Definite Articles, Untuckit CEO’s Startup, Is Now a B Corp
The performance wear brand Definite Articles has joined the growing list of apparel brands to achieve B-Corp certification, it announced last week.
The designation enters the two-year-old company into a network of more than 6,000 Certified B Corps, including activewear brand Athleta, sock seller Bombas, and outdoor heavyweight Patagonia.
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Definite Articles is one of a growing number of brands to work with Intrinsic Advanced Materials’ Ciclo, an additive it claims can make synthetic fibers behave like natural fibers at end of life. When discarded, Definite Articles’ performance wear will biodegrade in “a few years,” the brand claims. When in landfill, sea water or soil environments, polyester and nylon treated with Ciclo achieve 75 percent to 92 percent biodegradation in less than two and a half years, it added, citing independent testing.
Definite Articles uses locally sourced and, “where possible,” recycled materials free of forever chemicals like BPA and BFAS, the brand said. The company sources all its goods from within the Americas, avoiding carbon emissions associated with transglobal transport, it added.
“Our B-Corp certification shows our commitment to social and environmental transparency,” Aaron Sanandres, founder of Definite Articles and co-founder and CEO of casualwear brand Untuckit, said in a statement. “We could promise to do right by the environment. Lots of companies do. But B Corp will hold us to account, ensuring we serve our planet, people and profits. That independent check is hugely significant, and we welcome it.”
Sanadres also spoke to the “cost” of getting certified, an “intensive process” that’s worth it in the long run.
“Becoming a Certified B Corporation is a pretty intensive process that often involves real investments and structural changes to the business—for a young brand like ours, that was especially true,” he told Sourcing Journal. “But the benefit of this oversight, we believe, well outpaces the cost. And the one who benefits the most, candidly, is the consumer, which is always a good thing.”
After first launching with biodegradable socks in 2021, Definite Articles expanded its assortment last year to include performance apparel. The Florida-based company now sells joggers, hoodies, tanks, shorts, shirts, leggings and sports bras, as well as its original socks.
The past year has seen numerous apparel brands join the growing ranks of Certified B Corps. In April, Everpress, a U.K.-based T-shirt startup allowing global designers, musical artists and philanthropic organizations to bring their creations and messaging to market, announced it had concluded its two-year journey to achieving certification. Last year, women’s footwear brand Birdies and intimates subscription company Adore Me made similar announcements in October and September, respectively.
