Everlane's Plastic-Free Promise

The fashion industry is awash in carbon-intensive plastic. As a climate crisis looms, upstart apparel brand Everlane is weaning itself off new synthetics entirely. Spoiler: It’s not easy.

- Elizabeth Segran

The Everlane Sustainability Committee gathers in San Francisco on a bright Thursday morning for its weekly meeting. Three dozen staffers take seats around a white conference table in the middle of the company’s open-plan headquarters. Dressed in a white T-shirt, high-waisted jeans, and block-heeled sandals (a variation on the company’s signature normcore-basics look), marketing head Ayni Raimondi calls the meeting to order.

The volunteer committee, which oversees environmental efforts across the company’s offices and stores, takes its responsibilities seriously. Everlane, after all, has a reputation to uphold. The startup clothing brand, which was founded in 2011, waited a full six years before introducing its first pair of jeans, holding out for an ethical manufacturer that recycles 98% of the water used. Last summer, Everlane launched a “clean silk” line of shirts, made in an energy-efficient factory using chemical-free dyes. The year-old committee, which recently conducted a company-wide waste audit, is now focused on educating shoppers, both online and through an in-store speaker series, about environmental issues.

But first, Raimondi has a pressing matter to address. She reminds the committee that Everlane’s office manager will soon stop stocking the kitchen with mini bags of Pirate’s Booty and Boom Chicka Pop popcorn. Raimondi is anticipating an employee revolt. “I would just ask everybody here to take ownership for what’s in the kitchen,” she tells the group, solemnly. “When people are like, ‘Where are the chips?’ you can remind them that they come in virgin plastics.”