Livelihood

What Livelihood does

Livelihood is a privately held, for-impact sustainable apparel company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company sells premium apparel — including women's and men's t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, sweatshorts, polos, hats, and reusable bottles — manufactured from 100% American Supima Cotton through a direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront at livelihood.eco. For every product sold, the company plants one 5-gallon native tree in an American city, creating a direct, location-specific linkage between purchase and environmental outcome. As of the latest reporting, the company has planted 9,630 native trees across 192.6 acres, storing an estimated 662,040 pounds of CO2 annually, with operations concentrated in three Texas cities (Houston, Austin, and Dallas).

The business operates four distinct revenue streams. The primary stream is one-time apparel sales priced from $38 (tank tops) to $70 (men's polos), with average unit prices in the high $40s to mid-$50s. A secondary B2B stream consists of monthly corporate ESG sponsorship subscriptions at three tiers — Steward ($199/month), Planter ($349/month), and Forester ($499/month) — providing tree-planting quotas, CO2 capture reporting, impact dashboards, and logo placement. The company also books private corporate and group tree-planting events at $35–$39 per tree (minimum 100 trees), including full event logistics and permits, and accepts individual tree donations at $39.99 per tree with personalized certificates. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through the company's own websites, with international shipping enabled but no physical retail or third-party marketplace presence.

The company is structured as Livelihood, LLC, appears founder-owned with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, and operates with a 1–10 person team. Its GTM motion combines content marketing (an educational blog called The Urban Naturalist), organic social media across Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, email newsletters, and event-driven community building through volunteer tree-planting gatherings. Named enterprise customers include Technip Energies and Rhythm Energy, with park partnerships including Memorial Park Conservancy and Houston Wilderness. The mission is delivered through a separate sub-brand, Livelihood Projects, which manages volunteer events, corporate plantings, and impact tracking via projects.livelihood.eco.

Name

Livelihood

Legal name

Livelihood, LLC

Website

https://shoplivelihood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Livelihood is a Houston-based, for-impact sustainable apparel brand selling premium 100% American Supima Cotton clothing directly to consumers, planting one native tree in a Texas city for every product sold, and serving both individual eco-conscious buyers and corporate ESG clients across Houston, Austin, and Dallas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Apparel and Environmental Services

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (424350)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable / Ethical Apparel & Accessories Wholesale (CRAOADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

Keywords

• Sustainable apparel
• Tree planting programs
• Corporate ESG sponsorships
• Volunteer tree planting events
• Urban reforestation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston, Texas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apparel Sales: Sale of premium apparel (t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, hats, bottles) made with 100% American Supima Cotton. Each product sold plants one tree in an American city. Revenue is generated through one-time product purchases on their e-commerce storefront.
2. Corporate Sponsorship Programs: Monthly subscription-based ESG programs for businesses with three tiers: Steward ($199/month), Planter ($349/month), and Forester ($499/month). Includes tree planting quotas, impact dashboards, logo placement, and partner benefits. Discounts on Livelihood apparel (15-35%) are included as benefits.
3. Corporate/Group Tree Planting Events: Private volunteer tree-planting events for corporations and groups. Priced per tree with volume discounts ($35-$39 per tree depending on quantity, minimum 100 trees). Includes event planning, permits, equipment, tree procurement, and transportation. Add-ons include photography/videography and custom branded products.
4. Individual Tree Donations: Individual tree donations at $39.99 per tree. Donors receive a personalized tree certificate and are informed about planting events so they can volunteer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Livelihood sells premium apparel (t-shirts, tank tops, polos, hoodies, sweatshorts, hats, and bottles) made from 100% American Supima Cotton through its own Shopify e-commerce storefront. Each product purchased funds the planting of one 5-gallon native tree in an American city, executed through volunteer events managed by its for-impact arm, Livelihood Projects.

Product overview

Livelihood is a for-impact sustainable apparel brand operating primarily through its Shopify-powered e-commerce platform at livelihood.eco, supplemented by its for-impact arm Livelihood Projects at projects.livelihood.eco. The core offering consists of premium apparel (t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, sweatshorts, polos, hats, and bottles) made from 100% American Supima Cotton, sold through the main e-commerce platform with each purchase funding the planting of one tree in an American city. The product portfolio includes women's products (The Relaxed Tee at $48, The Tank Top at $38) and men's products (The T-Shirt at $54, The Polo at $70), plus accessories. Livelihood Projects extends the offering with a 'Donate a Tree' product ($39.99 per tree), private/corporate volunteer event planning services (minimum 100 trees at $35–$39/tree), and tiered corporate sponsorship programs (Steward at $199/month, Planter at $349/month, Forester at $499/month) each providing an impact dashboard, brand exposure, and reforestation credits. The company operates exclusively in Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth) and has planted 9,630 trees across 192.6 acres, storing 662,040 lbs. of CO2 annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Livelihood Premium Supima Cotton Apparel Premium apparel collection (women's and men's t-shirts, tank tops, polos, hoodies, sweatshorts, hats, and bottles) made from 100% American Supima Cotton and sold through the company's Shopify storefront. Each item purchased funds the planting of one native tree in an American city. Targeted at eco-conscious individual consumers seeking sustainable clothing with verifiable impact.
• Donate a Tree One-time tree donation product priced at $39.99 per tree for individuals who want to sponsor urban tree planting in Austin, Houston, or Dallas/Fort Worth. Donors receive a personalized tree certificate and notifications about planting events they can volunteer at. Targeted at individual donors who want to contribute directly to reforestation.
• Private Volunteer Tree-Planting Events Turnkey private tree-planting events for corporations and groups, including site visits, permits, tree procurement and transportation, equipment (shovels, tables, tents), and tree maintenance. Priced per tree from $35 to $39 depending on volume (minimum 100 trees, with 500+ trees at $35 each). Optional add-ons include photography/videography and custom branded products. Targeted at organizations seeking team-building or community engagement with measurable environmental outcomes.
• Corporate Sponsorship Programs (Steward / Planter / Forester) Recurring monthly ESG sponsorship tiers for businesses: Steward ($199/month or $179/month yearly, 50 trees/month), Planter ($349/month or $329/month yearly, 100 trees/month), and Forester ($499/month or $479/month yearly, 150 trees/month). Each tier includes branded impact dashboards, tree-planting quotas, CO2 capture reporting, logo placement, and apparel discounts (15-35% off Livelihood products). Forester tier adds lead sponsor status, logo in all emails, advanced tracking, tent at plantings, and private volunteer event hosting from $1,000. Targeted at companies pursuing ESG goals, sustainability reporting, and employee engagement.
• Impact Dashboard Custom analytics dashboard provided to corporate sponsors for tracking trees planted, CO2 captured, and reforestation impact, with SEO benefits and a custom QR code for marketing use. Targeted at corporate sponsors in the Steward, Planter, and Forester programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,630 trees and plants planted
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhythm EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2023Corporate partner with multiple tree-planting events including plantings at Memorial Park and MKT Trail. HR Director coordinated 100-tree planting at flagship park. Ongoing partnership with multiple events demonstrating commitment to environmental initiatives.
• Technip EnergiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2022Corporate partner for multiple tree-planting events at Terry Hershey Park and Memorial Park. Employees participated in volunteer plantings. The company uses Technip Energies' involvement to demonstrate enterprise credibility and ESG capabilities. Multiple plantings conducted over several years indicating ongoing relationship.
• Houston WildernessminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2022Partnered on Earth Day 2022 event at Sims Bayou Greenway, one of the company's largest plantings with 4,700 trees and 205 volunteers. Collaboration on major volunteer event.
• Memorial Park ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2021Park partner for tree-planting events at Memorial Park. Multiple plantings conducted at this flagship Houston park location.
• LIVE Language SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor/partner listed on the company website. Appears in sponsor section alongside other community partners.
• Grow Commissary KitchenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor/partner listed on the company website. Appears in sponsor section alongside other community partners.
• NathaliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor/partner listed on the company website. Appears in sponsor section alongside other community partners.
• Goal Park (Houston East Downtown)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLivelihood is investing funds in building Goal Park, a new linear park in Houston's East Downtown neighborhood — an area without existing parks. Represents company's initiative beyond tree planting into park development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Patagonia is the established incumbent in mission-driven outdoor apparel with environmental activism and 1% for the Planet at its core. It overlaps with Livelihood on eco-conscious customer, premium pricing, environmental impact narrative, and corporate/team custom programs, but operates at far broader scale and assortment.
• Reformation: Reformation is a premium sustainable women's apparel DTC brand with a detailed sustainability footprint disclosure on every product. It is comparable to Livelihood on the eco-conscious premium apparel shopper, DTC-only model, and impact-forward brand voice, though it skews fashion-forward rather than environmental storytelling.

Direct peers

• tentree: tentree is the closest analog to Livelihood: a DTC sustainable apparel brand that plants a defined number of trees (10 per item) for every purchase, with corporate "Veritree" partnership and event programs. It is directly comparable on product model, mission, customer (eco-conscious consumers + corporate ESG), and revenue mix (apparel + tree-planting impact subscriptions).
• Cotopaxi: Cotopaxi is a B-Corp sustainable apparel and outdoor goods brand selling premium DTC apparel, accessories, and "Questival" team-building events with a clear sustainability/impact mission. It overlaps with Livelihood on the eco-conscious apparel shopper, the for-profit-with-impact positioning, and B2B/gift-with-impact programs.
• veritree: veritree is a nature-based solutions platform offering corporate tree-planting subscriptions, dashboards, and verified restoration projects. It is directly comparable to Livelihood's "Livelihood Projects" arm on the enterprise ESG subscription product ($/month for trees, acres, CO2, branded dashboards).
• Known Supply: Known Supply is a B-Corp apparel brand that pairs every garment with a named maker/impact story. It is directly comparable to Livelihood on the "purchase = tangible human/environmental impact" promise, premium DTC apparel model, and mission-driven positioning targeting conscious consumers and corporate buyers.
• One Tree Planted: One Tree Planted is a nonprofit that runs corporate and individual tree-planting campaigns at $1/tree scale across North America and globally. It is comparable to Livelihood's corporate/individual tree donation and event business on pricing model, donor experience, and target corporate ESG audience.
• Allbirds: Allbirds is a premium DTC apparel/footwear brand built around natural and sustainable materials and a strong carbon-footprint disclosure posture. It is comparable to Livelihood on the eco-conscious consumer target, premium pricing, sustainability storytelling, and direct e-commerce go-to-market.

Emerging players

• Pachama: Pachama is a carbon-credit marketplace and corporate subscription platform for verified reforestation and nature-based carbon offsets, with dashboards for enterprise ESG reporting. It is comparable to Livelihood's corporate ESG subscription offering on product (trees + CO2 + dashboard), buyer (corporate sustainability teams), and recurring contract model.

Others

• Wrensong Studios: Wrensong Studios (consumer apparel and gifting operator) is adjacent — a mission-aware apparel/accessories brand with team/group gifting capabilities for corporate clients — touching Livelihood's wholesale/corporate gifting and impact-themed merchandise extensions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/shoplivelihood
• Facebookfacebook.com/livelihoodprojects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shoplivelihood
• Instagraminstagram.com/livelihood
• TikToktiktok.com/@shoplivelihood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Livelihood