Impact Report

How Sustainable Is TomboyX?

Founded in 2013 in Seattle, United States by Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez, TomboyX is a gender-neutral apparel and underwear brand.

TomboyX's sustainability efforts include extensive use of materials like organic cotton and recycled fibers. It states that it ensures a living wage in its supply chain, but transparency regarding its facilities is limited and the brand lacks a clear emissions reduction plan.

1. Environmental
Sustainability

TomboyX uses a high share of preferred materials in its items, such as organic cotton and various recycled fibers, although many of these are synthetics. Most of its products are certified by third-party environmental standards and the brand is transparent about its materials usage. However, it lacks a clear emissions reduction plan or data reporting.
IMPACT AREA 01

Materials
& Sourcing

  1. Raw material composition in all TomboyX products is fully transparent and available online.
  2. Its product packaging uses 100% recycled polyester with the biodegradability enhancer EcoPure. However, it still takes 3–5 years to degrade, exceeding the FDA’s 1-year and maximum for labeling materials as “biodegradable.”
  3. Each product is packaged using individual polybagging, rather than item grouping, resulting in increased plastic waste. According to the brand, this is done to preserve product integrity.
IMPACT AREA 02

Climate
& Emissions

  1. TomboyX’s annual emissions data is not publicly available.
  2. It states (since at least May 2022) an intention to establish a near-term emissions reduction strategy, but no further details have yet been released, limiting accountability.
  3. It does not have a net-zero emissions by 2050 target.
IMPACT AREA 03

Water
& Chemicals

  1. Some of TomboyX's supply chain partners use collected rainwater or reclaimed water in washing and dyeing. However, no further information is provided.
  2. All of its cotton and cotton blended fabrics are certified by the third-party safe chemistry standard OEKO-TEX.
  3. Does not have a publicly available list of restricted substances.
  4. No other quantifiable water and chemical reduction metrics, usage data, or specific supplier-level water conservation initiatives could be identified.
IMPACT AREA 04

Circularity
& Waste

  1. No clothing take-back, repair, or resale programs are implemented.
  2. Provides product care information to help extend the lifespan of its products. The information provided, however, is limited to short-form instructions such as “machine wash cold, tumble dry low.”
  3. The release of microplastic particles during product use and washing is a risk due to the brand's reliance on synthetic materials such as recycled polyester.

2. Social
Sustainability

TomboyX, though not explicitly vegan, does not sell products made from animal-based materials. It ensures a living wage in its supply chain and mostly partners with facilities certified for fair labor practices. However, individual factory-level data remains undisclosed, reducing its supply chain transparency and accountability.
IMPACT AREA 05

Animal
Welfare

  1. As of the writing of this report, TomboyX does not appear to use any animal-based materials in its products. However, it does not explicitly label itself as a vegan brand and it stocked hats containing wool in September 2023.
  2. It does not have a publicly available animal welfare policy or release other information concerning sustainable animal-based materials sourcing.
IMPACT AREA 06

Workplace
Practices

  1. In 2022 and 2023, TomboyX laid off 29% and 20% of its workforce, offering a slightly above-average severance package that included 2–4 weeks of pay and 3 months of COBRA coverage.
  2. Emphasizes diversity in hiring and promotions and reports that 30% of employees are LGBTQ+, 77% of leadership is female, and 35% of the team is BIPOC.
  3. TomboyX employees receive voluntary benefits such as a living wage (estimated at around 57% above Washington’s minimum wage), stock options, unlimited paid time off, 12 weeks of parental leave, and a 401(k) plan.
  4. TomboyX scored a significantly above-median 25 out of 40 in the "Workers" category of its 2024 B Corp Impact Assessment, which evaluates its support for employees’ financial security, career development, workplace conditions, and culture.
IMPACT AREA 07

Supply Chain
Workers’ Rights

  1. Claims that most of its supply chain facilities are certified by WRAP and/or the Fair Labor Association, with certification audits and renewals taking place every two years.
  2. It ensures that workers in its supply chain are paid a living wage and work in clean, well-lit conditions with ample breaks.
  3. It does not have a publicly available supplier code of conduct.
  4. It does not disclose any identifiable information about facilities in its supply chain, such as names, addresses, manufactured product types, or worker numbers. It also does not disclose the country of manufacturing of its products online.
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Sources

  1. TomboyX – Hat Collection (Archived)
  2. TomboyX – Impact Document (PDF)
  3. B Corporation – TomboyX
  4. TomboyX – Values
  5. TomboyX – Sustainability
  6. TomboyX – B Corp
  7. TomboyX – About Us
  8. TomboyX – Sustainable Plastic Packaging (News)
  9. TomboyX – Sustainability (Archived)
  10. TomboyX – Our Design
  11. TomboyX – Sustainable Fabrics