, and environmental conservation. This means that you can provide for your child while also making a positive impact on the world. Examples of these charitable efforts include planting trees and providing meals to children in need. Who doesn’t love a brand committed to giving back?!
BABY MORI
Since 2015, Baby Mori has been dedicated to creating the ultimate sleepwear for every parent’s dream.
They also have a great project as part of their giving back program: The MORI Kindness Project, a brainchild of the company’s goal to prolong the life of their clothing. The brand uses only the highest-quality and sustainable fabrics to ensure their products can be worn, washed and passed on again and again. Little Village, an amazing London-based charity, has partnered with them to gift bundles of clothing, toys, and equipment to those in need. Baby Mori encourages their customers to get involved by donating their pre-loved or unused MORI clothing, which can be sent directly to Little Village. As a gesture of appreciation, they offer a voucher that can be spent however they like.
With a deep understanding of how delicate a baby’s skin can be, they came up with a signature sleepwear made with a unique blend of bamboo and organic cotton. Not only is it super soft and temperature-regulating, but it’s also eco-friendly.
They also have a great project as part of their giving back program: The MORI Kindness Project, a brainchild of the company’s goal to prolong the life of their clothing. The brand uses only the highest-quality and sustainable fabrics to ensure their products can be worn, washed and passed on again and again. Little Village, an amazing London-based charity, has partnered with them to gift bundles of clothing, toys, and equipment to those in need. Baby Mori encourages their customers to get involved by donating their pre-loved or unused MORI clothing, which can be sent directly to Little Village. As a gesture of appreciation, they offer a voucher that can be spent however they like.
Innovative and comfortable designs, organic materials and their giving back initiative make this brand the go-to for your kids. Also, next time you’re looking for matching pyjamas for the whole family, this is where you should go!
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