Last Updated on September 17, 2021 by Guillermina
Winter is around the corner and we all know what that means. Having your favorite warm drinks, sweet treats, and the inevitable task of bundling up. Before you go shopping for a vegan winter coat, let’s take a closer look at The North Face brand if it’s vegan-friendly, and other vegan winter jacket options.
The North Face
Known for their men’s and women’s outerwear jackets and everyday activewear, The North Face has been a trendy brand for many years. From lightweight fleece to backpacks and children’s clothes, they have so many options. But how does The North Face measure up as a brand?
Sustainability
The North Face claims they are committed to decreasing textile waste and create responsibly sourced products. They’ve created a few programs to make increased efforts in sustainability. For example, their Clothes the Loop program takes donations of clothes to recycle back into the community.
The North Face also states it is on track to have their apparel be 100% responsibly sourced by 2025. This means they will only be making products with “recycled, regenerative, or responsibly-sourced renewable” materials. The North Face shoes has the same goal set for 2030.
The brand extends its sustainability efforts to the smaller materials used, like packaging and product tags. They also collaborate with their suppliers and retailers to reduce their environmental footprint.
Is The North Face Vegan?
The North Face brand itself is not vegan. However, they have recently released a new line of coats that are eco- and vegan-friendly. It comes in a variety of colors and styles, including hoodies, parkas, vests, and hoodless jackets.
The ThermoBall Eco jackets are made from recycled, sustainable materials. Until The North Face fulfills their commitment to completely source their materials sustainably, their other winter coat options are most likely not vegan. They use non-vegan materials such as goose down, wool, and leather.
Vegan Winter Coats
Don’t fret, you won’t be left out in the cold! There are many other options for vegan winter coats. First, let’s talk about the non-vegan materials used in the clothing industry to avoid.
Reading the list of fabrics on the tag inside of the clothing item is the best way to know if it’s vegan. Learning which materials are vegan or not will become easier over time as you get familiar with them. Otherwise, the brand may state on the tag or their website if a clothing item is vegan.
Non-Vegan Clothing Materials
Leather & Suede
One of the most obvious non-vegan materials is leather, which is made from the skin of various animals. It is used to make clothing and accessories. There is vegan-friendly faux leather that is made from plants or synthetic materials.
Suede is a softened version also made from animal skins, usually from younger animals. It is less durable and can be easily replaced with microfiber or another synthetic material.
Wool & Fur
Usually from sheep, goats, rabbits, or alpacas, the wool produced for clothing is sheared directly from the animal. It is unnatural for these animals to get their coats sheared off. Additionally, the environments that shearing takes place may not be cruelty-free.
Avoid purchasing clothing made from wool, lambswool, fleece, cashmere, among others. Vegan-friendly wool alternatives are twill, cotton, and recycled polyester.
Fur is another non-vegan material used in the fashion industry. There are many faux fur alternatives available that look very similar to real fur and don’t include the animal cruelty.
Down
Found in winter coats and sleeping bags, down is sourced from geese and/or ducks. There are many more vegan-friendly replacements for down that are also sustainable.
Silk
Silk is one of the less obvious non-vegan materials to avoid. It is made from silkworms, using the fiber they produce to build their cocoons. Nylon, silk-cotton tree, polyester, rayon, and other synthetic silk materials are vegan-friendly alternatives to silk.
Vegan-Approved Materials
There are many vegan-friendly materials out there. A few materials used specifically for winter coats include:
- Polyester
- Synthetic down
- Waxed canvas
- Polyester fleece
- Hemp
- Thermolite
- Faux fur
- Organic cotton
- Linen
Vegan Winter Coat Brands
The North Face Thermoball Eco coat may not be your favorite. If you’re in need of a new winter coat and want an animal-free way to stay warm, there are many options to choose from! Here are some additional brands to shop for a vegan-friendly winter coat.
Save the Duck
This Italian brand is 100% animal-free and cruelty-free for all of their products. They are a Certified B-Corp company and are transparent with their sustainability efforts. Save the Duck has men, women’s, and juniors’ vegan jackets.
Save the Duck has a variety of styles in their vegan jackets. No matter what kind of jacket you’re in need of, this brand offers a variety of puffer, stretch, and faux fur. These vegan winter coats are in the middle of the price range, from $170-$400 USD.
Wuxly Movement
This Canadian brand is sustainable, animal-free, and high quality. For both men and women, they have coat options including parkas, bombers, mid-weights, and fleece.
In their winter coats, they use a hybrid PrimaLoft® Gold insulation made from 55% post-consumer recycled content. Wuxly Movement claims this material makes their coats less bulky and waterproof. Their winter coats are more expensive, ranging from $395-$895 USD.
Matt & Nat
Found in many different countries, Matt & Nat make vegan, cruelty-free and recycled products. This brand is committed to using vegan materials such as nylons, cardboard, rubber, cork, and even windshield resins. The interior linings of all the jackets are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.
They have a smaller variety of vegan winter coat styles, primarily puffers, and trench coats. Matt & Nat are moderately expensive, ranging from $185-$395 USD.
NOIZE
Cruelty-free and made with recycled plastics, NOIZE coats have a large variety of styles, colors, and prints. They offer puffers, vegan leathers, vegan furs, and parkas in both men’s and women’s. NOIZE is less expensive than the other brands, but prices range from $98-$270.
Conclusion
Vegan winter coats are becoming easier to find as more brands switch to vegan materials, like The North Face. Their Thermoball Eco jackets are vegan- and environmentally friendly. If you are shopping for a new winter coat to keep you warm this winter, read the tag and avoid non-vegan materials.
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