No, Eddie Bauer is not a fast fashion brand. It follows a traditional retail model with seasonal collections, a focus on durable outdoor gear over fleeting trends, and a significantly slower production cycle than fast fashion giants.
While the brand makes some commendable ethical and sustainable efforts, including responsible sourcing for animal products and setting environmental goals, it falls short on supply chain transparency and verified living wages. Here's a detailed breakdown of Eddie Bauer's practices.
Eddie Bauer's business model is fundamentally different from a fast fashion company. It focuses on quality and longevity, releasing seasonal collections rather than a constant stream of new, trend-driven items.
Eddie Bauer demonstrates a responsible approach to ethical sourcing but is held back by limited transparency and a lack of verified living wage commitments across its supply chain.
Eddie Bauer works with suppliers in countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh and requires them to adhere to a Supplier Code of Conduct aligned with Fair Labor Association (FLA) standards. However, factory conditions can still be challenging. Reports indicate workers in Vietnamese and Bangladeshi factories may earn around $180-$220 per month, which falls significantly short of the estimated living wage of $350-$400 for the region.
Transparency is a major weakness for Eddie Bauer. The company does not publish a public list of its suppliers or factories, making it difficult for third parties to independently verify claims about worker conditions. While audits are conducted, they are often based on supplier certifications like WRAP or BSCI, and detailed reports are not disclosed to the public.
This is an area where Eddie Bauer performs well. The brand uses down and wool that are certified by the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). These certifications help ensure that animals are treated humanely and prohibit practices like live-plucking and mulesing. The brand does not use fur and confirms that it does not test its products on animals.
Eddie Bauer is making strides in sustainability, particularly in material sourcing and goal setting, but its environmental efforts are inconsistent and lack comprehensive verification.
Approximately 35-50% of Eddie Bauer's products contain some form of sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester (GRS-certified), and responsibly sourced down (RDS) and wool (RWS). While this is a positive step, many of its technical garments still rely on virgin synthetic fabrics, which contribute to microplastic pollution.
While the brand has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025, it does not publicly disclose comprehensive data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management. As a certified B Corporation, Eddie Bauer is committed to considering its environmental impact, but detailed, verified progress reports are not yet available to the public.
Eddie Bauer's focus on creating durable, long-lasting products is its strongest contribution to a circular economy. However, its programs for end-of-life products are limited. The brand has a small gear take-back program operated through external partners but lacks a widespread, easily accessible repair service or initiative to recycle its technical fabrics into new garments.
Eddie Bauer has set clear goals, including increasing its use of recycled content to 60% by 2030. Its B Corp certification signals a legal commitment to balancing profit with purpose. However, the lack of third-party verification and detailed progress reports makes it difficult to assess how much progress has actually been made against these goals.
Eddie Bauer occupies a middle ground. It's not a fast fashion villain, but it isn't leading the pack on conscious practices either. It's a traditional retailer making average-to-good efforts in a challenging industry.
Eddie Bauer earns a B- for its strong animal welfare policies (RDS and RWS certifications) and adherence to a formal Supplier Code of Conduct. The grade is held back by a significant lack of supply chain transparency, failure to publish factory lists, and the absence of a verified commitment to paying living wages to all its garment workers. This lack of accountability creates a notable gap between their policies and proven impact.
A C+ reflects Eddie Bauer's mixed performance. The brand gets points for its B Corp certification, use of some sustainable materials (35-50%), and focus on product durability. However, it loses points for its continued reliance on virgin synthetics, limited circularity programs like repair and recycling, and a lack of independently verified data proving progress towards its environmental goals.
If you're looking for outdoor brands with stronger, more transparent commitments to ethics and sustainability, consider these alternatives:
Patagonia is a certified B Corp and an industry leader known for its environmental activism, use of 87% recycled materials, and Fair Trade certified factories. It strongly encourages conscious consumption with its Worn Wear program for repairs and resale.
Shop now at patagonia.com
A B Corp with extensive Fair Trade factory certifications, prAna creates eco-friendly active and travel apparel using sustainable materials like organic cotton, hemp, and recycled polyester.
Shop now at prana.com
Famous for its colorful (Re)Purpose Collection made from remnant fabrics, Cotopaxi is a B Corp that is Climate Neutral Certified and allocates 1% of its revenue to grants that alleviate poverty around the world.
Shop now at cotopaxi.com
This B Corp promises to plant 10 trees for every item purchased. Tentree uses 95%+ sustainable materials like Tencel, recycled polyester, and organic cotton, and works with audited factories to ensure fair labor practices.
Shop now at tentree.com
Certified B Corp United By Blue removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product sold. They focus on using sustainable materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester, and hemp for their casual outdoor apparel.
Shop now at unitedbyblue.com
As a certified B Corporation, Eddie Bauer is legally required to balance profit with its social and environmental mission. While this signifies a high-level commitment, it doesn't automatically mean every single practice is perfect. It indicates the brand has met a certain threshold for performance and transparency and is committed to continuous improvement.
A strong warranty or guarantee contributes to sustainability by encouraging longevity and reducing the need for replacements. By designing durable products and standing behind them, Eddie Bauer helps reduce waste from overconsumption. However, this alone doesn't cancel out the environmental impact of raw material sourcing and manufacturing.
Eddie Bauer, The North Face, and Columbia occupy a similar space as large, traditional outdoor retailers making some responsible efforts. Eddie Bauer's standout is its B Corp status and clear RWS/RDS certifications. The North Face has strong material innovation and circularity programs, while Columbia is building its transparency. All three lag behind industry leaders like Patagonia in overall proven ethical and sustainable performance.
