Day Owl

Packaging

Day Owl ships their products in recyclable cardboard. Specific recyclability, compostability, or ink and printing details are not available.

Material Sustainability

The signature fabric is First Mile® waxed canvas made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles collected in developing communities. Complementing the shell, the bag linings, threads, and zipper tapes are all made of recycled polyester. Day Owl forgoes plastic hardware and instead uses metal zippers and buckles for durability. Small leather components are present, but they are sourced as Leather Working Group-certified leather, indicating responsible and traceable sourcing.

Energy Use and Footprint

The company is a certified Climate Neutral brand, which means it measures its greenhouse gas emissions and offsets them to achieve net-zero carbon output. The heavy use of recycled PET fabric significantly lowers energy use and CO₂ emissions compared to producing virgin materials, since recycling plastic avoids new petroleum extraction and energy-intensive processing.

Waste Management

Each Day Owl bag is designed for durability and reparability rather than disposability. The company offers free repairs for life on its bags. This repair-first ethos is backed by product construction choices like robust stitching and replaceable components. They provide free end-of-life return shipping and even store credit as an incentive for returns. Returned packs are then repaired or refurbished for secondhand use or recycled into material for new products, keeping the loop closed. The brand also sells “Misfits” (bags with minor cosmetic flaws or gently used returns) at a discount, further diverting waste by finding a home for products that might otherwise be discarded.

Business Model

As a direct-to-consumer B Corporation, the company operates with a philosophy that “we exist for the customer and the planet. We don't exist to sell more products.” This contrarian approach means Day Owl focuses on making a few high-quality, long-lasting items and building services (like repairs and recycling) around them, rather than maximizing sales volume. The company’s revenue model even includes reinvesting in the infrastructure and communities that support its supply chain, effectively internalizing social and environmental costs that other brands externalize.Day Owl’s commitment to circularity (free repairs and take-back) creates a semi-service model, where customer relationships continue post-purchase in the form of maintenance and eventual product return.

All Day Owl bags are PFAS-free, avoiding the per- and polyfluorinated chemicals often used in durable water-repellent coatings. Instead of PFAS-based treatments, Day Owl achieves water resistance through its waxed canvas and neoprene liners, which do not carry the same toxic persistence. The wax used on the canvas is a non-fluorinated formula, and components like the algae-based foam are inherently free of harmful additives found in conventional foam (which can off-gas VOCs). Additionally, the brand’s use of LWG-certified leather means the tanning process eschews the worst chemicals (like chromium VI) and meets strict wastewater and safety standards

Day Owl’s supply chain is built on fair labor and empowerment principles. The company originated from the First Mile™ initiative, which creates “a people-first supply chain” by supporting waste collectors in impoverished regions with reliable, safe jobs. By investing in communities that the rest of the industry often ignores, Day Owl addresses poverty alleviation hand-in-hand with sourcing. While specific factory certifications (e.g., Fair Trade or SA8000) aren’t public, Day Owl’s Certified B Corporation status attests that it meets rigorous standards for worker treatment and supply chain.

On one hand, the vast majority of the brand’s materials are plant-based or synthetic (recycled plastics, cotton-like canvas, algae foam), meaning no animal products are used for the main body of the bags. The company also does not use any fur, wool, down, or exotic animal skins in its products, avoiding the most egregious animal welfare concerns in fashion. However, Day Owl does incorporate genuine leather accents on its packs (for handles, zipper pulls, or logo patches). The leather is sourced from Leather Working Group-certified tanneries, which ensures a higher standard of environmental practices and traceability. The brand does not provide details on the conditions under which the cattle are raised or slaughtered, so it’s unclear if any animal welfare standards (such as sourcing from regenerative or humane farms) are in place upstream.

A prime example of Day Owl’s community engagement is the brand’s “Take Flight” grants program, which provides financial support to individuals (“Day Owls”) with innovative ideas to improve their local communities. Through these micro-grants, Day Owl nurtures grassroots social and environmental projects, demonstrating a commitment to community-level impact driven by others’ ideas.Externally, Day Owl is a member of 1% for the Planet, pledging 1% of annual sales to environmental nonprofits. In fact, founder Ian Rosenberger has pledged 25% of the company’s future profits toward preserving bird species and habitats, aiming to donate $1 million in the coming years to conservation causes.