Ethix Merch turns 20 this year! We're celebrating our progress, reflecting on our roots, and continuing the mission that brought us here two decades ago. Born out of the anti-sweatshop movement, Ethix Merch was founded in 2006 with a simple but radical belief: branded merchandise could align with values instead of undermining them. This belief, informed by lived experience instead of trend forecasting or market research, centered around the understanding that the safety and dignity of laborers should always outweigh the pursuit of profit.
Reflecting on the last twenty years as a relatively minor player in a behemoth industry, we are reminded of how meaningful this milestone is. While few promotional product distributors have stopped to ask who pays the real cost for inexpensive merchandise, Ethix has remained steadfast in our dedication to the mission of curtailing advertising dollars away from sweat shops and slave labor facilities.
Our Roots
The road to get here has not been easy. It took a long time to develop the enduring relationships with reputable suppliers and decorators necessary to the success of our business model. Because we have always refused to source stock from overseas suppliers we have been forced to operate on razor slim margins to compete with less scrupulous distributors. Despite this challenge, we have been able to make an impact on our industry while offering ethical solutions to clients with shared values. This is entirely due to the impassioned team members who have championed this cause from the beginning.
Before Ethix Merch existed, our founders were involved in SweatX, an early attempt to create ethical apparel manufacturing in Los Angeles. SweatX was a small production facility backed by the Hot Fudge Social Venture Fund, led by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, and Ethix co-founder and board member Pierre Ferrari (in memoriam). The mission was to prove that local manufacturing could help communities thrive by utilizing responsible labor practices in an industry dominated by sweatshops.
This mission resonated with clients as business began to pour in and the factory was soon inundated with work. Unable to keep up with demand, SweatX was eventually forced to close their doors, having learned firsthand the challenge of competing in a global supply chain built to prioritize speed and cost above all else.
Rather than abandoning those lessons, we carried them forward. When SweatX closed, the mission didn't end. It evolved.
In 2006, Ethix Merch was born with a new approach: instead of owning a factory, we would work as a distributor. One guided by ethics, transparency, and responsibility at every step. That shift allowed us to influence a broader network of suppliers, products, and partners, while staying true to the values that sparked the journey in the first place.
Early on, Ethix emerged as a leader of the industry both for consumers and as part of a larger movement to push brands to do better:
"There are a handful of brands that are really trying to produce in a way that is absolutely ethical throughout their supply chain. They include brands like Ethix Merch or Unionwear or Alta Gracia, but really getting this to go mainstream will take consumers getting involved and communicating directly to mainstream brands that they need to make a big change in their apparel." Judy Gearheart on CNN
Building Something That Lasts
From the beginning, Ethix chose the harder path. We built our business around long-term relationships, not one-off transactions. We asked questions others weren't asking about labor standards, environmental impact, and sourcing practices. We said no when it would have been easier and more fruitful to say yes.
The term "ethical merch" wasn't even an industry buzzword at the time. Sustainability filters didn't exist and labor transparency wasn't expected, but we prioritized those standards.
"In 2007 I was at the National Sweat Free Summit in New York as a volunteer anti-sweatshop activist representing Progressive Jewish Alliance. I happened to borrow a pencil from a stranger who turned out to be (founder) Kevin O'Brien and he started talking to me about a new project, Ethix Ventures," recounts Ethix CEO Daniel Cardozo.
"I've always enjoyed working behind the scenes to help solve a problem, so the Ethix model seemed like a perfect fit. I convinced Kevin to let me start offering sweat-free promotional products to small union locals and progressive nonprofit organizations. In me, I think he saw someone who 'got' what Ethix was trying to do and was willing to put their back into helping grow the project. Twenty years later, I'm still putting my back into it, along with the best team of business-minded climate and labor activists that you could imagine. All these years later, the mission has remained the same, but our impact on people and the planet continues to grow.'
Two decades later, Ethix Merch is proud to be one of the only branded merchandise distributors whose core focus has consistently been labor and the environment - not as an add-on, not as a collection, but as the foundation of everything we do.
Twenty Years In, Still Leading
Over the years, we've had the privilege of partnering with nonprofits, unions, advocacy groups, and mission-driven organizations that believe what you put your logo on matters, but we've also enjoyed the privilege of educating those who might not understand why it matters. Working with clients whom we greatly admire, we've been able to show that merch can support movements, strengthen communities, and reflect values through every step of the supply chain. Together, we have curtailed millions of dollars from mainstream, profit-driven brands while supporting local manufacturers, factories, workers, and communities, but we have also provided merchandise solutions to groups embroiled in critical advocacy on a daily basis.
"Working as a climate and social justice activist in 2017, I was honored to join a national delegation of grassroots organizers at the People's Climate March in DC. I worked closely with those I marched shoulder to shoulder with and gained a respect and admiration for them and their work that will never leave me," says Ethix COO Toby Fatzinger.
"At the end of a long, hard-fought day protesting in the heat, I returned to my hotel room and removed the shirt that had been handed to me to march in. I was crushed when I saw the 'made in China' insignia on the tag. A year later I came to work for Ethix with firsthand knowledge of the gravity of the work that was being done here. It's something much more than T-shirts. And it's much bigger than promo. I'm proud to say that the organization that supplied me the shirt on that day is a loyal Ethix client today."
Our commitment to advocacy remains and it is as critical as ever. In the past couple of years, we have established several partnerships and alliances like CEPA, Buy Your Values, and ARAMP that turn shared values into collective action for labor and environmental justice. We continue to support the critical work of striking unions, rallying progressive organizations, and outfitting everyday people making their collective voices heard on the streets and in their communities.
While the industry has slowly started to catch up, our commitment hasn't wavered. Trends come and go. Our standards remain.
Twenty years in, we are still here because we built something meant to last, rooted in accountability, shaped by experience, and driven by the belief that merch can be a force for good.
And we're just getting started!
A Look Back: The Ethix Merch Journey
Early 2000s
Our founders gain firsthand experience in ethical apparel manufacturing through SweatX, shaping a lifelong commitment to labor rights and responsible production.
2006
Ethix Merch is founded as a values-driven branded merchandise distributor, focused on ethical sourcing, labor accountability, and environmental responsibility.
2006–Today
Ethix builds long-term supplier relationships, partners with nonprofits and advocacy organizations, and continues to lead as the only distributor with a sustained, primary focus on labor and the environment supporting movements, communities, and organizations doing meaningful work.
2023
Ethix partners with the Ignatian Solidarity Network to establish the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance.
2024
Ethix partners with the Garment Worker Center and Labor 411 to establish the Alliance for Responsible Apparel Purchasing and Manufacturing.
2026
Celebrating twenty years of ethical merch!
In Loving Memory of Pierre Ferrari, Ethix Co-Founder, Board Member, and Friend
