Who doesn’t love a little back-to-school shopping? It’s a classic ritual—one that’s equal parts exciting and exhausting, especially for mindful parents on the hunt for truly sustainable options. Between navigating growing wishlists and keeping an eye on eco-labels, it’s easy to feel both physically and financially drained by the end of it.
But don’t worry—we’ve got you. This sustainable back-to-school clothing guide is here to make your life easier, with everything you need to know and a curated list of brands that align with your values.
Back-to-school season is the perfect time to take stock of your child’s wardrobe, fill in the gaps, and refresh with essentials they’ll actually wear. From basics like socks and underwear to wardrobe staples like jeans, hoodies, and tees, we’ve rounded up conscious options for every age and style.
Pro tip: Start with what they already own, keep what still fits, and only buy what’s needed. Let’s make this school year a little lighter on the planet—and your wallet.
Earth-Friendly Back-to-School Apparel for Preschool and Kindergarten Students
Eco-Stylist is reader-supported. If you make a purchase using our links, we may earn a commission. We only feature fashion brands that pass our sustainable brand criteria. Learn more here.
Natural Non-Toxic Clothes: MATE the Label
MATE the Label is making waves in the sustainable fashion scene by crafting essentials from certified organic cotton and non-toxic dyes, ensuring a cleaner wardrobe from seed to skin. Their commitment to transparency and ethical production is evident in their local manufacturing processes in Los Angeles, which not only support fair labor practices but also minimize carbon footprints.
MATE the Label consciously avoids the use of polyester and nylon, significantly reducing the release of microplastics into the environment. While they incorporate a minimal 8% spandex in certain garments to provide necessary stretch, this deliberate choice balances functionality with sustainability.
Your kids are sure to stay comfy in their soft, luxurious clothing!
Sustainable Back-to-School Clothes for Elementary School Students
Science Meets Sustainability: PANGAIA
PANGAIA blends cutting-edge science with sustainability, creating stylish essentials using innovative, Earth-positive materials. Their focus on material innovation—like seaweed fiber and organic cotton—helps significantly reduce environmental impact.
Their fabrics include GOTS-certified organic cotton, recycled wool, and eucalyptus-based TENCEL™ Lyocell, which lower water use and emissions. Notably, their C-FIBER™ and RENU technologies push circular fashion forward by turning waste into wearable fibers.
PANGAIA is refreshingly transparent, publishing detailed impact reports and using third-party audits to verify ethical labor and low-impact manufacturing practices.
The Durable Option: Patagonia
Who doesn’t love some fun clothes that are built to endure whatever kids throw at them?
Patagonia is the go-to brand for outerwear, and we also really like their fleeces. They are sure to keep your children cozy as well as stylish.
You’ve probably heard of Patagonia, but did you know ⅔ of Patagonia’s manufacturers are Fair Trade certified? How about that they aim to be carbon neutral by 2025?
Conscious Back to School Clothes for Middle School Students
Denim with Free Repairs: Nudie Jeans
Our all-time favorite, Nudie Jeans, has the best catalog for 100% organic cotton jeans and denim jackets. We specifically love their dedication to transparency as they disclose their entire supplier list, let consumers see exactly which facility produced each product, provide a map of their production, and are members of the Fair Wear Foundation.
Finally, Nudie Jeans also have a free repair forevers policy, so feel free to get your denims patched up as many times as necessary so you can reuse your clothes for as much time as possible.
A Pair of Socks with a Mission: Conscious Step
Conscious Step collaborates with more than fifteen charitable nonprofits to provide socks that are created responsibly. They sell packs of one and three of their casual, cozy socks.
This brand is for all conscious Customers who want to buy more than just comfort and style and want to buy socks they can feel good about. We love the fun prints and colors and these socks are a sure shot hit with school kids.
Sneakers with a Positive Impact: Etiko
Etiko is paving the path for ethical fashion by developing a company that can make money and grows steadily while doing away with unethical and unsustainable methods. This is accomplished via their regenerative business strategy, which entails ensuring that no unethical or harmful behaviors are involved in their supply chains with regard to people, animals, or the environment.
To provide customers the assurance that everything in the supply chain is handled ethically and that their business model supports social and environmental sustainability, they continually uphold their stringent certifications and accreditations, such as the FairTrade and the B Corporation certification. Interestingly, the first clothing line in the Southern Hemisphere to receive a Fairtrade accreditation was Etiko.
If your kid’s a fan of the classic Converse sneakers, they are sure to also love Etiko’s collection!
Ethical Back to School Clothes for High School and College Students
Underwear with a Recycling Program: Subset
If you support ethical hiring practices and environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques in addition to purchasing fashionable, comfortable, intimate apparel, then Subset is your go-to brand. Subset does not compromise on comfort and has a wide range of styles made of dreamy cotton.
They have multiple types of bras to choose from, which would be perfect for school as they are both comfy and practical. They also have a wide range of briefs and underwear. Subset actively seeks out the most eco-friendly processes, low-impact fabrics, and an ethical manufacturing process.
To shelters, women’s groups, and communities in need in 2020, Subset donated nearly $100,000 worth of undergarments. Subset gives customers a discount on their next order for sending in used pairs that are recycled or donated in an effort to create a circular production loop.
They also make sure that the inks used in their packaging are low impact and manufactured from recyclable materials.
Farm to Table Clothing: Kotn
From hoodies to sweatpants to leggings to sweatshirts and shorts, Kotn has a wide range of essential loungewear that make for the best school attire. We need to stay comfortable studying for hours on an end in one place, and that is why Kotn’s timeless, minimalistic aesthetic is perfect for school. Their loungewear is soft, comfy, and versatile.
They regularly audit their partners to ensure the best factory environments. Kotn gives back to the community by investing in local NGOs to provide every child in their farming communities with quality education. Also, Kotn sources Egyptian Giza organic cotton from farms which makes their products stronger and more long-lasting.
Plant More Trees: tentree
From hoodies and joggers to tees, dresses, and outerwear, tentree offers a wide selection of sustainable staples that make perfect everyday picks for school. As the name suggests, ten trees are planted globally for every garment purchased with the aim of having 1 billion trees by 2030.
Utilizing materials that are ethically sourced, such as REPREVE® recycled polyester, organic cotton, and TENCEL lyocell, allows them to reduce the amount of wastewater and emissions produced during the conventional clothing production process. Even though 98% of all of their goods are environmentally friendly, they still pledge to constantly explore new ways to innovate with things like recycled nylon, cotton, and textiles that are naturally colored or undyed.
Tentree is transparent about its manufacturing process, materials used as well as labor conditions which makes it pretty trustworthy.
Shoes with a Small(er) Environmental Footprint: Thousand Fell
Thousand Fell is a zero-waste company on a quest to offer stylish, cozy, carbon-neutral, and sustainable shoes. A white lace-up sneaker, a court-sporty design, and a cozy slip-on are the three silhouettes they provide.
The shoes are created from recyclable materials and may be recycled after you are through wearing them and are ready for a new pair. Along with recycled rubber and plastic bottles, they also employ materials like palm leaf fibers, coconut husk, and even quartz to manufacture each pair of shoes.
Style meets comfort at Thousand Fells, and these are the perfect shoes to wear on campus to feel good, look good and protect the environment.
Affordable, Second-Hand, and Swap Resources
With kids always growing it goes without saying that another great option is thrifting or swapping clothes. Have you tried your local thrift stores or considered organizing a swap party with other parents, or your local school groups?
For help and more affordable options to consider check out this guide.
Where to Find More Sustainable Kids Clothes
There’s a resource for that! If you’re looking for more sustainable brands with children’s clothing simply use the “Kids” filter in Eco-Stylist’s brand guide.
One More Thing
We hope this guide proves to be helpful, and we promise all these brands are certified for being extremely sustainable, transparent, and dedicated to just causes. Back-to-school shopping has never been so impactful.
Looking for the easiest way to shop sustainable clothing? Try Eco-Stylist’s personal styling subscription for curated, eco-friendly picks delivered right to your inbox.
If you liked this guide please help us out and share it with one person you know!
This is a guest post written by Deeksha Suvarna.
Author Bio: Deeksha Suvarna is an Editor & Content Writer for BeZen.eco – a social enterprise focused on helping consumers make more ethical and sustainable choices.
