No, Wolf & Badger is not a fast fashion brand. It operates as a curated marketplace for independent, ethical, and sustainable designers, prioritizing craftsmanship and quality over rapid, trend-driven production.
The company has a strong ethical foundation built on supporting small-scale artisans and is a certified B Corporation. While its sustainability efforts are commendable, particularly in materials sourcing, a lack of comprehensive data on its overall environmental footprint leaves room for improvement. Here’s a detailed look at Wolf & Badger's practices:
Wolf & Badger's business model is fundamentally different from fast fashion. It acts as a platform to elevate independent brands that focus on ethical production and longevity, rather than mass-producing its own disposable clothing.
Wolf & Badger demonstrates a strong commitment to ethical production by championing brands that prioritize fair labor and transparency. Its B Corp certification reinforces this commitment to balancing profit and purpose.
The core of Wolf & Badger's model is to empower independent brands that provide fair wages and safe working conditions. They vet their partners through a set of ethical criteria, and many are small-scale producers based in the UK and Europe, regions with stricter labor laws. While many artisans are paid fair wages, comprehensive wage data across all of its hundreds of brand partners is not publicly available.
Wolf & Badger promotes transparency by publishing its list of partner brands and their individual ethical commitments. However, the platform itself doesn't provide comprehensive, third-party audit reports for its entire supply chain. While some individual brands sold on the site hold certifications like GOTS or Fair Trade, this is not a universal standard across the marketplace.
The company maintains a strong animal welfare policy, explicitly banning the sale of fur and exotic skins. When animal-derived materials like wool or leather are used, they are typically sourced from brands that prioritize cruelty-free practices. The platform also features a wide array of vegan and plant-based alternatives, with some products marked as PETA-Approved Vegan.
Wolf & Badger prioritizes sustainability through its curation of brands and focus on eco-friendly materials, though its overall environmental impact is not fully quantified through public reporting.
Many brands available on the platform use sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton, Tencel, linen, and recycled polyester. An estimated 40-60% of products incorporate sustainable fabrics. In jewelry, there's a strong emphasis on recycled metals and conflict-free, responsibly sourced gemstones, with some brands holding Fairmined certification.
The small-batch production model inherent to Wolf & Badger’s partners results in a lower environmental footprint than mass production. Many brands use eco-friendly processes like low-impact dyes and water-efficient manufacturing. However, the company does not publish comprehensive data on its collective water usage, chemical discharge, or carbon emissions across its supply chain.
The platform inherently reduces waste by avoiding the overproduction model of fast fashion. Products are designed for longevity, and some partner brands offer repair or take-back programs to encourage circularity. Wolf & Badger also utilizes minimal, eco-conscious packaging for shipping, but does not operate its own platform-wide recycling or take-back program.
As a certified B Corporation since 2020, Wolf & Badger meets verified standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. While the company states a goal of a fully sustainable supply chain by 2025, specific, measurable progress reports toward key metrics like carbon reduction are not yet publicly available.
Wolf & Badger stands as a genuinely better alternative to mainstream fashion retailers. Its model supports small, ethical businesses and promotes a "buy less, buy better" mindset, but opportunities for greater data transparency remain.
A B grade is warranted for Wolf & Badger's B Corp status and clear commitment to supporting artisans, ensuring fair wages, and upholding strong animal welfare standards. They earn points for their curated approach that champions ethical producers. The grade is held back from an A due to a lack of universal, platform-wide certifications and comprehensive third-party audits across their entire diverse network of brands.
Wolf & Badger earns a C+ for sustainability. They build a strong foundation by championing brands that use sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled metals, and their small-batch model inherently fights waste. However, the lack of published data on carbon emissions, water use, and a clear, measurable roadmap for reducing their overall environmental impact prevents a higher score.
If you appreciate Wolf & Badger's curated marketplace model but are looking for alternatives with even more rigorous transparency or different aesthetics, here are some excellent platforms:
Also a B Corp, Made Trade is a marketplace rigorously curating ethically-made and sustainable home goods, clothing, and accessories. They provide exceptional transparency on each product's sourcing and values, like being Vegan, Fair Trade, or made with recycled materials, offering similar price points to Wolf & Badger.
Shop now at madetrade.com
Garmentory provides a platform for independent boutiques and emerging designers with a cool, contemporary aesthetic. The site features extensive filters that allow you to shop specifically for sustainably made, ethically sourced, or locally produced items from its huge network of small brands.
Shop now at garmentory.com
This marketplace curates premium fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products that are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Each brand is vetted for its ethical and sustainable practices, making it an excellent one-stop shop if animal welfare is your top priority.
Shop now at immaculatevegan.com
The Canvas is a marketplace and retail concept focused on brands that address the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This platform is ideal for shoppers looking to directly support artisans, gender equality, and climate action through their purchases with unique, story-driven pieces.
Shop now at thecanvas.global
While a single brand rather than a marketplace, Outerknown's coastal, sophisticated aesthetic will appeal to many Wolf & Badger shoppers. As a leader in transparency, they are Fair Labor Association accredited, publish their full supplier list, and create over 90% of their products from recycled or organic fibers.
Shop now at outerknown.com
Yes, Wolf & Badger has been a certified B Corporation since 2020. This certification officially recognizes that the company meets high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Wolf & Badger sells products from an international community of independent, ethical, and sustainable designers. They focus on unique, artisanal brands that produce clothing, accessories, jewelry, and beauty products that you typically won't find in mainstream stores.
While sustainability is a core value, the level of sustainability can vary from brand to brand. Wolf & Badger has an internal vetting process, and many products are made with sustainable materials and practices. However, not every item has a third-party certification like GOTS or Fairmined Gold.
The prices reflect the true cost of making clothing ethically and sustainably. This includes using high-quality, eco-friendly materials, paying fair wages to skilled artisans, producing in small, considered batches to reduce waste, and investing in original design creativity.
