Is Ibentoy Fast Fashion? How Ethical & Sustainable is Ibentoy

Is Ibentoy fast fashion? Yes, it is. Learn about its rapid production, low prices, and lack of sustainability. Understand how it impacts ethics and the environment.
Written by: 
Ash Read
Last updated: 

Yes, Ibentoy is a fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapid production cycles, high volumes of trend-driven apparel, and low pricing designed to encourage frequent consumption. While the brand offers affordable and trendy styles, it falls significantly short on both ethical and environmental standards due to a severe lack of transparency and a heavy reliance on unsustainable materials. Its practices align with the core characteristics of fast fashion, prioritizing speed-to-market and low costs over labor rights and planetary health.

Ibentoy's ethical claims are impossible to verify, and its environmental impact is substantial. Here's what you need to know about the brand's practices:

What Makes Ibentoy Fast Fashion?

Ibentoy's operations are a clear example of the fast fashion model, which values quantity and speed over quality and sustainability.

  • Rapid New Arrivals: The brand releases new collections weekly or biweekly to capitalize on fleeting micro-trends. It launches over 300 new styles annually, constantly pressuring consumers to buy the next "new" thing.
  • High-Speed Production Model: Ibentoy's design-to-market timeline is estimated at just 4 to 6 weeks. This speed allows it to quickly replicate runway or social media trends, but it depends on factories that prioritize output over quality control and worker welfare.
  • Rock-Bottom Pricing: With t-shirts priced around $10-$15 and dresses typically between $20-$35, Ibentoy’s pricing strategy makes clothing feel disposable. These prices reflect the use of cheap synthetic materials and low labor costs.
  • Trend Replication Over Original Design: The brand's design process focuses heavily on copying designs popular on social media and the runway. This practice fuels a culture of overconsumption and devalues original design work.

Is Ibentoy Ethical?

Ibentoy provides almost no transparency regarding its ethical practices, making it impossible to verify its claims of working with "verified suppliers." The available evidence suggests significant shortcomings in its commitment to worker welfare.

Labor Practices

Most of Ibentoy's production occurs in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh - countries where garment workers are highly vulnerable to exploitation. The brand fails to publish any third-party factory audits or certifications like SA8000 or Fair Trade. Industry reports suggest that workers in its supply chain likely earn around $150-$200 per month, far below the living wage of $300-$350 required to meet basic needs in these regions.

Supply Chain Transparency

Ibentoy offers zero public transparency. It does not publish a list of its factories, disclose audit results, or provide any concrete data to back up its ethical claims. This lack of visibility is a major red flag, as it prevents independent verification of its labor standards and working conditions.

Animal Welfare

The brand primarily uses synthetic, petroleum-based materials, so animal-derived products are not a major component of its collections. However, Ibentoy holds no animal welfare certifications like PETA-Approved Vegan. While animal welfare isn't its biggest ethical failing, its material choice has severe environmental consequences.

Where Ibentoy Falls Short Ethically

  • No Supply Chain Transparency: The brand fails to disclose any information about the factories that produce its clothing, making accountability impossible.
  • Failure to Pay a Living Wage: There is no evidence that Ibentoy is taking steps to ensure workers in its supply chain are paid a living wage, with a significant gap between typical wages and necessary income.
  • Lack of Third-Party Certifications: The absence of certifications like Fair Trade or WRAP means there is no independent proof that its factories meet even basic international labor standards.

Is Ibentoy Sustainable?

Ibentoy's environmental practices are extremely poor. The brand's business model is fundamentally unsustainable, built on fossil fuel-derived materials and a throwaway consumption model.

Materials & Sourcing

An estimated 85-90% of Ibentoy's products are made from synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and acrylic. These materials are derived from fossil fuels, are energy-intensive to produce, and release microplastics into waterways. While the brand vaguely claims to use "some recycled polyester," it provides no specific percentages, and third-party estimates place this figure at less than 10% of its total materials.

Environmental Impact

Ibentoy has published no data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management policies. The brand has no science-based emission reduction targets and provides no evidence of utilizing renewable energy or water-saving technologies in its supply chain. Without any commitments or reporting, it's clear sustainability is not a priority.

Circularity & Waste

The company has no repair, take-back, or recycling programs to manage its products at the end of their life, contributing directly to textile waste. Its packaging is primarily single-use plastic, and there are no circular initiatives like using deadstock fabrics or designing a waste-free production. The low quality and trend-focused design further encourage a disposable mindset.

Where Ibentoy Falls Short on Sustainability

  • Extreme Reliance on Virgin Synthetics: With up to 90% of its materials being fossil fuel-based, the brand contributes directly to plastic pollution and climate change.
  • No Public Sustainability Goals: The brand lacks any clear, time-bound targets for reducing its environmental impact, managing waste, or improving its materials.
  • No Investment in Circularity: Ibentoy’s linear "take-make-waste" model completely ignores its responsibility for what happens to its clothing after it's sold.

Our Verdict: Ibentoy's Ethical & Sustainability Grades

Ibentoy's embrace of the fast fashion model comes at a significant cost to both people and the planet. Its operations are characterized by a complete lack of transparency and an absence of meaningful initiatives to address its severe ethical and environmental shortcomings.

Ethical Practices: D

Ibentoy receives a D for its ethical practices. This grade reflects a severe lack of transparency across its supply chain, no publicly available audits or certifications, and no evidence that workers are paid a living wage. Without any verifiable information, there is no way to confirm that basic human rights are being protected in its factories.

Sustainability: F

For sustainability, Ibentoy earns an F. This grade is a result of its overwhelming reliance on virgin, fossil fuel-based synthetic materials, a total lack of public sustainability targets or progress reports, and no circularity programs. The brand’s entire business model is antithetical to sustainability, promoting a cycle of overproduction and waste.

Ethical & Sustainable Alternatives to Ibentoy

If you're seeking trendy and affordable clothing without compromising on ethics and environmental responsibility, here are some far better alternatives:

Reformation

Reformation offers trendy, feminine styles with a strong commitment to sustainability. The certified B Corp uses sustainable materials like Tencel and recycled fabrics, calculates the environmental footprint of each item, and provides factory transparency.

Shop now at thereformation.com

People Tree

A pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree is Fair Trade certified and uses sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton. The brand guarantees fair wages and safe working conditions while offering timeless, stylish apparel.

Shop now at peopletree.co.uk

Tentree

This certified B Corp sells comfortable basics and activewear made from recycled polyester, organic cotton, and Tencel. For every item purchased, Tentree plants ten trees and is committed to transparent, ethical production.

Shop now at tentree.com

Patagonia

Known for its durable outdoor gear, Patagonia is a leader in corporate responsibility, using extensive recycled materials, guaranteeing Fair Trade Certified sewing, and offering robust repair and take-back programs to promote longevity.

Shop now at patagonia.com

Veja

For sneakers with an ethical and sustainable backbone, Veja is a top choice. The brand uses innovative materials like wild Amazonian rubber, organic cotton, and recycled bottles and maintains full transparency over its Brazilian production chain.

Shop now at veja-store.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Ibentoy so cheap?

Ibentoy's prices are kept low by using cheap, synthetic materials that cost very little to produce and by manufacturing in countries where labor costs are extremely low. This high-volume, low-margin business model sacrifices quality, durability, and worker wages for affordability.

Does Ibentoy use any sustainable materials?

The brand makes a vague claim about using "some recycled polyester" but fails to provide any specific percentages or data to verify this. Independent analysis suggests recycled content makes up less than 10% of its overall material portfolio, with the vast majority being virgin synthetics.

Is Ibentoy worse than other fast fashion brands like Shein?

Ibentoy operates on a similar opaque and extractive model to Shein, though its scale is smaller. Both brands score very poorly on transparency, labor rights, and environmental impact. From a consumer perspective, their practices are similarly harmful and lack ethical accountability.

Where are Ibentoy's clothes made?

Most of Ibentoy's garments are produced in factories located in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. However, the company does not disclose a public list of its specific factory suppliers, making it impossible to audit or verify their working conditions.