Sustainability: Lessons From Big Brands and Small Beginnings
I’ve been so blessed in my career to spend over 12 years working with the brand often considered the most sustainable in the apparel industry. During that time, I was part of a team that brought many industry-changing environmental and social impact initiatives to life.
My categories launched the first Fair Trade Certified® apparel, followed by the first Fair Trade Certified® swimwear. We were the first to integrate the NetPlus® chip into apparel, shifted all synthetic materials to a 100% recycled standard, and helped launch the first Regenerative Organic Certified® cotton apparel. We were also among the first outerwear brands to fully move out of forever chemicals and expanded Fair Trade adoption with our factories.
But I also saw the downsides of working within a large global brand. Forecasting years in advance and reserving raw materials meant committing to fabrics and trims long before knowing if they’d be needed. When those materials failed quality tests, or when overages piled up, even the most sustainable company could unintentionally contribute to landfill waste.
Starting Small: A Humbling New Chapter
Now, starting a small brand with just a dream and a small savings, I’ve seen sustainability from the other side. Being a startup comes with both challenges and upsides.
Challenges:
- Limited buying power to influence suppliers the way big brands can.
- Higher costs for recycled, organic, or regenerative materials.
- Supply chains that aren’t always set up for small, U.S.-based production.
- Limited third-party validation of recycled or organic claims.
- Little transparency from dye houses around wastewater treatment.
Upsides:
- Ability to make small batches and design with less waste.
- Flexibility to react to what customers want instead of forecasting years out.
- Opportunities to use deadstock materials or trims that might otherwise head to landfills.
- Ability to share materials with other small brands by ordering off color cards.
The trade-off is scale: we may not have the global influence of large brands, but we can be nimble, thoughtful, and intentional.
Our Pledge at Coastal Range
At Coastal Range, we pledge to build the best product while causing the least amount of harm. We’ll choose the most sustainable option available so long as it’s also the best-quality material.
That may mean choosing a fabric that isn’t the cheapest or acknowledging when organic or recycled options aren’t available locally. We’ll weigh the environmental cost of shipping materials across the world versus sourcing from local suppliers.
I also know firsthand that some of the most sustainable materials aren’t always the most durable or comfortable. And here’s the truth many brands don’t say out loud: sometimes sustainability and quality are in tension. Do you make the product that lasts and gets loved for years, or do you prioritize the most sustainable certification, even if it sacrifices longevity and comfort?
For us, quality comes first because a well-loved, long-lasting product is one of the most sustainable choices of all. When sustainability and quality align, that’s when the magic happens.
The Journey Forward
We don’t want to slap a “recycled” or “organic” badge on our products and call it done. We believe in honest conversations, transparency about trade-offs, and sharing our journey as we grow.
We’ll continue to learn from the big brands leading global change, from fellow small businesses navigating these same challenges, and from the thought leaders pushing our industry forward. And we’ll share what we learn along the way.
Sustainability isn’t a destination; it’s a practice. And at Coastal Range, we’re committed to making progress, one thoughtful choice at a time.
