What is Product Impact?

We've released our 2025 Product Impact Report, and we think it's worth taking the time to understand how and why we do this.

The words used to describe efforts related to social and environmental progress have changed over time. Before we begin discussing our impact, let’s take a moment to align on what exactly it is we’re talking about and how we at LIVSN think about it.

As a brand, sustainability is when we are able to balance our social and environmental bottom line with our financial bottom line in a way that allows us to continue doing what we’re doing at the rate we’re doing it into perpetuity. Sustainability is a complicated ideal to achieve because of the many factors that play into it and the infrastructural barriers to sustainability in our world.

Simply by making apparel in a world oversaturated with apparel, we are inherently unsustainable. Our hope, however, is that over time the way we make products and do business has an impact on consumer behavior and industry standards that allow not only our company but our industry to reach sustainability.

In short, sustainability starts long before us, ends long after us, and is very difficult to measure accurately. Although we continue to partner with those before and after us in the apparel value chain in pursuit of sustainability, this report focuses instead on the direct impact of our business.

Impact refers to the ways in which people and planet are materially affected by our conduct as a business.

In this context, impact is often considered a negative, although we believe a business’ impact can be positive as well.

Negative impacts may include things like carbon emissions, water usage and contamination, and social exploitation. We are working to eliminate or reduce these impacts in our business.

Positive impacts may include things like waste diversion, fair job creation, and long-lasting products that inspire emotional durability among consumers. We are working to maximize these impacts in our business.

Although some negative impacts are unjustifiable, we believe that — in general— the responsible impact is about striking a balance between negative impacts and positive ones.

We believe, for example, that a products function should be at least proportional to the direct and embodied resources required to create and deliver it.

We believe that a garment worker’s pay should be at least proportional to the time and skill they put into their work.

We believe that the price of a garment should be proportional the true cost of making the garment and that a consumer should only buy that garment if they will get use out of it that is proportional to its social and environmental cost.

This document reports on the negative and positive impacts of our business. This report serves is an internal tool for reflection and an external tool for education and evaluation.

As our first Impact Report, we consider this particular document a baseline for future goal setting and chasing.

Our mission is to create products and systems that maximize function and minimize harm to people and the planet.

The process to achieve this is not a simple or short one, but something we pursue month after month, year after year, where the compounding effects of our choice can yield real results.

We believe that through transparency of our actions and communication with our suppliers and community, we can improve our designs and production practices without ever sacrificing quality.

Have questions about our Impact Report, what product impact means, or just want to chat? Drop a comment below or email Abby@livsndesigns.com and we can continue the conversations.