Made In Los Angeles.
More than 95 percent of clothing is imported from overseas. Often, the clothes are made in factories with devastating environmental impacts and terrible human rights violations, including forced child labor. Intensive carbon emissions from transporting garments overseas increase the greenhouse gasses that lead to the climate crisis. That’s why we stitch Avocado products right here in LA with the finest fabrics from around the globe (with the exception of our alpaca collection, which is ethically made in Peru). California has the most strict standards for social and environmental responsibility in the world, and the Global Organic Textile Standard has thoroughly vetted our factory partners to ensure we’re working with the best.
GOTS is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain — and it’s endorsed by the USDA’s National Organic Program. By maintaining this certification, we’re promising to hold ourselves accountable and ensure everything from the harvesting of raw materials to the organic status of our textiles to the labeling is socially and environmentally responsible, while ensuring safe working conditions and living wages for employees.
Planet and People First
Being GOTS certified is a big deal. It means we go the extra mile to keep hazardous and toxic chemicals — like persistent hormone-disrupting substances commonly found in the manufacturing industry — out of our factory. In fact, GOTS requires we do the work to make sure our production employees and our customers aren’t exposed to harmful chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, and other serious illnesses. By prohibiting these types of substances from our entire supply and manufacturing process, we’re also helping protect ecosystems worldwide by limiting the toxic materials that end up in our air and water.
Sustainable and Responsible
We’re serious about our role in sustainability and social responsibility. We love the farmers we work with, our employees, our customers, and our environment. We’ve put in place super strict requirements for toxicity and biodegradability.
You won’t find any toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, functional nanoparticles, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or their enzymes used in anything we make. We also prohibit chlorine bleaching, Azo dyes that release carcinogenic amine compounds, and phthalates or PVCs. And really, that’s the way it should be.
Having a GOTS-certified organic factory also means we have environmental policies, procedures, and goals in place to minimize as much waste and discharge as possible.
Company Culture Matters
We wouldn’t be anything without our employees. It’s important for us to set an example and normalize company culture that values its workers and shows them the respect they deserve. We are vehemently against discrimination of any kind as well as child labor — sadly common in a fashion industry that relies on overseas factories with poor humanitarian standards. We provide living wages, safe working conditions, and progressive and comprehensive benefits, including family healthcare and paid vacation. Plus, GOTS-certified organic certifications outline social criteria based on the key norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which must be verified.