No, Flying Tiger Copenhagen is not a traditional fast fashion clothing brand, but its business model shares many key characteristics, including rapid product turnover and trend-driven, disposable items. The brand’s ethical practices are concerning due to a significant lack of transparency in its supply chain. From a sustainability perspective, its reliance on cheap, non-recycled materials and a high-volume, low-cost model contributes to a significant environmental footprint with minimal mitigation efforts.
For conscious consumers, Flying Tiger's quirky products come with hidden ethical and environmental costs. Here's a breakdown of what you need to know about the brand's practices:
While Flying Tiger primarily sells homeware, toys, and stationery instead of apparel, its core business strategy of high-volume, low-cost production mirrors the fast fashion industry.
Flying Tiger’s ethical practices are difficult to verify due to a concerning lack of transparency. The company provides minimal public information about its supply chain, worker conditions, or wages.
Flying Tiger claims to conduct third-party audits of its suppliers, but it does not publish these results or a public list of its factories. Its products are made in countries like Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam, which are known for their high risks of labor exploitation. For instance, textile workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $80-$150 per month, far below the estimated living wage of $200-$250.
The brand's supply chain is opaque. Without access to supplier lists, audit details, or certifications, it is impossible for consumers or watchdog groups to independently verify claims about worker safety or fair labor. This lack of disclosure prevents meaningful accountability regarding working conditions.
Since Flying Tiger mainly sells home goods, stationery, and toys, it does not use animal-derived materials like leather, wool, or fur. As a result, its direct impact on animal welfare is minimal.
Flying Tiger's sustainability efforts are minimal to non-existent. Its business model, which promotes disposable products made from environmentally damaging materials, is inherently unsustainable.
The vast majority of Flying Tiger products are made from cheap, virgin materials like plastics (PVC, polypropylene), paper, and basic textiles. There is no evidence of the brand using certified sustainable, recycled, or organic materials in any significant quantity. The brand lacks key environmental certifications such as B Corp, GOTS, or OEKO-TEX.
Flying Tiger has not published any data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management. It has no climate-neutral targets, no net-zero goals, and no commitments to using renewable energy in its supply chain. Its global shipping network, transporting goods from Asia to stores worldwide, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
The brand promotes a throwaway culture. Its products are low-quality and not designed for longevity. Flying Tiger has no take-back, repair, or recycling programs to manage its products at the end of their short life. Packaging often consists of single-use, non-recyclable plastics.
Flying Tiger's business model is fundamentally at odds with ethical and sustainable principles. Its focus on cheap, disposable items and its complete lack of transparency make it a poor choice for conscious consumers.
Flying Tiger earns a D+ for its extreme lack of supply chain transparency. Sourcing from high-risk countries without providing any verifiable evidence of fair wages or safe working conditions is a major ethical failure. While there are no major public scandals, the complete opacity and absence of ethical commitments place the burden of proof on the company, which it fails to meet.
The brand receives a C- for its environmental performance. This grade reflects its heavy reliance on virgin plastics, a complete absence of climate goals or environmental reporting, and a business model that actively promotes a throwaway culture. While it isn't engaged in heavy industrial pollution like some industries, its contribution to plastic waste and overconsumption is significant and unaddressed.
If Flying Tiger's lack of accountability concerns you, consider supporting brands with a transparent and responsible approach. While these brands primarily focus on apparel, their business models represent a more sustainable way to consume.
Patagonia is a certified B Corp and a leader in environmental activism and fair labor, using 87% recycled materials and donating 1% of sales to environmental causes. It champions longevity with its ironclad guarantee and repair programs, a stark contrast to a disposable model.
Shop now at patagonia.com
A pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree is a certified B Corp and the first fashion brand to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization product label. It uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and works directly with artisans and farmers in developing countries to ensure fair wages.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
This B Corp certified sneaker brand is known for its radical supply chain transparency, using Fair Trade organic cotton, recycled plastics, and wild rubber sourced directly from the Amazon. It prioritizes social projects and ecological materials over advertising budgets.
Shop now at veja-store.com
Everlane is built on the promise of "radical transparency," revealing the true costs behind its minimalist apparel, from materials to labor fees. It has strong goals for eliminating virgin plastic use and reducing its carbon footprint, auditing its factories for fair wages and conditions.
Shop now at everlane.com
A B Corp and Fair Wear Foundation member, Armedangels uses sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and linen to create "beautifully timeless" fashion. The brand is dedicated to fair working conditions and pays living wages to its factory partners.
Shop now at armedangels.com
Officially, no. It doesn't sell apparel like typical fast fashion brands. However, its business model - based on high-volume production, rapid launches of thousands of new trendy items each year, and low-cost disposable goods - is directly comparable to the fast fashion industry.
Flying Tiger's low prices are a result of its high-volume business model, which involves mass production in low-wage countries like China and Bangladesh. The company also uses inexpensive raw materials like virgin plastics and non-certified paper to keep production costs at a minimum.
No, Flying Tiger does not disclose its supplier list, nor does it publish the results of its factory audits. This extreme lack of transparency makes it impossible for consumers to verify the company's claims about its ethical sourcing or labor conditions.
Most of the brand's products are made from cheap, virgin materials with a significant environmental footprint. Common materials include various types of plastic (PVC, polypropylene), paper and cardboard from uncertified sources, and low-cost textiles, with minimal to no use of recycled or sustainable alternatives.
