Planting Trees with Stylish Hats, Will and Bear’s Sustainable Fashion

Exploring the Intersection of Fashion and Sustainability

Welcome to today's episode. I’m your host Carlos Garcia and today we will explore fast-fashion and a wonderful company dedicated to selling a wide variety of stylish hats while also restoring our planet. We live in a world where climate change is pushing species to migrate and ecosystems to deteriorate, but as grim as that continues to be there are glimmers of hope, inspiration, and action. Today's sustainable star is a certified B corp and a company that sells some of the most stylish hats I've ever seen, Will and Bear. Originating from Australia, Will and Bear has taken action in restoring the essential wildlife corridors of our planet since their inception. In today's episode, we'll discuss how this brand decided to make sustainability and restoration a main part of their business, other than making awesome hats, but also share some of their amazing achievements since they took on this mission to help the planet.

Introducing Will & Bear: A Sustainable Fashion Leader

As we should, let's discuss who and what 'Will and Bear' is. Like I mentioned in the intro, 'Will and Bear' is a brand of some of the coolest hats I've ever seen originating from Australia. But as someone who is from Colombia, I had never heard of them before and although I really think their products are awesome, that's not why we are here. I came across 'Will and Bear' while searching for sustainable companies or individuals and I was very impressed with what I came across. But before we go into the good stuff of environmentalism. Let me tell you more about 'Will and Bear'. I'm a lover of user-friendly and beautiful websites, and much like their hats, they offer precisely that. But that's not all. They offer some of friendliest shopping experience to their users via their websites with options like 'Hat Guides', 'Find a Store' for someone that's looking for a physical experience, an option for kids, women and men, and then they go even further by segmenting their products by type of hats, hats for seasons, by colors, by style and even by adventure, which is something I didn't even know existed. Get this. Women's and men's wedding hats under the adventure tab.

Will & Bear’s Environmental Impact

But again, that's not entirely the reason why we are here. Even though I love finding incredible businesses or individuals that excel and give their best in what they do, Will and Bear's initiatives were pretty mouth opening. Starting with the fact that embedded into the company's constitution they pledged to give back a minimum 2% of their sales to non-profit organizations. This brings me back memories from our first episode of Free Lives donating 8% of their Steam Sales. Also, just like Free Lives, Will & Bear started planting trees since their inception in 2016. Totalling now, and listening to this, a staggering 2.56 Million TREES PLANTED! Plus they also have a wonderful program where they support regenerative farming to obtain high-quality and renewable wool, an important material for their hats.

Tree Planting Initiatives: Restoring Ecosystems Globally

Let's go through these one by one, starting from their crazy amount of trees planted. As of the recording of this episode I am at a count of 8 trees planted. So, now, all I need is a little bit over 2.55 Million trees left to catch up to Will & Bear's impact. Now, if you're just like me and you've never heard of Will & Bear before this episode, then you and I need to take things slowly to understand their initiative to plant trees. It seems, from looking at their website, that Will & Bear used to have a saying that they'd plant 10 trees per hat bought. Nonetheless, this has changed for a reason that they themselves explain among their "Commonly Asked Questions". The reason is very simple to be honest, Will & Bear used to plant these 10 trees per hat through a specific organization but then got the opportunity to plant trees in their home country of Australia. Unfortunately, with this change comes a new cost structure and the cost per tree planted grows. On the other hand, It's important to highlight that they are still following their embedded pledge of donating 2% of sales to non-profits that follow an environmental restoration mission. Additionally, with this change it also means that they are restoring the native trees in their home country, essentially restoring wildlife corridors.

A Staggering 2.56 Million Trees Planted and Greenhouse Emission Impact

Before we begin talking about their next initiative, let's put into perspective how many trees Will & Bear have planted through different organizations. Since 2016, Will & Bear has planted an incredible 2.56 million trees. To put that into perspective, that's over 780 acres of degraded farmland transformed into fertile forests. If you’re wondering what 780 acres looks like, imagine nearly 600 football fields packed with lush, thriving trees. It’s also about the size of Central Park in New York City. But these trees have done more than just beautify the land—they’ve sequestered 154,178 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That’s equivalent to removing the annual emissions of 33,600 gasoline-powered cars from the road. This all seems incredible but it was all possible thanks to their decision to plant one tree per hat. I don't consider it a small action since, like they mention on their website, each hat basically absorbs 580 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which is about the same amount emitted during a 2,000-mile car road trip—about the distance from Los Angeles to Chicago or New York City to Denver. That’s driving nearly 30 hours straight at an average speed of 65 miles per hour. When you consider this impact multiplied by 2.56 million trees, it’s clear how small decisions can lead to monumental environmental benefits.

As a result of Will & Bear's contribution through these organizations, they've also been transforming lives. Over 13,151 people, many of whom are local stakeholders, directly benefit from planting trees. For instance, in some communities, this work creates stable incomes and fosters skills that ripple out to improve livelihoods. Think about it: Will & Bear is not only restoring forests but also contributing to someone's ability to send their kids to school, and put food on the table, or invest back into their community. These efforts have turned degraded land into productive ecosystems, with the added bonus of restoring native wildlife and enabling biodiversity to flourish.

When you frame it like that, it’s clear Will & Bear isn’t just planting trees—they’re creating ecosystems, removing carbon from the air, and transforming lives. Even if it’s no longer via ten trees per hat.

Supporting Regenerative Farming Practices & Impact on the Environment

On top of the amount of trees planted, Will & Bear donates a percentage of their profits from each hat sale to the Tiverton Farm Sanctuary Project. With the aim to support regenerative farming, Will & Bear partnered up with Odonata via The Tiverton Farm project. Being almost 2.5 thousand acres in size, The Tiverton Farm is Victoria's largest predator-free sanctuary. The farm raises Merino sheep for high-quality regenerative wool and provides a refuge for endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoots. Again, if you're not from the land down under like me, you're probably wondering what an Eastern Barred Badicoot is. Well, I'm glad you asked. Because it is one of the cutest marsupials you'll ever see. They are about the size of a rabbit and sadly there's approximately less than 5,000 left on our planet living in protected sites and reserves in Victoria, Australia. One of those places is the Tiverton Farm. Now, if you think 5,000 is a lot, you're horribly wrong. Picture the team with the worst attendance record in NBA history. Apparently, per WCNC, the Hornets had an average of 16,000 people coming to watch their games. If they were surprised and considered this low, imagine only 5,000 of you being left in this world. That’s how horrifying the current population of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot species really is.

Protecting Wildlife Through Sustainable Practices

These little marsupials do more than tug at our heartstrings; they play a vital role in the environment. Known as ecosystem engineers, their digging improves soil quality and enhances vegetation health by turning over up to 13kg of soil each night. That’s equivalent to flipping over the weight of a bowling ball every single night! Thanks to Will & Bear’s support of the Odonata Foundation, Tiverton Farm has seen remarkable success. Just three years ago, there were only 34 Eastern Barred Bandicoots at the sanctuary. Fast forward to 2023, and their numbers have skyrocketed to around 3,000—a massive win for conservation efforts.

Circular Economy in Action: Reducing Textile Waste

But the partnership doesn’t stop at protecting the bandicoots. Tiverton Farm is also set to reintroduce Eastern Quolls to the area after a 70-year absence, further enriching the ecosystem. By combining species conservation with regenerative farming practices that enhance soil health and biodiversity, Tiverton Farm demonstrates how agriculture and wildlife protection can go hand in hand. Imagine this: a sanctuary where endangered species thrive, the soil regenerates naturally, and sheep produce high-quality wool in harmony with the environment. It’s not just a farm—it’s a model for a sustainable future.

Fast Fashion vs. Sustainable Fashion: The Battle for the Future

But why is it important to highlight these incredible initiatives and achievements obtained by Will & Bear’s commitment? Well, that's because like in every single industry there’s a negative impact to the environment. If you haven't heard of this there is a common term associated with the impacts of fashion called "fast fashion". Fast fashion exists because of the demand of consumers wanting to keep up with trends. I feel like this is always going to be a common theme but it's always consumers and buyers' decisions that play an important role in our current environmental issues. We probably never think about it or we just don't think about it enough but a product's lifecycle, any product's lifecycle, has an impact. This industry is considered to be the second largest consumer of water and is also responsible for about 10% of the global carbon emissions, according to the UN Environment Assembly. Did you know that a t-shirt and jeans can take up to 8,000 litres of water to produce? That's the equivalent of a single person drinking 32,000 glasses of water in one day. But the consumption of water isn't the only thing impacted by the fashion industry. Consider the water needed to grow cotton plants, the areas of land where native trees and plants were cut down to plant cotton, the carbon dioxide emissions from transporting the cotton, and the water used in cleaning, dyeing, and preparing the cotton for textile production.

Circularity, Biodegradeable Fiber, and Renewable Wool making a Sustainable Fashion Company

Ultimately, supporting or buying from a company like Will and Bear is pretty motivating when you think about it. After all, Will and Bear focuses on materials that have the least environmental impact and work within natural carbon cycles to improve the land used to source these materials. One example of this is the use of wool sourced from small farms. They utilize short fibers that are often considered waste by the fashion industry reducing the amount of waste produced per hat. They also use hemp, a sustainable material that requires no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and natural, biodegradable straw materials, primarily palm and raffia. Palm fronds are hand-braided to form a durable and robust structure for the hats. Will & Bear is committed to designing hats that are durable and long-lasting, reducing the need for frequent replacements battling fast fashion, plus the use of natural fibers ensures that the hats biodegrade naturally at the end of their lifespan, returning nutrients to the soil.

Why Will & Bear Sets a New Standard for Sustainable Fashion

Will & Bear take inspiration to a whole new level. While maintaining a profitable business they have shown that one of the most negatively impactful industries can take constant actions to generate huge positive shifts socially and environmentally. Coming from such a biodiverse country that is Australia and home to the legendary Steve Irwin, one of the biggest environmental figures that had ever existed, Will & Bear really have followed the footsteps to make our world a better place for everyone. Will & Bear are clearly the sustainable stars of this week and while all their actions and commitments are absolutely admirable, I want to highlight their support of the Tiverton Farm and the Odonata Organization themselves. Being able to increase the population of existing Eastern Barred Bandicoots from 34 to 3,000, which is a 8,823% increase, in their sanctuary is one of the best news I've read in quite a while.

Conclusion: One Small Action at a Time

Thank you for joining me in this second episode of Sustainable Stars. I hope you enjoyed this episode where we discussed how an amazing brand can create an amazing buyer experience through their very user-friendly website and beautiful, stylish and durable hats while still maintaining and fulfilling their commitment with the environment and society. The stars of this episode are Will & Bear, in an industry that is infamously known for being the second largest consumer of water and responsible for about 10% of the global carbon emissions, they are truly revolutionary.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to share it with others who care about sustainability or someone that loves buying lots of clothes, while we can't change or force anyone's buying habits. We can at least create consciousness and if they do decide to buy a pretty awesome hat then hopefully they choose a company that's environmentally conscious. Until next time, keep thinking about how we can all play a role in restoring our world, one small action at a time.

Here are some important links:

Planting Trees with Stylish Hats, Will and Bear’s Sustainable Fashion - Season 1 EP2