Organic Cotton
You'll notice a distinct absence of the favorite "sustainable" fiber of other brands: recycled polyester. It's cheap, feels terrible, and doesn't solve any environmental problems.
We prefer a biodegradable, natural fiber that's been used for centuries. It's the main component in every clothing item we make.
Better for you
We haven't found a fiber that's softer, more breathable, or easier on the skin. Grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, it's a supple, natural fiber that's toxin-free.
- No special care instructions (looking at you, wool)
- Machine washable and pilling resistant
- Hypoallergenic
- Unmatched comfort: super soft, a little stretchy, and breathable
Better for the planet
At the heart of organic farming is respect for the Earth: maintaining healthy soil, rotating crops, and limiting harm. Plus, compared with modern farming methods, organic cotton uses:
- 91% less water
- 64% less energy
- 100% less chemical fertilizers
- 100% less chemical pesticides
It's easier on the local ecosystem and on the farmers who tend and harvest the crop.
No Polyester
Even if it's recycled, the science doesn't support putting polyester in clothing.
Recycled Polyester (rPET)
Organic Cotton
No. Polyester can't be harvested from clothing for reuse. In fact, using recycled water bottles to make clothing removes plastic from the recycling circuit forever. Polyester takes hundreds of years to break down, but never actually decomposes.
Yes. Cotton can be reused in many different applications, but most importantly, it can be composted! As a plant-based fiber, it will completely and harmlessly biodegrade.
Yes. Polyester is one of the worst offenders of microplastic pollution. Each time you wash a garment made from polyester, thousands of plastic fibers are released into the water supply, where they affect marine life (and the entire food chain) and drinking water.
No. Outside of the general textile processing methods, organic cotton is as close to pollution-free as we can get. There are no toxic by-products or runoff, and it's not harmful to watersheds or ecosystems.
No. Polyester is made from petroleum. It requires drilling for oil and all the environmental risks associated with the oil industry. Recycled polyester doesn't directly use petroleum, but as recycled bottles are turned into clothing, they can't be recycled into new bottles - which means more petroleum is needed for these. It's a roundabout way of increasing demand for oil.
Yes! Cotton is a natural fiber that is harvested from the cotton plant, which has been grown and utilized for textiles for millennia. There's nothing synthetic here - just a seed, soil, and sunshine.
Animal-Free
Happy Earth is proudly vegan.
Although animal-based fibers have great qualities in clothing, there are inherent environmental and ethical risks involved in farming animals. Exploitation of animals is common in every industry, and fashion is no exception. We do not use animal fibers in any product.