Giving Compass' Take:

• Topiku is a sustainable brand from Southern California that utilizes waste materials and recycles into street-wear inspired clothing.

• Topiku works directly with hat making artisans rather than outsourcing production. How does this maintain ethical standards and sustainability?

• Here are five traits of truly ethical and sustainable brands.

Topiku makes SoCal streetwear-inspired hats from textile offcuts, leather scraps and HDPE plastics typically found in buckets. Monty Hasan, Founder of Topiku set up the sustainable fashion brand after meeting artisan villagers in his native Indonesia, who crafted bags from upcycled waste materials such as billboards.

According to a recent report published by Quantis, more than 80% of fashion’s carbon footprint is generated during production, which means that mitigating the environmental impact of garment products requires brands to reevaluate their sourcing.

Topiku’s logo, hat patches and adjustable straps are made from salvaged shoe, belt and jacket leather, the brim is created from recycled plastic buckets, and the buttons placed on top of the hats are recycled from aluminium and tin cans.

Unlike most apparel companies, Topiku doesn’t outsource its production to a third party contractor, and works directly with the hat-making artisans, which allows the brand to maintain ethical work conditions and efficient production processes.

Topiku works with Waste4Change, a social enterprise championing sustainable end-to-end waste management, to sponsor the health insurance of 14 waste pickers and to fund sustainable waste management education and clean-up programs.

Read the full article about sustainable brands by Trang Chu Minh at Causeartist