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If you’re looking for an ethically made organic cotton t-shirt, you know how hard it is.
Most fast fashion brands don’t offer the quality or sustainability you want, and high-end brands charging $100+ for a simple tee isn’t feasible.
Luckily, there are some amazing ethical and sustainable clothing brands out there creating high-quality organic cotton t-shirts that you’re going to love.
Some of these tees might seem expensive at first — but they’ll outlast any cheaper alternative, and you know you’re supporting brands paying fair wages, growing cotton using organic, eco-friendly processes. Keep in mind that some prices listed here may change in the future.
Here are the tees:
Best Comfy Organic Tees for Your Everyday Look
We’re reader-supported. The following post contains affiliate links. If you click through a link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission. We only partner with brands who share the same values as we do.
1. Boody Downtime Lounge Top
At a glance: Comfy-casual tee from eco-friendly materials
Sustainability: Bamboo
Pricing: $36.95
Boody’s downtime lounge top is ideal for lounging round the house or wearing out and about with a pair of jeans.
The fabric is soft and cool, and has a nice amount of flowiness.
All of Boody’s clothes are made from bamboo, and are completely organic and toxin-free. The materials are Ecocert approved, Peta-approved vegan, as well as a host of other certifications.
2. Pact Organic Tees
At a glance: Super-soft mid-weight tee that can be worn all year round
Sustainability: Organic, fair trade certified, 8.3 gallons of water saved per tee
Pricing: $30
Pact create all of their clothes from organic cotton that saves gallons of water and uses no toxic, harsh chemicals – a stark contrast compared to regular cotton tees.
Their tees come highly recommended.
Their best-selling Featherweight fabric is soft, but mid-weight, so you can wear it all year round. It has enough structure to be worn alone, or as a layering item.
All of Pact’s factories are Fair Trade certified and there are options to offset the carbon generated for delivering your items.
3. Vetta Essential Tee
At a glance: The perfect everyday white tee
Sustainability: Better Cotton Initiative, durable tees, sustainable manufacturing porcess
Pricing: $49
Vetta is a slow fashion brand creating their organic t-shirt range from Supima cotton grown using organic farming practices under the Better Cotton Initiative.
Supima fibers are softer and typically last longer than traditional cotton fibers and make up for just 1% of cotton grown.
Vetta’s Essential tee is the perfect white tee and aligns with their ethos — you don’t need many garments to make a smart, stylish wardrobe.
4. MATE Organic Cotton Classic Tee
At a glance: Organic, soft, and breathable everyday tee
Sustainability: Uses 88% less water and 31% less carbon than traditional cotton tees
Pricing: $64
MATE’s organic t shirt is the ideal everyday tee.
At first, $64 seems expensive for a tee. However, in the long run, you’ll be saving money. Most plain tees are great – for the first few wears. After that, they’ll start looking stretched in all the wrong places, lose their initial softness.
MATE’s’ tees are the opposite. They’re robust, and if you follow the care tag (machine wash cold with similar colors, tumble dry low), they’ll last for as long as you need.
The tees are great value, despite the initial cost.
In terms of sustainability, you’re covered. The materials are all organic, free of pesticides and plastic. MATE also release an Impact Report every year outlining their sustainability efforts. Last year they donated $95,000 to environmental and social justice organizations.
5. Allbirds TrinoXO Tee
At a glance: Sustainable, lightweight tee, ideal for casual wear or activewear
Sustainability: Carbon neutral, sustainably sourced materials
Pricing: $48
Allbirds’ TrinoXO Tee is soft and light making it perfect for either casual or activewear.
We’ve tested it for both, and it holds up!
It’s made of sustainable materials, including TENCEL™ Lyocell, merino wool, and Chitosan.
The tee is completely carbon neutral as Allbirds offset the 6.3kg of carbon it produces during the production process.
6. Graceful District
At a glance: Modern, lightweight scoop neck tee
Sustainability: 100% organic cotton, no toxic dyes or pesticides
Pricing: $40
Graceful District’s organic tee is made in Los Angeles.
The tee has a scoop neckline, short slees, and a curved hem for a modern silhouette.
The cotton is 100% organic, and the tee is soft and breathable. Graceful District’s clothes are made in small batches in LA, completely free of toxic dyes, herbicides, or synthetic pesticides.
7. For Days Daily Crew
At a glance: 100% organic cotton t-shirt made without toxic chemicals. Mid-weight and comfy.
Sustainability: 100% organic cotton. Closed loop brand creating products that can all be recycled.
Pricing: $28
For Days are a zero-waste, sustainable clothing brand. That means all of their clothes are designed in a way that enables them to be recycled and reused at the end of their life.
When you buy an item from the company, it comes with Swap Credits. You can then mail your old clothes back, and get new ones in return. It’s a great way to stock up on your new organic cotton t shirts without sending clothes to landfill.
All of For Days’ organic tees are made from 100% GOTS Certified cotton, and the dyes are Cradle to Cradle certified.
We’re sure you’ll love them.
8. Harvest & Mill Organic Crew Tee
At a glance: 100% USA-grown cotton, domestic supply chain
Sustainability: All-American supply chain, undyed, 100% organic, carbon-neutral product
Pricing: $46
Harvest & Mill create a range of fully organic clothes that are all handmade in the USA.
The organic cotton crew tee here is a classic tee that we’re sure you’ll love.
The tee is undyed, so you’ll get a rich creamy color of real cotton without needing to worry about toxic dyes.
The tees are all designed and created in San Francisco.
9. Classic T-Shirt Company
At a glance: Made in the USA luxury cotton tees
Sustainability: 100% organic cotton, fair trade factories that pay a living wage
Pricing: $54
The Classic T-Shirt Company makes all of their organic cotton t-shirt lines in sunny California.
The tees are tested for longevity and come pre-washed so they won’t shrink or lose their original shape and quality once you wash them for the first time.
There are no animal products used in these tees
The brand also partners with charities to support safe water, tree planting, and ocean cleanup initiatives.
10. Colorful Standard
At a glance: Organic cotton T-shirts in 45 different colors. Sizes XS-2XL
Sustainability: Produced using only organic cotton and colored using environmentally friendly dyes.
Price: $35
Colorful Standard has a vast array of organic cotton T-Shirts to choose from, offering over 40 colors (45 to be exact).
The use of organic cotton reduces pesticides and water usage, meaning a reduction in harmful greenhouse gases by up to 94%.
The vibrant colors of these soft organic tees are created without harmful dyes and are all Oeko-Tex Certified, meaning there are no toxic chemicals involved in the dying process. In addition, C.S is working to produce a zero-waste supply chain by using laser-cutting technology and recycling any offcuts.
11. New Standard
At a glance: Recycled cotton T-shirts
Sustainability: Produced using 100% recycled cotton, less CO2, and no harmful chemicals
Price: $38
New Standard is transforming waste cotton into wardrobe essentials made of 100% recycled materials.
Thanks to using recycled cotton, New Standard reduces its CO2 emissions by 50% compared to using virgin materials.
Plus, by recycling cotton New Standard don’t use any harmful chemicals and use 99.9% less water.
Recap: Organic T-Shirts
You can’t beat a classic t shirt, any of these sustainable picks will look great paired with a pair of sustainable denim jeans and layered under a sustainable blazer.
For other t-shirt recommendations, check out our long sleeve t-shirt and turtleneck guides.