Pact has come a long way since its establishment in 2011. Since then, the Boulder, Colorado, store has changed hands and grown twenty-fold. It boasts an ever-expanding line of women's cotton dresses, sweatshirts and sports bras, baby and toddler clothing, men's T-shirts, underwear, pyjamas and more.
The brand has always strived to go a step further and dedicate each collection to an NGO that performs social or environmental work, allocating 10% of sales and thus helping maintain its projects.
According to founder Brendan Synnott, millennials are demanding brands with social causes embedded in the product offering, with authentic reasons for being an affordable value, and Pact ticks all the boxes. Consumers are now looking for products that come with a backstory.
By ensuring that the cotton for its garments is completely organic, the brand saves vast amounts of water and also eliminates the use of toxic chemicals. The brand goes the extra mile encourage its customers to reduce their environmental footprint by wearing its products, and providing sustainable essentials for men, women, and children. Its collections also include maternity wear and baby clothing, promoting its clothing to be included as part of an everyday wardrobe.
The company manufactures in India, where most of the world’s organic cotton production take place. Pacts clothing meets Fair Trade certification standards for its ethics in production as well as its sustainability efforts. In addition, Pact supports land and waterways in 45 countries in a world-changing way of doing its business.
100% Organic Cotton
The fabric is almost entirely organic cotton, except where a little synthetic elastane is needed for optimal fit and feel. Even items such as sports bras, which are usually made of 100% synthetic material, are made of cotton, which gives them an extremely soft feel. The company is deeply committed to using only GOTS-certified organic cotton.
It uses up to 95% less water than conventional cotton during the washing phase and does not contain the harsh chemicals, bleaches or dyes that conventional cotton uses. In addition, conventional cotton often requires the use of chemical-laden pesticides that increase the farmer's debt load and leach into the soil and water.
Some of the items are Fair Trade certified, but not all. Pact explains that this is because "Fair Trade certification is not applicable in certain countries that already have union and wage protection for workers. In any case, all production is guaranteed to be free of child labour and exploitative conditions.
Give Back Box
Among Pact's other green efforts is a partnership with Give Back Box, a program that allows you to fill a box with unwanted clothing and send it to be distributed where it's needed. Customers can fill the same box that their Pact order arrived in or use another, and it doesn't have to be Pact-branded clothing that you send. A prepaid shipping label can be printed online.