Brand Spotlight: Maggie's Organics

Maggie’s Organics is a great place to buy high-quality, ethically-made clothing all made from organic, sustainable, and natural fibers!

Their commitment to their values is what really sets them apart as a brand, but they are also great at making quality products. In the same way that they’d never sacrifice ethical manufacturing processes to make a great pair of socks, they’d never sacrifice the quality of their products by using methods that were ethical but not ideal.

That way, you can be sure that everything you get from Maggie’s will be both awesome and awesomely-made.

Let’s take a closer look at those values that set Maggie’s Organics apart:

Only Organic

All the cotton used by Maggie’s Organics is, as the name would imply, organic cotton. 

This decision was made because of the huge negative impact conventional cotton has on the planet. Conventional cotton is grown with tons of pesticides. It only makes up 2.5% of the planet’s cultivated land, yet it uses a whopping 16% of its insecticides. 

Organic cotton farming uses natural fertilizers like compost and manure instead of these synthetic varieties that can too often be harmful to the planet, nearby communities, and the people who apply them.

Maggie’s Organics wanted to prove that there was a better way forward, a more sustainable way both for the planet and for the business. They definitely succeeded!

Real Fair Trade

Maggie’s Organics goes above and beyond typical fair trade guidelines to ensure that they’re operating in the spirit of fair trade instead of just by the letter. 

Some of the things they make a point of including in their “real fair trade” policy are:

• Working directly with farmers and establishing long-term relationships
• Understanding the difficulties farmers face and giving back to help them address and improve them.
• Including sewers and cutters in design decisions to ensure any changes are a real improvement
• Processing their own organic wool from start to finish over a period of 3 months
• Paying cotton farmers a predictable deposit before their fields are planted
• Paying for an entire harvest as soon as it’s grown
• Truly knowing and appreciating each worker, farmer, and pair of hands that goes into creating their products.

These policies show that Maggie’s Organics is the epitome of a heart-centered business. They’re not in it just for the appearances, they truly care about the people involved in each step of their supply chain.

Transparency

Transparency is a HUGE part of any ethical business, and one that has been largely overlooked until recently.

You can say you’re doing something a certain way all day long, but if no one can actually see you doing it and it can’t be verified, your customers will likely be dubious.

At Maggie’s Organics, you can take a Behind the Label look at how each product is made, see annual Organic Certificates, and even read about every single little fiber that’s included in any given product, no matter how small, down to 1/10th of a percent.

In addition, Maggie’s has tons of third-party verification backing them up:

Third-party Verification

Maggie’s Organics has earned recognition from several third-party verification groups, including GOTS, FREE2WORK, and the Fair Trade Federation.

Interestingly, they have stopped their efforts to renew their certification with FairTrade USA.

After extensive talks with their suppliers, Maggie’s determined that the paperwork, restructuring, and red tape the farmers had to deal with was more hassle than certification was worth. Since they were already paying well above the fair trade rate and the farmers themselves were questioning the value of certification, they ultimately decided to let their Fair Trade certification lapse.

Credibility

Every aspect of the Maggie’s Organics business structure lends credibility to both their brand and their mission.

It’s clear that they work hard to provide the best possible deal for their workers, farmers, and everyone who’s involved in their supply chain. Even when the best thing turns out not to be the popular thing, as in the case of giving up their fair trade certification, Maggie’s always does its best to make the right call- one that’s both environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.

I would feel really good about buying from Maggie’s Organics, and you should too!