Outdoor Voices is a well-known activewear brand that markets itself as being in touch with nature and the environment. However, a closer look at its practices and, more significantly, its lack thereof reveals a significant gap between its image and reality.
While the company promotes sustainability and ethical production, it lacks transparency, measurable progress, and meaningful commitments that can aid consumers in making conscious moral choices both ethically and environmentally.
Is Outdoor Voices Fast Fashion?
Simply put, no, Outdoor Voices isn’t fast fashion.
While Outdoor Voices isn’t traditionally categorized as a fast-fashion brand, its approach to production and the mystery around its practices raise concerns. Being deemed outside of the likes of Shein and Temu’s indisputable fast-fashion practices doesn’t remove a brand from responsibility. Sustainability is also about ethical sourcing, sustainable manufacturing, and responsible labor standards and practices—areas where Outdoor Voices falls short.
Is Outdoor Voices Sustainable?
Outdoor Voices openly admits that it is “not there yet” in terms of sustainability, claiming to be “playing the long game.” However, this raises a critical question: Can a brand build an eco-conscious image without concrete motivation and a foundation of environmental and ethical practices?
Despite promising improvements, Outdoor Voices provides little information or accountability regarding its sustainability initiatives. It mentions increasing the use of traceable fibers, Bluesign-certified fabrics, and better raw material sourcing, but it fails to specify timelines, targets, or current progress.
What Materials Does Outdoor Voices Use?
Outdoor Voices markets its Evergreen Line as a sustainable initiative, focusing on product longevity and the use of preferred sustainable materials. However, this line applies to only three out of thirteen fabric types used by the brand, meaning the majority of its products do not meet these higher sustainability standards.
While Outdoor Voices incorporates recycled polyester, nylon, fleece, merino wool (89% ethically sourced), and organic cotton, it lacks clarity in its material claims. For example, the brand promotes Primo Fleece as being “100% recycled,” but upon closer inspection, it is only 67% recycled polyester – an inconsistency that raises doubts about its overall transparency.
Surrounded in a world of greenwashing, it’s crucial that as consumers we dig deeper to uncover the work and materials that go into producing the clothes you wear, being told your items are made of preferred materials doesn’t disclose the levels of sustainable fibres, and doesn’t guarantee that any of these sustainable claims are evidenced.
Is Outdoor Voices Carbon Neutral?
Outdoor Voices does not claim carbon neutrality and provides no evidence of measuring or reducing emissions. There are no disclosed commitments to sustainable energy investments, carbon offset programs, or energy efficiency improvements in its supply chain.
Does Outdoor Voices Have a Recycling Program?
Despite promoting circularity, Outdoor Voices doesn’t offer a formal recycling or repair program for its products. The brand emphasizes durability and longevity but lacks concrete initiatives for product take-back, reuse, or repair services.
While its packaging is made from recycled materials, its sustainability efforts seem limited to packaging rather than broader waste reduction strategies across its supply chain.
Is Outdoor Voices Ethical?
Outdoor Voices lacks the transparency needed to verify whether it operates ethically. The brand does not provide a Code of Conduct, factory list, or third-party labor certifications such as Fair Trade or Fair Labor Association accreditation. Without these disclosures, it is impossible to determine whether workers receive fair wages, work in safe conditions, or have access to basic rights such as collective bargaining.
Additionally, Outdoor Voices has not made public commitments to living wages, worker well-being programs, or human rights monitoring across its supply chain. In an industry where labor exploitation is a known issue, the absence of these policies raises concerns about whether the brand is upholding ethical labor practices.
For consumers who prioritize ethical production, Outdoor Voices’ lack of key information around sustainable practices available to consumers makes it a questionable choice. Brands that openly share factory details, labor conditions, and worker protections offer far more assurance of ethical sourcing.
Where Are Outdoor Voices Clothes Made?
Outdoor Voices does not disclose the locations of its factories or suppliers, making it difficult to assess its manufacturing practices. Ethical brands typically provide a supplier list, factory certifications, and details on working conditions, but Outdoor Voices offers none of this information.
Without insight into where its clothes are made, consumers are left in the dark regarding factory conditions, wages, and potential risks of labor exploitation. The absence of factory lists or at least locations is a red flag, especially when many competitors openly disclose this information as part of their ethical commitments.
Until Outdoor Voices provides more details on its supply chain, there is no way to verify whether its products are manufactured responsibly.
Is Outdoor Voices Vegan and Cruelty-Free?
Outdoor Voices brand uses a mix of synthetic and natural materials, some of which are animal-derived. While most of its fabrics, including recycled polyester and nylon, are vegan-friendly, the brand incorporates merino wool into some of its products.
The company states that its Merino wool is 89% ethically sourced, but without third-party certifications such as ZQ Merino or Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), it is difficult to verify the claim. Wool production can involve ethical concerns related to animal welfare, land degradation, and resource-intensive farming practices, making certification an important factor in assessing sustainability.
On the positive side, Outdoor Voices does not use leather, fur, silk, or down, meaning many of its products are suitable for vegans. However, without a clear brand-wide commitment to vegan and cruelty-free materials, it cannot be classified as a fully vegan or animal-friendly brand. Consumers seeking guaranteed cruelty-free options may prefer brands that use certified vegan materials and avoid animal-derived fibers entirely.
Outdoor Voices Sustainable Brand Rating
Now that we’ve given an overview of Outdoor Voices sustainability, it’s time to get scientific and see how they rate using our sustainable brand criteria.
Transparency: 0/14
Outdoor Voices makes vague commitments to transparency but provides no substantial details about its supply chain. It does not disclose:
- Factory locations
- Worker wages, conditions, or labor rights
- Third-party certifications verifying ethical sourcing
Without this information, there is no way to verify its ethical claims.
Fair Labor: 0/33
Outdoor Voices provides no publicly available Code of Conduct and lacks third-party labor certifications such as Fair Labor Association accreditation. Additionally, it:
- Does not disclose factory conditions or ensure ethical labor practices
- Doesn’t disclose evidence of commitment to paying living wages
- Lacks worker well-being programs, such as access to healthcare or education
- Offers no evidence of monitoring human rights risks in its supply chain.
The absence of these key labor commitments raises serious concerns about garment worker treatment.
Sustainably Made: 6/49
While Outdoor Voices takes some steps in the right direction, such as incorporating recycled materials, there is a lack of concrete action in several key areas. Let’s discuss.
Climate & Energy
One of the biggest shortcomings of Outdoor Voices is its lack of accountability when it comes to carbon emissions. The brand does not disclose its greenhouse gas emissions, nor does it provide evidence of any initiatives to reduce them. Unlike other brands that invest in renewable energy or set clear emission reduction targets, Outdoor Voices has yet to make any public commitments in this area. Without transparency, it’s impossible to determine its true impact on climate change.
Water Stewardship
Water usage is another area where the brand falls short. There is no clear evidence that Outdoor Voices takes steps to reduce water consumption in its manufacturing process, nor does it have publicly available guidelines on wastewater treatment for its suppliers. Given that the fashion industry is a major contributor to water pollution, brands that prioritize sustainability should have clear policies addressing this issue. Unfortunately, Outdoor Voices does not provide any indication that it is actively working to mitigate its water footprint.
Chemical Use & Waste Reduction
Sustainable fashion also requires responsible chemical management, yet Outdoor Voices does not disclose any policies on hazardous chemical reduction or green chemistry programs. The absence of these initiatives raises concerns about how much Outdoor Voice reduce its environmental impact of its dyeing and finishing processes.
On the positive side, Outdoor Voices does use some recycled materials in its packaging, showing a commitment to reducing waste in this area. However, the brand does not offer formal repair or recycling programs for its products, nor does it incorporate circular design principles to extend product longevity. Many sustainable brands now encourage customers to repair or recycle their clothing to reduce waste, but Outdoor Voices has yet to implement such initiatives.
Raw Materials & Ethical Sourcing
While Outdoor Voices does incorporate some eco-friendly materials, it lacks Fair Trade certification and does not provide clear policies ensuring ethical raw material sourcing. Sustainable brands are typically transparent in where they source raw materials, labor, and any inputs into producing their products, ensuring that materials are obtained responsibly and with minimal social or environmental harm. Without these assurances, it’s difficult to determine whether Outdoor Voices’ supply chain aligns with ethical and sustainable principles.
Animal Welfare
On a more positive note, Outdoor Voices does not use animal-derived materials in its products, making it a suitable option for those seeking vegan-friendly activewear. While this is a step in the right direction, consumers looking for a fully cruelty-free brand should still be aware that the company does not hold third-party certifications verifying ethical sourcing across its entire supply chain.
Our Principles
Our 3 brand principles help ensure we are always recommending you the best brands and the leaders in sustainable fashion. Here’s how Outdoor Voices performed.
- Is the brand fast fashion? Outdoor Voices isn’t fast-fashion.
- Does the brand inspire us? They don’t inspire us as a leader in sustainable fashion. Their sustainability page is relatively short and uninspiring, with little detail or evidence of sustainability efforts. This earned them negative 10 points.
- Do we trust the brand? We didn’t deduct any points here.
Outdoor Voices Overall Brand Rating: -4/100
Based on Eco-Stylist’s rating system, Outdoor Voices ranks poorly due to its lack of transparency, failure to ensure ethical labor conditions, and weak sustainability initiatives. While the brand markets itself as sustainable, unfortunately its actual commitments fail to meet even industry standards.
If you’re looking for genuinely sustainable and ethical activewear, consider the following brands which back up their claims with real action.
Ethical and Sustainable Alternatives to Outdoor Voices
Here’s 3 Eco-Stylist Certified alternatives to Outdoor Voices.
1) Coalatree (Rated Silver)
Coalatree’s brand uses ethical production and sustainability with:
✔ Bluesign and Fair Wear certifications ensuring fair labor practices
✔ Recycled polyester, nylon, and plastic bottles used in products
✔ Factories that incorporate sustainable energy and water-saving technology
✔ Fair labor practices, including frequent audits and living wages
✔ 100% recycled materials used for packaging and clothing tags
2) Patagonia (Rated Gold)
Patagonia is a leader in sustainability offering:
✔ WornWear Program to repair and resell used products
✔ 100% Fair Trade-certified sewing factories by 2028
✔ Full supply chain transparency, including factory names and worker conditions
✔ Fair wages & ethical sourcing across its production line
✔ 91% of fabrics are made from sustainable materials
✔ A lifetime guarantee and garment recycling programs
✔ All profits donated to environmental causes
3) prAna (Rated Certified: Better Transparency, Fair Labor, and Sustainability)
prAna is improving ethical production with:
✔ Majority of sewing factories Fair Trade Certified (goal: 100% by 2028)
✔ 100% plastic-free packaging
✔ Full disclosure of final production factories, including worker numbers and Fair Trade status
✔ Commitment to sourcing 100% sustainable fibers by 2025
✔ Supplier Code of Conduct & Fair Labor Association compliance
✔ More sustainable fabrics and ethical labor practices than most brands in its category
Looking for more great alternatives for ethical activewear? Check out:
Final Thoughts on Outdoor Voices Values
While Outdoor Voices has built a trendy, eco-conscious image, its actual sustainability and ethical commitments are lacking. The brand does not provide adequate transparency, ethical labor assurances, or concrete sustainability initiatives.
For consumers looking for activewear that truly supports people and the planet, better options exist. Brands like Coalatree, Patagonia, and prAna demonstrate genuine commitment through third-party certifications, informative sustainability progress for consumers to evaluate, and measurable progress.
Until Outdoor Voices commits to more concrete policies and third-party certifications, it remains a brand with potential but significant room for improvement. Until Outdoor Voices commits to more concrete policies and third-party certifications, it remains a brand with potential but significant room for improvement.
If you want activewear that aligns with your values, skip Outdoor Voices and choose brands that are better for people and the planet.
Grace is graduating from the University of Sheffield this summer after studying Geography. She loves all things sustainability and fashion, spending her time making and up-cycling clothes. She also has a new found love for writing and a passion to help make positive change in the world.
