Our standard
1. Form meeting function
We consider visual appeal alongside function, of which longevity is a part, to select items you will feel good wearing. This makes good use of our planet's resources and supports you to shop less and better.
2. Standout positive impact on humans and/or nature
Every item sold on Brothers We Stand has a standout positive impact. This relates to either the raw materials or the manufacturing process or as is often the case both.
Examples include:
Organic raw materials
Fairly traded raw materials
Responsible Wool Standard
Reducing carbon emissions
Local production
Best practice ethical workshops or factories
An example that covers both is Pico’s underwear made by a small Fairtrade factory with organically grown cotton.
We favour natural fibres across the board and report on what materials are clothes are made from here.
3. Transparent supply chain
Brands on Brothers We Stand share a full breakdown of their supply chain for every product sold on our platform. We manually check each supply chain meets our standard, and summarise key details in 'Look behind what you buy' sections on every product page.
4. Workers rights upheld
We require evidence of practices designed to ensure the standards listed below are met in the supply chain for every individual product listed on Brothers We Stand. We routinely do not list all of the products from our partner brands where we have not been able to reach the confidence threshold we require.
Specifically we require:
Well respected certifications (for example GOTS, Fairtrade, SA8000).
Or
Sometimes there are smaller suppliers or those located in traditional low-risk countries that do not hold these certifications. Here we require brands to show they undestand the relevant issues to the sourcing context and have practices that address them. Typically these would include factory visits, long term relationships and agreed ethical codes of conduct with suppliers.
The following standards are based on the International Labour Organisation labour rights and ETI base code:
- No use of child labour
- No use of forced labour
- Safe and healthy working conditions
- Legal labour contracts
- Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- No discrimination against employees
- No excessive hours of work
- Payment of legal minimum wage
* Brands are required to have clear systems for tier one suppliers and be taking steps, appropriate to the scale of the company, to ensure these standards are met by second and third tier suppliers.
5. Animal welfare considered
Where brands selling on Brothers We Stand use animal fibres in their products, we expect them to take responsibility to ensure the animals in their supply chain are treated humanely.
- We do not allow the use of wool sourced from mulesed flocks.
- Wool should be responsibly sourced. In practice this means the wool should be sourced from countries with the highest animal welfare standards or the wool should be Responsible Wool Standard certified.
- The sentience of insects is still being researched by the scientific community and our policy does not apply to insects. Our current practice on silk is to allow the use of deadstock but not virgin silk fabrics.
5. Commitment to development
Brands that sell on Brothers We Stand are committed to develop their social and environmental impact. They communicate areas for development with us and we share them with you in our 'Look behind what you buy' sections.
FAQ'S:
What are you doing about climate change?
We aim to model a path forward for the fashion industry to reduce its carbon footprint. You can read more about our approach here.
What is your position on Israel-Palestine?
We acknowledge that on September 1st 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars stated that Israel’s conduct met the legal definition as laid out in the UN Convention on Genocide. Brothers We Stand founder Jonathan Mitchell has felt led to sign the Business Leaders For Peace open letter calling for the UK Government to uphold its existing treaties and responsibilities to end UK complicity in these horrors.
Israel is not a major garment producing country and none of the clothes sold on our website are made in Israel. We would not sell products produced in Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Do you have a separate code of conduct for your own brand t-shirts?
Yes, you can view our Statement of Expectations here.
Learn about our 'Look behind' concept here.