Impact Report

How Sustainable Is Toad&Co?

Founded in 1991 in Colorado, United States by Jessica Nordhaus, Toad&Co is a leading brand in sustainable sourcing and led by Gordon Seabury since 1995.

Toad&Co leads environmentally with its use of sustainable materials like organic cotton and hemp, alongside a resale program. Socially, it emphasizes inclusive employment and fair labor standards, though transparency in its supply chain remains limited.

1. Environmental
Sustainability

Toad&Co uses a high share of preferred materials in its items, such as organic cotton, TENCEL Lyocell, and recycled fibers. Most of its products are certified by third-party environmental standards and it is exemplary at extended producer responsibility, offering its customers clothing resale, repair, and take-back programs.
IMPACT AREA 01

Materials
& Sourcing

  1. Raw material composition in all Toad&Co products is fully transparent and available online. It uses a significant share of preferred materials in its products.
  2. Toad&Co uses a medium share of petroleum-based synthetic fibers like polyester in its products, particularly its technical gear. In 2024, a significant share (>70%) of its synthetic fibers were recycled, targeting 100% by 2026.
  3. Toad&Co's product packaging is plastic-free and uses FSC-certified paper printed with water-based or algae ink. It also offers its customers a reusable mailer option for shipping.
IMPACT AREA 02

Climate
& Emissions

  1. Toad&Co’s annual emissions data is publicly available, totaling 7,572 tCO2e in 2023, with 99% classified as Scope 3 from its supply chain.
  2. It aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement but has not set near-term reduction targets as recommended by the Science Based Targets Initiative, making progress unclear.
  3. It buys offsets to achieve carbon neutrality for scope 1 and 2 emissions.
IMPACT AREA 03

Water
& Chemicals

  1. Information about its water usage and pollution data is not publicly available.
  2. Its restricted substances list is aligned with regulations like the EU’s REACH and California’s Proposition 65 but does not include the comprehensive ZDHC standards.
  3. A significant share (>75%) of its items are certified by at least one third-party safe chemistry standard, with 75% by OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and 5.5% by Bluesign.
IMPACT AREA 04

Circularity
& Waste

  1. Toad&Co operates a clothing resale, repair, and take-back program called “ToadAgain.” In 2024, it repaired at least 130 items and resold 5,600.
  2. Provides product care information to help extend the lifespan of its products.
  3. Toad&Co uses a small-to-medium share of plastic-based materials that release microplastics into the environment through washing.

2. Social
Sustainability

Toad&Co uses wool in its products and aims for 100% sustainable wool sourcing by 2025, through either RWS-certified or recycled wool. In its supply chain, it ensures workers receive the legal minimum wage or the local prevailing wage, whichever is higher.
IMPACT AREA 05

Animal
Welfare

  1. Toad&Co is not a vegan brand and animal-based materials, mostly wool, are used in 10.8% of Toad&Co’s products, and it sources both virgin and recycled wool. Virgin wool is either RWS-certified or simply non-mulesed.
  2. It is committed to using only RWS-certified virgin wool by 2025, but progress toward this target is unclear.
  3. Does not have a publicly available animal welfare policy.
IMPACT AREA 06

Workplace
Practices

  1. No external audits, third-party certifications, or other data points could be found to validate Toad&Co's internal workplace practices.
IMPACT AREA 07

Supply Chain
Workers’ Rights

  1. Toad&Co's publicly available supplier code of conduct is aligned with the ILO’s fundamental freedom principles and the OECD’s sector guidelines, covering child and forced labor, wages, discrimination, working time, occupational health and safety, and collective bargaining.
  2. Ensures workers in its supply chain are paid at least the prevailing wage, not just the minimum wage. However, living wages are not ensured.
  3. Supply chain monitoring is conducted through yearly visits to facilities.
  4. It does not voluntarily disclose information about facilities in its supply chain, except for information about two of its manufacturing partners in 2020. It also does not appear to disclose in which country each product is manufactured.
•••

Sources

  1. Toad & Co – Sustainability
  2. Toad & Co – Our History
  3. Toad & Co – About Us
  4. Toad & Co – Code of Conduct
  5. Toad & Co – Eco Certifications
  6. Toad & Co – Eco Materials
  7. Toad & Co – Our Partners
  8. Toad & Co – Our Goals
  9. Toad & Co Blog – Factories Spotlight
  10. Toad & Co – Good Business
  11. Toad & Co – Our Packaging
  12. Toad & Co – Recycled Fiber Clothing
  13. Toad & Co – Organic Cotton Clothing
  14. Toad & Co – Tencel Clothing
  15. Toad & Co – Vegan Clothing
  16. Toad & Co Blog – Hemp's Epic Journey
  17. Toad & Co Blog – Our 2024 Wrapped: The Toad Community's Impact
  18. Toad & Co – Doing Good
  19. Toad Again by Toad & Co – About
  20. Toad & Co – Restricted Substances List (PDF)
  21. Toad & Co – Annual Progress Report 2022 (PDF)
  22. Toad & Co – 2023 Progress Report