Sustainable Apparel That Plants Trees – Introducing Planet Legacy 

Have you heard how harmful the apparel and fashion industry is on the environment? Or maybe you just want a clothing brand that has good intentions through and through? Introducing Planet Legacy: an apparel brand that sources 100% sustainable clothing and plants one tree for every item sold!

Read on for more information about what makes our apparel so eco-friendly, where we plant trees, and more.

What is so bad about the fashion industry?

The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater and 10% of global carbon emissions. The simple process of dyeing textiles is actually the 2nd largest polluter of water in the world!

Who would have thought that your wardrobe is more harmful than your vehicle (in fact, apparel is actually more harmful than all international flights and maritime transport).

What makes Planet Legacy different?

Before I get into the quality of Planet Legacy apparel, I'd like to cover the motivation that lead to the creation of the brand.

I've been running an apparel business since 2013. It wasn't until I spent 5+ years in the apparel industry before I started learning about the harmful effects it has on the environment. When I first discovered the information mentioned above, my heart was broken: I have two young children and I want to make sure the world is a healthy place for future generations. 

So, I decided I needed to turn the negative impacts of the fashion industry into positives. My mission is to leave the world a better place. A legacy is something that is passed on to future generations and I want to leave a legacy of a safe planet. Hence the name, Planet Legacy. In order to accomplish my goal, I needed to source 100% sustainable fabrics, rethink dyes and the decoration process, and plant lots of trees!

Sourcing Sustainable Apparel

Almost all of our apparel is 100% recycled - recycled fabric or fabric that is made from recycled plastic. Either we're keeping fabric out of landfills or we're taking plastic bottles and turning it into apparel.

Take our Make Earth Cool Again Hat, for example. The entire hat is custom made from recycled plastic. Instead of going into a landfill, plastic is converted to a polyester that is soft, durable, and the perfect material for a 6 panel, lightly structured cap.

Many of our other garments take a similar, but slightly different approach. Our sustainable line of tees, sweatshirts, and crewnecks uses the same recycled plastic for 40% of the fabric blend. The other 60% is composed of recycled cotton, AKA regenerated or reclaimed cotton (used cotton fabrics are converted to cotton fiber). This recycled blend of cotton and polyester creates a sustainable but soft fabric you'll feel good about wearing! Plus, our fabrics are never re-dyed.

Planting Trees For Every Item Sold

I know that making sustainable clothing does a lot of good for the world, but it doesn't completely make the business carbon neutral (or carbon negative). There are still emissions associated with the shipping and receiving process and other steps along the way. So, to go above and beyond I decided that I would plant a tree for every item sold.

Trees produce oxygen, sequester carbon, intercept airborne particles, improve water quality, provide wildlife habitat, and so much more! The benefits of trees are nearly endless. Unfortunately, both human activity (logging, agricultural expansion, mining, oil extraction, and infrastructure) and natural causes (floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and parasites) have played a significant role in deforestation across the planet.

I decided that Planet Legacy would plant one tree for every item we sell. I quickly ran out of tree planting options in my home town of Seymour, WI so I decided to find four crucial areas that could benefit from reforestation:

• The Amazon Rainforest
• Appalachia
• The Pacific Northwest (protect the orca)
• Forest Fire Recovery

I encourage you to learn more about each of these regions on our About page. Decide which location means the most to you, because you get to choose which region you want your trees planted when you place an order!

Make Earth Cool Again

Our mission is to make the world a better place. Will you join us? Whether you shop for sustainable apparel or make other eco-friendly changes in your daily life, you are making a positive impact. Shop now or subscribe to our newsletter below - we'll keep you updated with eco-friendly tips, new product launches, and promotions to help you save some... green!