Temu’s lack of transparency is a big red flag. Here’s why we rate the brand “We Avoid”, our lowest rating. This article is based on the Temu rating published in February 2024 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

Why is Temu so bad?

The growth of Temu—a marketplace founded by Chinese company PDD Holdings—has snowballed since its US launch in 2022 and subsequent expansion to Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in 2023. How? “Its appeal is clear. In the midst of rising inflation around the world, Temu has attracted customers through its seemingly limitless range and incredibly low prices,” explains the Guardian.

In an effort to connect with customers in the United States, the brand invested in commercial air time during the 2024 Super Bowl, buying three ads, which Business Insider estimates cost $7m each.

Temu might be a new name for many people in the fashion space, so here’s what you need to know: Temu sells everything from clothes to electronics and car parts. It says it’s “committed to offering the most affordable quality products to enable consumers and merchandise partners to fulfil their dreams in an inclusive environment.” It also says it’s dedicated to helping consumers “live their best lives” by connecting them with “millions of merchandise partners, manufacturers and brands.”

Everything about this and Temu raises a red flag. We must question the brand’s impact on the environment and animals, not to mention the people creating these products. In short, how ethical is Temu?

Millions of merchandise partners? Affordable products? An inclusive environment? Temu’s business model sounds similar to SHEIN’s (with which it’s currently in a legal battle)—the brand sells vast quantities of cheap products that are the opposite of sustainable.

And if you’re looking for information on the brand’s practices? Good luck, because they’re nowhere to be found. Temu doesn’t provide enough information about its business, impact, or sustainability efforts for our analysts to award it any points against our ratings methodology.

Environmental impact

On its very brief sustainability page, Temu says it has an “ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability”. Its proof? The brand is partnering with Trees for the Future to “plant trees across sub-Saharan Africa”, a project that has had “a transformative effect on the land and local communities, while also addressing global environmental concerns,” according to Temu. Not only does this sound like greenwashing, but it’s also very unlikely this sole strategy has any significant impact, especially as the responsibility falls to the shopper to choose to plant a tree at checkout.

And as we mentioned earlier, Temu is also responsible for promoting overconsumption and overproduction.

A congressional report estimated that packages from Temu and competitor Shein are likely responsible for roughly 600,000 packages shipped to the US on a daily basis under the de minis provision (a rule that means packages of $800 or less won’t be subject to import duties or required to provide information about the contents).

Temu has also been criticised for its constant discounting, promotional offers, referral schemes, and gamification of the shopping experience through its app, which all encourage users to keep purchasing and have been likened to online gambling.

Labour conditions

Temu does not share information about its labour practices, so it’s impossible to know if workers employed by its suppliers are treated and paid fairly. However, it is safe to assume that $5 garments aren’t priced high enough to cover the cost of living wages for the garment workers who made the item.

The brand says it prohibits forced labour, but there’s no explanation of how it enforces this across its thousands of suppliers. And in May 2023, a US congressional committee wrote to Temu requesting information about its compliance with the US anti-forced labour laws, after an investigation found that the company’s business model allowed it to avoid complying with US regulations blocking imports from China’s Xinjiang region, where there is a significant risk of human rights abuses. The report noted that Temu doesn’t have any audit processes in place to assess that risk.

Animal welfare

Like the rest of Temu’s practices, animal welfare is a similarly shady subject with little evidence of any policies to ensure the protection of creatures in and around Temu’s sellers’ supply chains.

Why ‘We Avoid’ Temu

It should come as no surprise that Temu received our lowest score of “We Avoid,” making it one of the worst-rated brands of 2023. The brand’s excessive product range and the potential for labour rights abuses in its supply chain are particularly concerning.

Temu’s lack of transparency means no one can know what is going on behind the scenes of the ultra fast fashion brand, and that’s bad news. Transparency—and publicly available information—are essential in holding brands accountable for their actions and helping consumers make more informed choices about which brands they buy from.

You have a right to know how the products you buy affect the issues you care about, so our recommendation is to steer clear of Temu.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Good swaps

In these articles we usually give you a handful of “Good” and “Great” alternatives. However, in the case of Temu, there isn’t really an alternative that we can recommend, because it’s simply not possible to find an ethically made t-shirt for $5. And few retailers offer as many products with as many discounts as Temu does.

However, there are some marketplaces and multi-brand e-commerce websites that specialise in more sustainable brands and products by carefully selecting what is featured, so you can still find what you need in one place, without the unethical practices of Temu.

Made Trade

Made Trade has a carefully curated collection that is categorised into one or more values—from Fair Trade to vegan, and People of Colour-owned to sustainable.

Shop the collection @ Made Trade.

Rêve en Vert

Rêve en Vert is a luxury retail platform for more sustainable and ethical goods—the plaftorm says it offers an invitation to engage in creating a better world, and to make choices that are in harmony with its natural balance.

Shop the collection @ Rêve en Vert.

Urbankissed

Urbankissed is a “slow and ethical marketplace”, featuring a range of clothing, jewellery, menswear, homeware, and beauty products selected for their sustainability.

Shop the collection @ Urbankissed.

Immaculate Vegan

Immaculate Vegan is a lifestyle platform and curated shop for conscious consumers seeking a more ethical and planet-friendly way of living. As its name suggests, the company specialises in vegan and cruelty-free products that are certified as such.

Shop the collection @ Immaculate Vegan.

wearwell

Wearwell was founded by two friends with a mission to revolutionise the fashion industry to work better for people and the planet. The marketplace makes it easy to find more ethical and sustainable clothes, shoes, accessories, and homewares, and support some of the brands making a positive impact on garment workers and the environment.

Shop the collection @ wearwell.

Earthkind

Earthkind is a multi-brand platform offering a one-stop destination for more sustainably made clothes and accessories. “We exist to introduce, support, and celebrate ethical labels, creators, and designers who share the same vision and are paving the way for the slow fashion movement,” it says.

Shop the collection @ Earthkind.

Cerqular

Cerqular’s mission is to make responsible shopping easily accessible and more affordable for all—on a single platform. To give everyone peace of mind, the retailer verifies every brand for their values, such as more sustainable, organic, recycled, carbon neutral, vegan, eco-friendly, or circular.

Start the collection @ Cerqular.

Vestiaire Collective

A peer-to-peer platform for buying and selling luxury items, Vestiaire Collective is a great place to discover second-hand fashion. Items are independently authenticated to ensure the described condition matches the actual item you receive.

Shop pre-owned fashion @ Vestiaire Collective.

The post How Ethical Is Temu? Why We Rate the Brand ‘We Avoid’ appeared first on Good On You.

Calvin Klein is an iconic American brand. Sadly, it still isn’t doing enough for people, the planet, and animals, and has received an overall score of “Not Good Enough”, falling from our middling “It’s a Start” to our second-lowest rating. Keep reading to learn more about the details of Calvin Klein’s rating.

This article is based on the Calvin Klein rating published in February 2024 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

Calvin Klein’s ethics aren’t as crisp and clean as its boxer briefs

Calvin Klein was founded by its namesake in 1968 with a line of refined womenswear, later branching out into jeans, menswear, fragrances, jewellery and more. Before it made its iconic underwear, the brand was most loved for its denim and logo-print jersey items, and it is often noted as a leader in the minimalistic design that defined the 1990s. While it has appointed notable fashion designers to its creative helm in recent years, much of Calvin Klein’s success in the last two decades has come as a result of licensing agreements for its various product lines, notably fragrances.

Today, Calvin Klein is owned by PVH (which is also the parent company of Tommy Hilfiger), and is considered an iconic all-American brand, with sales of $9.3bn in 2022. It’s known for its coveted logo-detailed underwear, denim jeans, and highly influential—sometimes controversial—advertising (it recently broke the Internet with its campaign featuring The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White). In fact, its marketing campaigns have regularly caused contention through the years. Elsewhere, the brand’s sustainability credentials don’t look great, as its rating has fallen from “It’s a Start”—an indication of progress, to “Not Good Enough”, in our recent review.

So we had to know: how does Calvin Klein—one of the most recognisable brands in the United States, if not the world—impact people, the planet, and animals? If we care about the planet and all its inhabitants, should we shop Calvin Klein or look for alternatives? Let’s find out once and for all: how ethical is Calvin Klein?

Environmental impact

Calvin Klein is rated “Not Good Enough” for the planet. First the good news: it uses some lower-impact materials in its line, including organic cotton. It has set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both its direct operations and supply chain.

And the not-so-good news? While a climate target is great, there is sadly no evidence the brand is on track to meet said target, nor does it appear to minimise any textile waste when manufacturing its products or to take actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain.

Labour conditions

Calvin Klein isn’t making enough progress on improving labour conditions, and its score here has dropped from “It’s a Start” to “Not Good Enough”.

Some of its supply chain is certified by labour standards that help ensure worker health and safety, living wages, and other rights, and it received a score of 41–50% in the Fashion Transparency Index (a lower score compared to previous years), and the brand’s parent company PVH has signed the International Accord, which works to ensure workplace safety in the garment industry.

While the brand claims to have a program to improve wages, there’s no evidence it ensures its workers are paid living wages in most of its supply chain or that it supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.

Calvin Klein has also been linked to sourcing cotton from the Xinjiang region in China, which is at risk of using Uyghur forced labour, and while it claims to have taken insufficient steps to remediate, as recently as December 2023 there were reports that the brand may have inadvertently sourced from the region through subsidiary companies. You can do better for people, CK.

Animal welfare

Calvin Klein is simply “Not Good Enough” for the animals. While it does have a formal animal welfare policy aligned with Five Domains and traces some animal products to the first stage of production, it still uses leather, wool (some of it certified by the Responsible Wool Standard), down (some of it also certified by the Responsible Down Standard), shearling, silk, and exotic animal hair.

The brand doesn’t appear to use fur, angora, or exotic animal skin in its designs.

There are so many cruelty-free alternatives out there, so improving the score here is as easy as opting out of animal-derived fabrics.

Overall rating: ‘Not Good Enough’

Overall, we’ve rated Calvin Klein as “Not Good Enough” based on our own research. It falls from our middling “It’s a Start” rating in this most recent review. The brand had been making a start for people and the planet when we had previously rated it, but it still needs to address its waste and emissions issues and, at the very least, ensure payment of a living wage across its supply chain. It should also work to remove animal-derived fabrics from its products and opt for more lower-impact, cruelty-free alternatives.

Rick Relinger, PVH’s chief sustainability officer, said in its most recent corporate sustainability report (2022): “Ultimately, actions speak louder than words, so we remain committed to transparency and continue to enhance our capability to report increasingly more data on our impacts.” But this doesn’t align with the drop in Calvin Klein’s Good On You rating from its most recent review, nor does it match up with the brand’s decreased transparency, or the lack of evidence about whether it’s on track to meet its environmental targets. In 1980, Brooke Shields controversially asked “You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” But in 2024, the answer ought to be: “Ethics”.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Good swaps

“Good” and “Great” alternatives to Calvin Klein

The post How Ethical Is Calvin Klein? appeared first on Good On You.

Fashion Revolution Week 2024

Fashion Revolution Week came about after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, which killed 1,138 people and injured another 2,500. In the decade since the tragedy, Fashion Revolution has become a global movement calling for the industry to value people and the planet over growth and profit. Check out our interview with Fashion Revolution’s policy and research manager, Liv Simpliciano, to learn about the progress the organisation has made in the last decade.

The fashion industry is built on the exploitation of labour and natural resources, resulting in money and power being concentrated in the hands of a few. Because profit is prioritised over everything else, fashion brands are in a hectic race to produce more, at a quicker pace, and push us to increase the amount we’re buying and shop more often. Those at the top of the supply chain keep cashing bigger cheques, while the people who make our clothes are still underpaid and unable to meet their basic needs. We talk a lot about how brands can protect the earth and be more sustainable, but the truth is, there’s no sustainability without fair pay and safe working conditions.

2024 marks 10 years since Fashion Revolution, now the world’s largest fashion activism movement, first started actively campaigning. In that time, we have mobilised hundreds of thousands of global citizens to take action, engaged policymakers and lobbied for legislative change, and demanded greater transparency from the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers.

Fashion Revolution

This year again, ethical fashion lovers all over the world will be asking their favourite brands questions like #WhoMadeMyFabric? on social media. Throughout Fashion Revolution Week, the organisation will educate and inspire us on the real value of what we buy and wear.

During the week, you can attend many digital and a few physical conferences, exhibitions, workshops, and even online public demonstrations—all spreading the word about building a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry.

Want to participate and make your voice heard? Here’s how to join the Fashion Revolution online and offline this year.

Attend Fashion Revolution Week events and workshops

Fashion Revolution has planned an epic line-up of online events that will be streaming all around the world. Here are some of our favourites:

• Watch Fashion Revolution’s interactive webinar on “How to be a Campaigner”. Learn more about the organisation’s notable campaigns: Good Clothes, Fair Pay, and #WhoMadeMyClothes, and design your own campaign with fellow Fashion Revolutionaries. “If you’re passionate about social and environmental justice, want to engage citizens, brands or policymakers and are looking to connect with other changemakers, this is the workshop for you,” writes Fashion Revolution.
• Join Mend In Public Day: “The idea is simple: get out into your local community and stitch in protest against disposable fashion. Amidst busy Saturday shoppers, we will repair our torn pockets and broken seams and spark conversations on making Loved Clothes Last,” explains Fashion Revolution.
• Attend a clothes swap in Cape Town: on April 21st, Fashion Revolution South Africa will be hosting a clothing swap event. You can bring up to 10 of your pre-loved clothing items and accessories that you no longer need on the day.
• If you’re in Amsterdam, visit the Fashion for Good Museum, which tells the stories behind the clothes we wear and how our choices can have a positive impact. Fashion for Good believes that the industry can and must change, and strives to help raise awareness and share knowledge. A must-visit during Fashion Revolution Week, and any week before June 5th, as the museum will shift into an expanded co-working and community space after that date.

Browse all Fashion Revolution Week events

Post a selfie on your favourite social media platforms, tagging the brand you’re wearing and asking them #WhoMadeMyClothes? and #WhatsInMyClothes?

This is one of the easiest ways to get involved in Fashion Revolution Week this year—and every year. If the brand doesn’t respond, keep asking. And don’t forget to tag Fashion Revolution @fash_rev so they can stay up to date with how—and if—brands respond.

Spread the word

Download Fashion Revolution’s collection of promotional assets, including social media templates, posters and the official campaign branding pack, and get others involved in the movement.

Join the conversation

“Speaking with our family and friends about the global impact of our clothes is a powerful step to change the fashion industry,” says Fashion Revolution. On the organisation’s new site, you can map your conversations, taking inspiration from Fashion Revolution’s manifesto, and explore the discussions of other Fashion Revolutionaries worldwide.

Write to your favourite brand asking them #WhoMadeMyClothes?

Fashion Revolution has made this super easy to do by providing a PDF template.

And in the Good On You app, you can also send a message directly to a brand urging them to do better or asking a question. You can give positive feedback to brands you feel are doing great, too. To send your message, simply go to the “Your Voice” section at the end of each brand’s listing on the app.

The post How to Get Involved in Fashion Revolution Week 2024 appeared first on Good On You.

Fashion e-commerce leader REVOLVE claims it’s creating “meaningful change in the way [it does] things today to ensure a better tomorrow”. But how ethical is REVOLVE, really? Sadly, the brand is doing very little for people, the planet, and animals. REVOLVE’s lack of transparency and tangible initiatives is worrying. Read the article to learn more about REVOLVE’s “We Avoid” rating. This article is based on the REVOLVE rating published in February 2024.

REVOLVE, e-commerce and sustainability leader?

Founded more than 20 years ago, REVOLVE has grown rapidly to become a fashion e-commerce leader, going public in 2019 and now boasting almost 6 million followers on Instagram.

But growth isn’t a smooth process and the brand has known ups and downs. In 2018, REVOLVE had to remove a fat-phobic sweatshirt from its platform. And in 2022, it received backlash on social media after its Coachella-like, influencer-only festival failed. Despite this, the brand continues to host the annual festival, which is saturated with influencer brands and celebrity endorsements that drive overconsumption.

When it comes to sustainability, REVOLVE says: “We understand the importance of using our platform to create meaningful change in the way we do things today to ensure a better tomorrow,” and that “we are committed to [doing] our part to help protect the resources that we all share and depend on for our future.” But is that really the case? How is REVOLVE really impacting people, the planet, and animals?

Environmental impact

In 2021 we rated REVOLVE “Very Poor” for its impact on the environment and unfortunately, three years on in our most recent review, this rating still hasn’t changed. REVOLVE uses few lower-impact materials, and we found no evidence that the brand reduces its carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain, nor that it has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals, or to protect biodiversity.

“We believe investing in carbon offsetting projects may present an economically effective means for us to reduce our environmental impact. As a result, we are exploring a variety of carbon-offset opportunities to help offset the impact of our customer deliveries and returns,” says the brand. But unfortunately, carbon offsets are flawed and are distracting brands like REVOLVE from the harder work of decarbonisation. Newly revealed data from Good On You’s ratings of the largest fashion brands paints a concerning picture: overall, brands purchasing offsets aren’t making much progress on actual emissions reduction activities, which is a pattern REVOLVE seems to be following, too.

Labour conditions

REVOLVE also rates “Very Poor” for people—a score that’s remained the same over the years. None of the brand’s supply chain is certified by crucial labour standards that help ensure worker health and safety, living wages, and other rights.

More importantly, we found no evidence REVOLVE ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain. A living wage is the bare minimum wage required for workers to live a decent life. It’s different from the legal minimum wage, which is usually far below the living wage. Garment workers need to be protected and treated fairly.

Given all this, REVOLVE’s claim that “we have committed to stand up and make a substantial and long-lasting impact to fight inequality,” doesn’t ring true.

Animal welfare

Finally, REVOLVE’s animal rating is “Not Good Enough”. Despite not using fur, down, angora, or exotic animal skin, the brand still uses leather, wool, exotic animal hair, and decorative feathers. We found also no evidence the brand has an animal welfare policy or that it traces any animal product to the first stage of production.

Overall rating: ‘We Avoid’

REVOLVE isn’t creating positive change through its operations as it claims, and the brand’s sustainability statement smells of greenwashing—particularly as the statement is illustrated using pretty pictures of models posing in fields and on lakes to represent sustainability, rather than, say, the inside of the factories that its garments are made in, or the places where its cotton is grown.

REVOLVE is clearly not doing enough to reduce its impact on the planet and its inhabitants. It needs to start with being more transparent about its practices, increasing its use of lower-impact materials, ditching the harmful animal-based ones, actively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring its workers are paid a living wage and treated fairly.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Good swaps

Our favourite “Good” and “Great” alternatives to REVOLVE

The post How Ethical Is REVOLVE? appeared first on Good On You.

Fashion’s water impacts: the industry is thirsty

The fashion industry is a massive consumer and polluter of our fresh water. As is the case for a lot of fashion sustainability data, getting accurate and updated information for the industry’s water consumption is challenging, but according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2017 report, A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future, the industry is said to use around 93 billion cubic metres of water per year—enough to meet the needs of 5 million people. Worryingly, this amount is expected to double by 2030.

Water is used throughout the garment production process, starting with growing the plants and raising the animals needed to make fabrics. For instance, the cotton needed to produce a single garment can require thousands of litres, as well as large quantities of pesticides and insecticides, which then wash into waterways and enter the ecosystems.

The fashion industry is said to use around 93 billion cubic metres of water per year—enough to meet the needs of 5 million people.

The manufacturing stage also contributes to fashion’s water footprint. Fabric dyeing and treatment are responsible for wastewater—which is often untreated—being pumped back into our water systems and contaminating them with toxins and heavy metals. And the groundbreaking documentary RIVERBLUE highlighted that each year, textile companies not only consume water but also discharge millions of gallons of chemicals into our waterways, causing both environmental damage and diseases. Denim, in particular, is very water intensive: it’s heavily dependent on cotton fibres, and it requires water-intensive dyeing and finishing processes, although the industry is working to pioneer a new dyeing method that reduce the amount of water required.

Sadly, garments keep polluting waters long after they’ve left the shelves. Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, abbreviated to PET) is one of the world’s most common materials, and is made from the same polymer used to manufacture plastic bottles. So, when we wash our polyester clothes, thousands of plastic microfibres are passed into the waterways. These microfibres make their way to our oceans, where they threaten ecosystems and eventually end up in our food chain, too.

Water management isn’t just about the quantity of water used—there’s a real risk in geographical location, too. Thirsty crops are often located in water-stressed basins where the resource is in short supply, polluted, or required for vulnerable local communities. Being water-efficient is not enough—brands need to make sure their products aren’t made in water-stressed areas, either.

How Good On You rates brands for water

Good On You analyses brands on three key areas of concern to consumers: the environment, labour, and animals. Water is one of the elements we consider when looking at how a brand impacts the environment.

And as we mentioned, it is important not just to consider how much water is used in the supply, but also where the water is being used. Kristian Hardiman, Good On You’s head of ratings, explains: “Unlike climate change, where one tonne of CO2 has a similar impact wherever it is released in the world, the value of one megalitre varies.” Water impact is a complex issue that needs to be considered at the local level.

The Good On You approach for rating large brands’ water impact is to first map their traced suppliers to determine whether they are operating in water-stressed basins. Based on this, we’ll look at whether the brand engages with local stakeholders in that basin to assure strong water management and set targets and goals. Often, the actions with suppliers involve implementing water reduction initiatives and wastewater treatment and discharge.

Unlike climate change, where one tonne of CO2 has a similar impact wherever it is released in the world, the value of one megalitre varies.

Kristian Hardiman – Good On You’s Head of Ratings

Because smaller brands have less influence, we focus less on stakeholder engagement and more on whether the brands have water reduction and wastewater treatment initiatives. Often, smaller brands meet this by sourcing certified materials, which ensure lower consumption of water.

Certifications like Cradle to Cradle Platinum and Gold, Bluesign, GOTS, STeP by Oeko-Tex, and the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) often provide evidence that a brand is working towards reducing its water footprint. If a brand discloses information to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) Water questionnaire, we will incorporate that score into the rating.

The sad truth: most brands do very little for water

Over the years, we’ve analysed thousands of brands, and sadly, very few of them have implemented water reduction and wastewater management initiatives. This is partly because many brands are still unaware of how to manage water properly.

Digging into the data of brands we’ve rated, we found that a staggering 77% of large brands get zero points in our methodology for their water management and reduction initiatives—meaning they either share no information at all about water practices or have received a score of F by CDP Water. 84% of these large brands do not set any water targets or goals, meaning they don’t have any specific plans to reduce their water usage or improve their water management practices. And 94% of large brands do not track their water impact at a local level, which, as highlighted above, is crucial. Finally, 87% of these large brands do not measure their wastewater—another critical aspect of proper water management. The reality is clear: most large brands do very little for water, which is deeply problematic given the scarcity of this precious resource.

Another issue we’ve faced is brands’ lack of transparency regarding their environmental policies in general, which means we don’t know exactly how these brands impact our waterways. CIDER, SHEIN, Temu, and SKIMS are examples of such brands.

66% of the large brands we've rated share no information at all about their water initiatives.

Here, we’ve analysed all the brands in our database to find the worst water use offenders—the ones that don’t disclose any information about, receive a poor score from CDP Water, do not track and measure their water impact and use, don’t set water targets or goals, and don’t measure the wastewater they produce.

These brands are amongst the worst water use offenders

The post Fashion’s Water Impacts: The Largest Brands Are Doing the Least appeared first on Good On You.

Romwe is a SHEIN-owned, ultra fast-fashion retailer that thrives on overconsumption, a lack of transparency and social media influence for its global success. But how successful is it in protecting people, the planet, and animals involved in its manufacturing? How ethical is Romwe?

This article is based on the Romwe rating published in February 2024 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

We need to talk about Romwe

Launched in 2010, Romwe describes itself as the “one-stop shop for all things cool” and “your social-inspired style obsession”. The brand relies on overconsumption by its customers, dubbing its range of clothes, accessories, and gadgets “endless” and encouraging shoppers to “discover new things [they] didn’t know [they] needed”.

Romwe is a prime example of ultra fast fashion—a new business model for fashion retailers that allows them to churn out clothes even more speedily than the already unsustainable fast fashion business, and in who-knows-what working conditions for those making the garments. This purveyor of cheap clothing was acquired by fast fashion giant SHEIN (rated “We Avoid”) in 2014.

In recent years, Romwe has been called out for producing poorly made garments, using deceptive advertising, taking weeks to ship clothes, manipulating reviews, failing to safeguard its customers’ data (and then lying about it), and even shipping clothes with fleas. Yikes.

As you can likely tell, this is a brand to be wary of. But how is Romwe really impacting the planet, people, and animals? How sustainable is Romwe?

The truth is, there isn’t much to say about the brand because it discloses so little about its practices, and that’s a major red flag. It claims to be committed to making positive actions in the fashion industry, but how can we know—or hold Romwe accountable—if it won’t detail what those actions are? More on this abysmal transparency later.

Read on to find out what our analysts did discover when they rated Romwe.

Environmental impact

Romwe rates “Very Poor” for the planet. Our ratings analysts couldn’t find any evidence that Romwe is taking meaningful action to address textile waste or protect biodiversity in its supply chain, or to reduce its climate impacts. What’s more, the brand uses very few lower-impact materials.

Romwe prides itself on “only [producing] 50-100 pieces per new product to ensure that no raw materials are wasted”, but it still launches new collections at lightning speed and implements high-scale production as soon as it confirms that a product is in demand. Perpetuating this fast-fashion system of quickly changing trends—even if the brand claims to only be manufacturing small batches—is severely damaging the industry and the planet.

Labour conditions

Once again, we found very little publicly available information about Romwe’s practices for the people in its supply chain, so we’ve rated it “Very Poor” in this area, too.

There’s no evidence that its supply chain is certified by important labour standards that help secure workers’ rights, including their health and safety, and living wages. Speaking of which—there’s also no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages, or that it supports diversity and inclusion throughout its supply chain.

Animal welfare

Romwe rates “Not Good Enough” for our animal pillar, because while it does have a formal policy aligned with the Five Freedoms of animal welfare, there is no evidence of any clear implementation mechanisms in place.

There’s also nothing to show that Romwe traces animal-derived materials to the first production stage—an issue highlighted when, in 2020, Romwe was found to be selling real fur as faux fur in the UK, suggesting it either doesn’t know what’s really going on throughout its supply chain, or it simply doesn’t care.

Good swaps

More sustainable alternatives to Romwe

The post How Ethical Is Romwe? appeared first on Good On You.

If you live in Australia or New Zealand, we listed our selection of top rated local and responsible brands just for you. 

Reduce your impact by supporting local brands

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important and more and more people are trying to reduce their impact on the planet. As a result, a growing number of responsible fashion brands are starting to emerge to both meet the demand and help change the fashion industry for the better. So if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you might be wondering which clothing brands are doing it right. First, here’s what you need to know about what makes a brand more ethical and sustainable in the first place.

What makes a better brand?

Simply put, a responsible brand makes sure it positively impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

It ensures its workers are treated fairly across the supply chain. This includes policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage.

A better brand also cares about its use of resources and energy, reducing its carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.

Finally, it uses no or very few animal products, like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan.

Now that you know what makes a responsible brand, you might decide to shop from companies located in your country or region. Whether it is to support your community at home or reduce your carbon footprint when shopping online, shopping locally can have positive benefits.

So if you live in Australia or New Zealand or want to support labels made there, you might wonder which clothing brands are doing better. We know how you feel, which is why we compiled this list of “Good” or “Great” rated fashion brands either based or produced in Australia or New Zealand.

Curious about brands in other regions? Check out our editors’ favourite brands from:

• the USA (including California, LA, and New York) and Canada
• Europe, Germany (including Berlin), Belgium, Spain and Portugal, Italy (including Milan), France (and Paris), the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, and Switzerland
• the UK (and brands from London)
• India

Brands from Australia

The post 37 Clothing Brands From Australia and New Zealand Stepping up in Sustainability appeared first on Good On You.

In the know

Can H&M’s New CEO Grow It Sustainably? (Vogue Business)

As the H&M Group appoints Daniel Ervér as its new CEO, Vogue Business dives into his vision for the company’s future in a world where ultra fast fashion brands like SHEIN (“We Avoid”) are forcing the industry into a race to the bottom.

Artificial Intelligence is Changing How Fast Fashion Retailers Pick Their Targets (The Fashion Law)

“The new wave of fast fashion retailers is readily changing the game, with the likes of SHEIN, Temu (“We Avoid”), and co. looking beyond the runway to fellow mass-market companies’ wares and the offerings of lesser-known indie designers for “inspiration”, reports Fashion Law.

CIDER: What You Need to Know about the Fast Fashion Brand Challenging SHEIN (Retail Week)

Retail Week looks at rising fast-fashion brand CIDER (“We Avoid”) and why it’s giving SHEIN a run for its money.

Cambodia: Fast Fashion Helps Fuel Blazing Kilns Where Workers Faint From Heat (BBC)

The BBC explores a new study aiming to document how sustained exposure to extreme heat is affecting brick kiln workers’ health. “How hot is too hot to work? It is a question researchers have found the answer to here, in Cambodia’s brick kilns, where people toil in some of the hottest working conditions in the world, fuelled in part by the scraps of fast fashion,” reports the BBC.

Why Some of Our Clothes Are Over 200 Million Years Old (Atmos)

For Atmos, Amy Powney, founder of “Good” brand Mother of Pearl, discusses the urgent need to “‘reframe the origin stories of our clothes.’ The majority of all clothing is made from fossil fuels, some of which were created pre-dinosaur, while viscose has in certain instances been linked to ancient forests,” writes Daphne Chouliaraki Milner.

‘Good’ and ‘Great’ news

Every month we publish news and product highlights from highly rated brands that have been assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Using our codes and links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.

“Great”-Rated Brand Dedicated Introduces New Organic Material

Swedish brand Dedicated is already doing “Great” for the planet, using a high proportion of lower-impact materials in its designs and implementing a closed-loop system to reduce water use in its supply chain (most of which is certified by Fairtrade International). For its new SS24 collection, the brand is going one step further by introducing Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) cotton. ROC is an agricultural certification based on requirements to help preserve and regenerate the soils in which the cotton is grown.

The post 6 Things to Know in Sustainable Fashion in March appeared first on Good On You.

We went on the hunt to find more sustainable outdoor clothing brands so you can leave nothing but footprints next time you hit the trail.

Doing your bit on the trails

I’m sure many of us have been there: you’re out enjoying the great outdoors, walking in nature, enjoying the sights, feeling the wind on your face and spotting a few animals. Suddenly, you stumble upon a single plastic water bottle lying on the ground. You come closer to pick it up, with the firm intention to throw it away in the next trashcan you see. Why do people do that? As you get up, you start spotting other items that have no business here: a crisp packet, a lonely glove, a lost beanie.

Whether you’re an outdoors fan or not, it’s heartbreaking to see trash in nature polluting the soil and waters, and it’s even more heartbreaking when you know that some of them can take thousands of years to break down.

So, what can we do beyond not leaving trash behind and doing our bit by picking up others’ trash when we can?

A good place to start is thinking about what we put on our bodies when we go out in nature. There are brands out there creating more ethical and sustainable outdoor wear, so you can enjoy the great outdoors, knowing your gear isn’t contributing to the exploitation of our planet and its inhabitants.

With this list, you’ll be responsibly dressed from head-to-toe, with light jackets, base layers, essential pants, and comfortable shoes. Let’s hit it.

The post Hit the Trail in These More Sustainable Outdoor Clothing Brands appeared first on Good On You.

If you like the H&M vibe but don’t fancy contributing to the exploitation of the planet and people, you’ll be happy to know there are many more ethical alternatives to H&M.

Why we rate H&M “Not Good Enough”

H&M is incontestably one of the main fast fashion giants and has long been the target of widespread concern about its impact on the environment and the workers who make its clothes.

While H&M has set science-based targets for its greenhouse gas emissions and made a little progress for the environment and the animals, the brand is still failing on many fronts.

And based on our latest rating review, the brand has fallen even further from our middling “It’s a Start” to our second-lowest rating “Not Good Enough”. While we are constantly rerating brands, and it’s expected for their ratings to rise and fall, this drop for H&M is significant for a few reasons: despite all the brand’s claims about its focus on circular innovation, there’s no getting around the fact that H&M hasn’t taken meaningful steps to address its wasteful and exploitative fast fashion business model—and no “conscious” collection can change that. Despite promises to the contrary, the brand still needs to ensure payment of a living wage across its entire supply chain.

We understand those new trendy styles and cheap price tags may be tempting, but they are often a good indicator of the materials’ poor quality. They also highlight that the people making those clothes are working in conditions that, while improving, are not where they should be.

So if you like the H&M vibe but don’t fancy contributing to the exploitation of the planet and people, you’ll be happy to know there are many more responsible alternatives to H&M.

These H&M alternatives are timeless in style, use lower-impact materials, treat their workers fairly, and all aim to leave a light footprint on the earth from the very beginning. And they’re all rated “Good” or “Great” by us.

Read on to discover some of the top rated more sustainable stores like H&M, that offer more affordable, and stylish clothes, while taking care of the earth and its inhabitants.

The post 11 More Sustainable Brands You’ll Love More Than H&M appeared first on Good On You.

Our ratings team has scored 168 brands in the latest batch of brand ratings and uncovered some new, more sustainable brands worth checking out, as well as a selection of those to avoid.

Why do we rate brands?

Brand ratings are the backbone of our mission at Good On You: to help you discover the very best sustainable fashion brands from around the world. Since 2015, we have been reading between the seams for you, uncovering brands doing harm, calling out greenwashing, and highlighting the sustainable brands doing good for people, the planet, and animals. Download our app or check out the directory to easily shop your values.

This month, we’re sharing four brands doing “Good” (including a more sustainable jewellery brand from Canada, a German brand creating minimalist backpacks and accessories, and bamboo basics from the UK), and five with our lowest score of “We Avoid” that conscious shoppers should steer clear of.

4 newly rated ‘Good’ brands

The post The 9 Best and Worst Newly Rated Brands of February appeared first on Good On You.

Curious about what brands’ ratings look like over time and who’s progressing? We looked at the data on the brands rated during the last quarter of 2023 to see which ones had improved their practices the most since we last rated them.

Which fashion brands are improving their practices?

Brand ratings are at the heart of Good On You’s mission to make shopping your values simpler. We have been rating brands since 2015—more than 6,000 to date—uncovering the ones doing harm and highlighting those doing better for people, the planet, and animals.

Our ratings team also continually re-rates brands using the most up-to-date information and data available, so you can see accurate details about how the brands you’re interested in are impacting people, the planet and animals. We review ratings regularly—annually for large brands and every 18 months for smaller brands. And when there is a significant change in a brand’s public disclosure, or a public or stakeholder concern about changes in the company’s practices, we’ll also initiate a review. In 2023, re-rates represented around 36% of the total brands we analysed.

Looking at the data for the 155 brands we re-rated in the last quarter of 2023, 43% of them improved their rating, while 3% saw no improvement and sadly, 54% got worse. All the brands that improved are smaller labels. Unsurprisingly, Good On You’s data reflects the general trend in the fashion industry: greenwashing is still far too present, and most brands, especially the big ones, are doing far too little to reduce their impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

It’s not all bad news—a lot of brands are making good progress, and in this report, we’re highlighting the most recently rated ones (in the last quarter of 2023) that have made the biggest strides.

How Good On You rates brands

Good On You is the most comprehensive and widely trusted brand ratings system for fashion. Our mission is to help you make better choices.

Since 2015, we’ve built a database of over 6,000 fashion brands, all assessed against our world-leading ratings system for their impact on people, the planet, and animals. Behind the scenes, the Good On You ratings system captures the complexity of sustainability, aggregating up to 1,000 data points across 100 key issues for each brand. Our team of analysts use their industry-leading expertise and ratings tech to efficiently assess fashion brands’ impacts across the entire supply chain.

Brands receive an overall score that is converted into a rating on a clear and comparable five-point scale, from “We Avoid” all the way up to “Great”. You can download our app or check out the directory to discover the best brands for you.

For this report, we looked at the data for the 155 brands our analysts re-rated in the last quarter of 2023, and highlighted the ones whose overall scores increased enough for them to go up a level on our rating scale, for example, from “It’s A Start” to “Good”, or from “Good” to “Great”. We haven’t focused on brands whose ratings increased but were still bad overall, for example, from “We Avoid” to “Not Good Enough”. The idea is to encourage brands that are actively making progress and reducing their impacts.

The brands that have improved their ratings the most in recent reviews

The post Making Progress: 11 Brands That Have Improved Their Good On You Ratings appeared first on Good On You.

Canadians are up there as some of the people most interested in supporting sustainable fashion, and have a few homegrown brands leaving their mark on the industry—we’ve rounded up 19 of them for you below.

Reduce your impact by supporting local brands

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important and more and more people are trying to reduce their impact on the planet. As more responsible fashion brands emerge to meet the demand and help change the fashion industry for the better, you’re likely to have better choice of companies located in your country or region. And shopping locally can have positive benefits, from supporting your community at home to reducing your carbon footprint when shopping online.

So, if you live in Canada, you might be wondering which clothing brands are doing it right, and we’ve compiled this list of “Good” or “Great” rated fashion brands either based or produced in the region.

What makes a better brand?

Simply put, a responsible brand makes sure it positively impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

It ensures its workers are treated fairly across the supply chain. This includes policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage.

A better brand also cares about its use of resources and energy, reducing its carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.

Finally, it uses no or very few animal products, like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan.

Curious about brands in other regions? Check out our editors’ favourites from:

• the USA (including California, LA, and New York)
• Europe, Germany (including Berlin), Belgium, Spain and Portugal, Italy (including Milan), France (and Paris), the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, and Switzerland
• the UK (and brands from London)
• Australia and New Zealand
• India

Our favourite more ethical and sustainable brands from Canada

The post 19 Fashion Brands From Canada Making Moves in Sustainability appeared first on Good On You.

In the know

Fashion Firms Agree to Compensate Garment Workers in Mauritius (The Guardian)

Barbour (“Not Good Enough”) and PVH, owner of Calvin Klein (“It’s a Start”) and Tommy Hilfiger (“It’s a Start”), have announced they will pay £400,000 to garment workers in Mauritius after an investigation from labour rights organisation Transparentem found that migrant workers were forced to pay thousands of pounds in illegal recruitment fees.

Bangladesh Garment Factories Fire Workers After Protests, Unions Say (Reuters)

Garment workers in Bangladesh have been protesting since October for higher wages, only to be fired from their jobs and met with police brutality, arrests, and even death. “The government agreed in November to raise minimum wages by more than 56% to 12,500 taka ($114) a month, which many workers have still called too low,” reports Reuters.

Why Sustainable Label E.L.V. Denim Needs to Be On Your Fashion Radar (Harper’s Bazaar)

“I’m proud to be a thought leader in this space, however, this journey is not just for me and E.L.V. Denim. We want to lead by example and show others that upcycling can be incorporated with great design and luxury tailoring—this can be a successful business model. We all need to be part of this change,” said Anna Foster, founder of “Great” brand E.L.V. denim in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

What 2023 Meant for Sustainable Fashion (DAZED)

Journalist Sophie Benson looks back on everything that happened in sustainable fashion in 2023, including fast-fashion bans, new legislations, and, of course, flagrant greenwashing (remember when Kim Kardashian joked about the climate crisis to sell bras?).

Luxury Brands Aren’t Doing Enough to Eliminate Forced Labour, Report Says (Vogue Business)

According to the fourth edition of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s (BJRRC) KnowTheChain Apparel and Footwear Benchmark, 27.6 million people experience forced labour globally, with garment workers of the 20 largest fashion companies being owed at least $75m in unpaid wages.

Inside the Landfill of Fast Fashion: “These Clothes Don’t Even Come From Here” (CBS News)

Every single second, the equivalent of a rubbish-truckload of clothes is burned or buried in landfill. And it’s only getting worse, as shown in CBS News’ coverage of the mountains of clothing waste dumped in Chile.

Fast Fashion Is Only Going to Get Faster in 2024 (Quartz)

The latest edition of Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company’s State of Fashion report suggests that the competition between ultra fast fashion brand SHEIN and newcomer Temu will only increase the pace of clothing consumption.

Episode 187: Why New Clothes Are Kinda Garbage (Clotheshorse)

‘Good’ and ‘Great’ news

Every month we publish news and product highlights from highly rated brands that have been assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Using our codes and links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.

‘Good’ Brand MATE Launches Organic Menswear and Mini Collections

After years of focusing on womenswear, “Good” rated brand MATE launched its new menswear and mini collections last week, featuring essential loungewear items designed for the everyday. MATE is a US-based brand that is proudly female-founded and predominately operated by women. Its essentials are made with GOTS certified organic fabrics and lower-impact dyes, and these new collections are no exception.

“Great” Activewear Brand Tripulse Publishes Costing Insights

Transparency is key to creating a more sustainable fashion industry, and to that end, Franziska Mesche, founder of “Great”-rated brand Tripulse, has published a “behind the price tag” explainer to help shoppers understand its product costs, business model, and the true cost of buying fast fashion sportswear. “Sometimes people ask me ‘Why are your clothes more expensive than those of other activewear brands?’… It’s questions like these that made me aware that there is a big lack of knowledge and transparency around pricing in the fashion industry—and that the fashion industry has programmed most of us to believe that clothing must have a low price,” Mesche explains in the article.

ISTO. Creates New Lower Impact Denim Work Jacket

“Good” brand ISTO. has announced its newest work jacket made with lower impact denim, which uses fewer chemicals and a new washing approach in its production at the Candiani denim mill. Aligning with its ongoing approach to transparency, the brand has published details of its suppliers and a costing breakdown to give customers greater clarity on what happens behind the scenes.

The post 8 Things to Know in Sustainable Fashion in February appeared first on Good On You.

Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill. Waste is prevalent in every part of the fashion industry, as a result of overproduction, over consumption, and problematic end-of-life solutions.

The fashion industry has a (huge) waste problem

Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill. This statistic, revealed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is scary.

Waste in the fashion industry is an increasing concern for many, and for good reason. How widespread is waste in the fashion industry, exactly? Why is there so much waste in the first place? What’s the solution? Who is paving the way for a new system? And what can we do as consumers and citizens?

In this article we tell you everything you need to know about waste in the fashion industry.

How widespread is waste in the fashion industry?

The short answer is: extremely.

The long, and more detailed answer is: we have some estimations, but it’s nigh impossible to say exactly how much waste the industry produces.

It’s estimated that 92m tons of textile waste is created annually by the fashion industry. It’s also said that textile waste is to increase by around 60% between 2015 and 2030, with an additional 57m tons of waste being generated annually, reaching an annual total of 148m tons. And even these numbers may be underestimations and likely outdated stats that don’t speak to the scale of overproduction, with the likes of SHEIN and other ultra fast fashion brands uploading thousands of styles to their website per day.

As journalist Faith Robinson reported in our piece on production volume: “In an industry infamous for misinformation, one basic number we should know by now is how many clothes are made each year. But no one in the industry has a clear answer.”

Producing too much

A lot of this waste comes from manufacturers and retailers themselves, who generate around 13m tons of textile waste every year. Why so much? Largely because they overproduce: every season about 30% of the clothes produced are never sold.

With the advent of fast fashion, retailers started producing clothes at breakneck speed, with the goal to get the newest styles on the market as fast as possible, so shoppers can snap them up while they are still at the height of their popularity and then, sadly, discard them after a few wears. It’s this toxic system of overproduction and consumption that has made fashion one of the world’s largest polluters. Fashion Revolution revealed that the number of garments produced annually has doubled since 2000 and exceeded 100bn for the first time in 2014. The unsold garments are often burned: in 2017, it was revealed that H&M had been burning 12 tons of unsold clothing every year since 2013. Textile overproduction, and the resulting waste, are harming our planet.

Buying more than ever before

Manufacturers produce a lot of clothes, but we, consumers, also tend to buy more as the years go by. Around 56m tonnes of clothing are bought each year, and this is expected to rise to 93m tonnes by 2030 and 160m tonnes by 2050.

We buy more clothes, and we wear them less: the average piece of clothing is worn 36% fewer times now than it was 15 years ago. And what do we do with the stuff we don’t wear? We throw it away: in the US alone, 85% of textiles thrown away are dumped into landfills or burned. The average American is said to throw away about 37kg/81 pounds of clothes every year.

Problematic end-of-life solutions

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of our clothes aren’t recyclable. It’s said that only 13.6% of clothes and shoes thrown away in the US end up being recycled and that just 12% of the material used for clothing ends up being recycled. This 12% will likely end up being shredded and used as furniture stuffing, or made into insulation or cleaning cloths. Less than 1% of what is collected will be used to make new clothing.

Can we be a little bit more specific and clear about what is used goods and what is waste? We also have this tendency to see waste as waste, where waste is actually a resource.

Pernille Weiss – Member of the European Parliament EPP, Global Fashion Summit 2023: Copenhagen

A lot of clothing these days is made out of plastic, which, as we know, can take hundreds of years to decompose. Even if clothes made out of natural fibres end up in landfills, they don’t break down as well surrounded by plastic and other household waste. Landfills are said to be the third-largest source of methane emissions in the US, which contributes to the pressing issue of global warming.

A note on donating clothes

Even if we decide to donate our clothes to thrift stores or charities, in some cases, charities are forced to spend money sorting and disposing of this material, of which an estimated 25% goes directly to landfill. An additional 40-50% is exported into the problematic global second hand clothing trade, which swamps the local textile market of countries such as Ghana and Chile, and ends up in landfills.

Luxury fashion brands aren’t blameless

H&M is not the only retailer burning its unsold stock. In the middle of 2018, a wave of outrage spread across the internet when it was revealed that Burberry, one of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands, had burned a big pile of unsold stock. £28.6m (US$37m) worth of clothes, accessories, and perfumes went up in flames. It was shocking. Burberry was the brand that sparked a big brouhaha, but waste in the luxury fashion sector is thought to be commonplace. Big names rumoured to have destroyed stock include Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, and Juicy Couture. So why do they do it?

Before we look closer here, it’s important to note that luxury fashion and fast fashion are not one and the same when it comes to waste. As noted in our piece on ultra fast fashion, the new wave of e-commerce is basically selling styles as fast-moving consumer goods, and brands like SHEIN are the fast food of fashion. Objectively, these brands contribute more to waste than luxury brands in general. But luxury still deserves critique here, and it comes with its own unique set of problematic practices linked to waste.

Luxury brand excuse #1: exclusivity

Beyond the design and materials, the allure of luxury fashion is that not everyone can afford to wear it. It’s a status symbol. Burning excess stock, as opposed to selling it as a discount, maintains the brand’s value and sense of exclusivity.

Then there’s the “grey market” where genuine designer goods are bought cheaply and resold by others. Some brands even offer discounts to staff and industry insiders to reduce the amount of unsold stock out there, and prevent it falling into the hands of resellers.

In one high-profile case, Richemont, the parent company of fine watch brands such as Cartier and Montblanc, was caught up in controversy after it destroyed more than £400m worth of designer timepieces in a bid to stop them being sold by unauthorised vendors. In response, Richemont also said it had bought back some unsold stock and recycled some of the precious metals and stones.

Luxury brand excuse #2: tax breaks

Luxury brands may also have a financial incentive to destroy unsold stock. For example, brands have to pay all sorts of taxes and charges to import goods into the USA. But if the goods are unsold, and the brand exports them again or destroys them under US customs supervision, they can recover up to 99% of the taxes and charges they paid in a process known as “drawback”.

Luxury brand excuse #3: stopping the fakes

Some brands have argued that destroying stock protects them against counterfeiting. Counterfeiting is an enormous, illegal industry worth US$450bn. It’s also unethical in multiple ways, with vulnerable people often exploited for low-cost labour by the criminal gangs that profit from the counterfeiting. But it’s hard to see how burning unsold stock by itself is an effective response to counterfeiting.

Towards a new system

After its own stock-burning blow up, Burberry had a rapid change of heart and vowed to not to burn stock again. It has also been taking steps to address its climate impacts, and was witness to the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Change in December 2018. This ambitious plan has a vision for net 0% carbon emissions from fashion by 2050.

Right now, what I think is important, is that we aggregate the leaders of this industry—the luxury industry—to work together.

Antoine Arnault – Image & Environment, LVMH, Global Fashion Summit 2023: Copenhagen

There are other brands taking some measures to reduce waste. Design samples are commonly wasted in fashion, but luxury suit giant Hugo Boss has said it will stop producing physical samples. Instead, it will use large touchscreens to showcase its latest designs, eliminating all resources needed in the production and saving time and money. Gucci has also implemented a Scrap-Less program where its tanneries reduce the quantity of leather treated. Gucci then saves on waste, water, energy and chemical use in its leather supply chain.

We know waste is a design flaw, and so for fashion designers at the top of their game, reducing waste should be a top priority. There needs to be a shift from a linear model to a more circular system that gives value to recycled and reclaimed goods, and focus is on the longevity and life cycle of our possessions.

Waste and Good On You’s brand ratings

Good On You rates brands across the three key pillars of people, planet, and animals. When it comes to environmental impact, brands are awarded points for taking concrete action and incorporating efforts and commitments to circular economy principles. Examples of measures brands can take to demonstrate a commitment to a circular economy and reducing waste include:

• using recycled materials or deadstock fabrics
• taking back and reselling second hand products
• minimising blends of fibres to ensure that clothes can be more easily recycled at the ends of their useful lives
• using lower-waste cutting techniques in their cut and sew processes
• collecting and re-using offcuts from their cut and sew processes
• offering a rental scheme

What you can do to help

Consumers play a key role in reducing waste in the fashion industry. From increased support for more sustainable models, we are seeing circularity seeping into supply chains, manufacturing, and at the final stage; after a consumer has finished with an item.

Some key actions you can take to align with circular fashion and reduce waste in the industry:

• Know about the brands you buy by using resources such as Good On You
• Support more sustainable and ethical fashion
• Live by the five R’s of fashion
• Mend and alter clothes to keep them in your closet for longer
• Shop second hand where possible or consider renting for your next event
• Host and attend clothes swaps
• Ask “What are the alternatives?” before throwing away used clothing

Brands leading the way in environmental action

A lot needs to be done. But we have hope that those brands that are forward-thinking and more environmentally sustainable will lead the way.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Waste in the Fashion Industry appeared first on Good On You.

Quality matters

Good On You believes the most sustainable clothes are the ones that are already in your wardrobe, and if you have to replace items or fill in gaps, then you should aim to choose high quality, long-lasting garments. But what does “high quality” mean exactly? How can you tell that a garment lives up to those standards? And how does it relate to sustainability?

Sustainability researcher Sandra Roos says that, above all, wearing the clothes you already own is one the most eco-friendly things you can do, and in 2019, Fashion Revolution founder Orsola de Castro noted that lengthening the life of our clothing from 1 to 2 years decreases their carbon footprint by 24%. Making our clothes last longer is easier when they are high quality to start with.

Consider the longevity of a t-shirt that is unevenly stitched together from a thin, low-grade cotton versus a well-constructed t-shirt with a higher stitches-per-inch count, and a softer fabric woven from strong yarns. Which is more likely to break down after a few wears? And which one are you more likely to keep wearing and feeling good in?

So, if like us, you’re tired of investing in clothes that barely make it through one season, and want to reduce the impact of your wardrobe by learning how to pick out high-quality items, then keep reading.

Why you should prioritise quality

One of the most pressing reasons to prioritise quality clothes is the environmental impact of lower-quality fast fashion items. Cheaply made garments that are designed to be worn only a few times before falling apart contribute significantly to the fashion industry’s footprint. These items are often made from synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels and do not biodegrade, meaning they will sit in landfills for hundreds of years. In addition, the production of these items often involves exploitative labour practices and the use of harmful chemicals. While you might assume that higher-quality clothes are more respectful of people, the planet and animals, this is not always the case, which is why there are several factors shoppers should take into account when shopping for higher-quality garments. More on that later on.

“Given the speed needed to keep up with trends, it’s not physically possible to quickly mass produce something that is of a decent quality, ethically made, and affordable,” explained Izzie Ramirez, deputy editor at Vox, in a recent article. Indeed, choosing well-made garments that are designed for longevity counters the problematic throwaway culture that has become fashion’s norm, in which wearing an item once or twice before discarding it for something new is acceptable. Speedy lead times and ease of production are given the highest priority over the rights and needs of those involved in the supply chain, which often leads to increased waste, poor labour practices, harmful material sourcing, and much more. Ultimately, this system is harmful to consumers, garment workers, the planet and animals.

How to determine if clothing is high-quality

Fabrics

When it comes to determining the quality of clothing, fabrics play a crucial role. Look for clothing made from sturdy and comfortable materials. “When trying to determine the quality of a garment, I look at whether brands provide details about the manufacturing techniques used and whether they demonstrate the durability of the fabrics, and if so, how,” says Good On You’s fashion ratings manager and materials expert, Kate Hobson-Lloyd. “I also look at whether brands test the durability of their products, for example, with abrasion or pilling tests. Ideally, brands provide a minimum warranty of two years, as well as a repair service or clear guidance on how best to look after a product.”

In contrast, materials of lower quality—ones that are overly or unintentionally light and sheer, and look poorly stitched—tend to be less durable and may easily fall apart after just a few uses. “Be mindful of the fabric used—is the garment quickly losing its shape with wear? Is lightly worn knitwear showing signs of pilling too quickly? Are there noticeable changes in garment shape after washing?” asks Hobson-Lloyd. Lower-quality materials are often used in fast fashion items and contribute significantly to the fashion industry’s carbon footprint.

One of the most pressing reasons to prioritise quality clothes is the environmental impact of lower-quality fast fashion items.

Ideally, high-quality materials should also have a lower impact. Some common lower-impact fabrics include recycled cotton, recycled wool, and organic linen. These materials are often more sustainable than traditional cotton or wool because they require less water and energy to produce. And while we generally recommend staying away from more harmful synthetic materials, it is important to note that some of them can be very durable, like woven ripstop fabrics, which are often made from nylon to make them more resistant to rips and tears. For products such as swimwear and rainproof outerwear, synthetic material is more practical and currently the best option available, so keep that in mind when researching items.

The impact of fabric blends on durability and comfort should also be considered. While blends can sometimes be beneficial, they can also affect the overall feel and quality of the garment. For instance, a sweater made from a blend of wool and polyester may not be as comfortable and durable as a sweater made from 100% wool. Always read the tags and, if possible, feel the fabric before making a purchase.

Dyes and chemicals used in production can also affect the quality, durability, and comfort of clothing. Some waterproof coatings, for example, can make clothing less breathable. It’s important to look for garments that have been dyed with natural, non-toxic dyes and to avoid clothing that has been treated with harmful chemicals.

Construction and details

The construction and details of a garment are essential to consider when determining its quality. Well-made clothing should have strong stitching, durable seams, and hems that are finished neatly. “Look at garment stitching—are there any loose threads, and are the hems tidy and straight? Loose threads or uneven stitching can be a sign of poor quality,” adds Hobson-Lloyd.

In addition to these factors, specific construction techniques can significantly enhance a garment’s durability. For instance: garment linings; facings (the area of a garment that turns to the inside, giving a finished appearance, like on the collar); bindings (the strip of fabric attached to the edge of an item); and French seams, double seams and flat-felled seams (especially on denim and heavy garments) can all increase longevity. Areas like the shoulders, elbows, and pockets are particularly prone to wear and tear, so reinforcing stitches—like the bar tack you find on the pockets of your jeans—can help items withstand more stress. Paying attention to these construction details will help you identify garments that not only meet your style needs but also stand the test of time.

I look at whether brands provide details about their manufacturing techniques and whether they demonstrate the durability of the fabrics

Kate Hobson-Lloyd – fashion ratings manager and materials expert, Good On You

The quality of zippers, buttons, and other hardware is also an important consideration. High-quality zippers and buttons should be sturdy and easy to use—they should move freely and not catch on the fabric next to them, for example–and should not break or come loose easily. In addition, any hardware used in the garment should be securely attached and should not be prone to falling off or breaking.

What’s more, clothes made for mass production are cut and fitted based on an “average” set of body measurements to have the best chance of fitting as many people as possible. The result is a garment that has a passable fit on most people but rarely a perfect one, meaning the chances of you falling out of love with the item and wearing it infrequently are much higher than for something that fits and feels brilliant every time you put it on.

Understanding certifications

After identifying key signifiers of quality on the garment itself, shoppers can also look out for certifications, approvals and standards that are awarded when a company has been assessed for specific practices. Good On You’s recent research found that a majority of the luxury brands we usually associate with higher quality clothes don’t do enough for the people involved in the manufacturing process, so these certifications can be important indicators.

For example, fair trade organisations certify companies that meet rigorous social and environmental standards. Other certifications, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), ensure that textiles are made from organic materials and that all workers involved in the production process are treated fairly. However, be aware that not all certifications hold the same weight, and some brands might over-promote a few certifications while disclosing little else. That’s why it’s important to dig deeper and look at a brand’s overall transparency and commitment to sustainability beyond its certifications.

Longevity in design

Design plays a crucial role in the longevity of our clothing. Choosing versatile pieces you can wear season after season over trendy items that quickly go out of style is one of the best ways to ensure that your wardrobe stands the test of time.

Capsule wardrobes and minimalist styles are great examples of classic designs that can be timeless. These approaches prioritise quality over quantity and often include clothes that can be mixed and matched. By investing in a few key pieces that can be styled in a variety of ways, we can reduce the need for new clothing and ultimately reduce the impact of our wardrobe on people, the planet, and animals.

Taking care of our clothing is also a key factor in making them last. Proper washing and storage can extend the life of our garments and minimise how frequently they need replacing. Some tips for making your clothing last longer include understanding fabrics so that you can wash them appropriately; folding knitwear instead of hanging it; storing delicate items in cotton garment bags; washing items in cooler water; air-drying whenever possible, and avoiding harsh detergents or fabric softeners.

Brands’ overall impacts

High quality isn’t just about the garment itself, but also about ensuring the item (and the brand that produced it) had a positive impact on people, the planet and animals. After all, if a seemingly well-made item is created using materials that are not sourced responsibly, or produced by garment workers who are not paid a living wage, then is it really of high quality?

Good On You doesn’t think so. That’s why we recommend researching a brand and checking its Good On You rating on our directory or app before you buy from them. We are the world’s leading source for fashion brand ratings—we’ve done the research and spoken to the experts, the campaigners, and the brands, to come up with robust but easy to use ratings for how each label impacts people, the planet, and animals.

We score brands on hundreds of issues and then give an overall rating from “We Avoid” and “Not Good Enough” through “It’s a Start” to “Good” and “Great”. Brands with higher Good On You ratings (“Good” or “Great”) are more likely to align with your values and support more sustainable fashion choices.

The post Is It Really High Quality? An Expert Guide to Choosing Clothes That Last appeared first on Good On You.

SHEIN is bad news for people and the planet as a notorious ultra fast fashion brand. We’ve rounded up our favourite “Good” and “Great” alternatives to SHEIN below.

Not quite “the beauty of fashion”

Founded in 2008, SHEIN has become one of the fastest growing online fast fashion retailers. The brand, which upholds the philosophy that “everyone can enjoy the beauty of fashion”, sells clothes at a ridiculously low price point and of very dubious quality. SHEIN is no stranger to greenwashing and has come under fire several times in the last few years. In 2023, the brand received a lot of backlash after it took a group of influencers on a trip to one of its factories and innovation centres in China. Videos posted by the influencers of them touring the SHEIN facilities, praising the ultra fast fashion brand’s practices, and dismissing the child labour allegations as mere rumours caused uproar online. “The controversy stems from criticism that SHEIN has received as investigative reporting revealed the company’s use of quick, cheap labour violates Chinese labour laws and negatively impacts the environment,” reported Forbes.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that SHEIN gets our lowest rating of “We Avoid”. We found no evidence the brand has introduced initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, to empower its workers, or to pay a living wage. SHEIN keeps promoting overconsumption, at a rate that is inherently harmful to both people and the planet, and truly unsustainable.

Today we’ve listed a few of our favourite more sustainable alternatives to SHEIN: these “Good” and “Great” brands respect the planet, people, and animals while creating on-trend styles. Here are the top rated brands you’ll love more than SHEIN.

Top rated alternatives to SHEIN you’ll love

The post Alternatives to SHEIN: 11 Brands You’ll Love appeared first on Good On You.

Sourcing more ethical and sustainable surfwear to hit the waves in styles aligned with your morals and your needs can be tricky, so we’ve done the hard work for you and rated and rounded up the best brands for the job.

Inject more sustainability into your surfing

Picture this: it’s early morning, conditions are excellent, the ocean is glassy, the surf has been epic so far, you’re paddling to the line-up, ready to take your last wave of the day. Suddenly, you feel something brush against your hand. IS IT A SHARK? Nope, it’s “just” a plastic bottle. And another. And another. And another. You get the idea.

Plastic pollution, melting ice caps, overfishing, global warming, acidification—you name it. These issues have been all over the news in recent years. The main message? Our oceans are in danger.

Surfing is a sport closely linked to nature, and surfers worldwide have felt the effects consumption and pollution have on the ocean. Surfers’ concern for the environment is inherent and, although the industry is still not perfect, it has started using more ethical and sustainable materials. Many surfing organisations, like Plastic Soup Surfer and Surfrider Foundation, have also been spreading awareness.

However, despite some positive movements in the space, major surfwear brands are not keeping up with the times and are still guilty of harmful production practices. The likes of Billabong (“Not Good Enough”), Rip Curl (“Not Good Enough”), Volcom (“Not Good Enough”), Quiksilver (“We Avoid”), O’Neill (“Not Good Enough”), Roxy (“Not Good Enough”), RVCA (“Not Good Enough”), and Hurley (“We Avoid”) all score “Not Good Enough” or “Very Poor”—our two lowest scores—for the planet, with only Vans coming out with the middling score of “It’s a Start” for the planet and overall.

Thankfully,  these days there’s no need to rely on mainstream brands to get your gear. So if you’re a surfer who’s looking to protect our planet, then the first step might be to choose better, more environmentally-friendly surfwear. Side note: if you’re looking to purchase neoprene wetsuits specifically, you can find some from the brands Patagonia, Seea, and Finisterre as mentioned in this list. Let’s dive into our ultimate guide to more ethical and sustainable surfwear.

The post The Ultimate Guide to More Sustainable and Ethical Surfwear appeared first on Good On You.

Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s most recognised luxury fashion brands thanks to its distinctive monogrammed accessories and clothing. Unfortunately, the brand isn’t doing enough when it comes to its impact on people, the planet, and animals. So, how ethical is Louis Vuitton exactly? Let’s take a look. This article is based on the Louis Vuitton rating published in June 2023 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

Is Louis Vuitton addressing its impact on people, the planet, and animals?

Since its inception in 1854, Louis Vuitton has been synonymous with luxury, crafting iconic handbags and accessories that have become status symbols worldwide. Founded in Paris by the visionary trunk-maker Louis Vuitton, the brand’s signature monogram and commitment to craftsmanship have defined fashion for over a century.

The appointment in 2018 of the late Virgil Abloh as Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of menswear shook up the 164-year-old French fashion house, as well as the whole fashion industry. The late American designer, DJ, and stylist was originally known for being Kanye West’s creative director, before making waves with his own luxury streetwear label, Off-White—worn by the likes of Jay-Z, ASAP Rocky, Beyonce, and Rihanna. The designer’s appointment was seen as democratising luxury fashion, bringing youth culture to an elite brand, and paving the way for more exciting designers to join the house, like Pharell Williams in 2023.

But how is Louis Vuitton doing when it comes to its impact on people, the planet, and animals? Are the brand’s sustainable practices as modern as its artistic vision? In short, how ethical is Louis Vuitton?

Environmental impact

Luxury label Louis Vuitton rates “It’s A Start” for the planet, an improvement from its past “Not Good Enough” rating. While it’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain, there’s no evidence it is on track to meet said target. The brand uses some lower-impact materials and recycles some of its offcuts to minimise textile waste. Louis Vuitton has also eliminated some hazardous chemicals but has not made a commitment to eliminate all hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. Finally, like numerous other luxury fashion houses, Louis Vuitton also regularly burns unsold stock, contributing even further to the damaging fashion industry that values exclusivity over sustainability at every turn.

Labour conditions

Unfortunately, the brand has not improved on the labour front and still scores “Not Good Enough” for its treatment of workers across the supply chain. It received a score of 21-30% in this year’s Fashion Transparency Index. Sadly, none of its supply chain is certified by crucial labour standards that help ensure worker health and safety and other rights. There is no evidence Louis Vuitton ensures payment of a living wage in any part of its supply chain or that it implements practices to support diversity and inclusion. The brand has also taken insufficient steps to remediate its links to cotton sourced from Xinjiang, a region in China at risk of Uyghur forced labour. People are the backbone of the fashion industry and Louis Vuitton needs to do much better and provide safe and fair working conditions for all.

Animal welfare

Louis Vuitton is also still rated “Very Poor” for animals and the brand is amongst the luxury brands that score the worst for animals. It has a basic formal policy to protect animal welfare. It uses fur, leather, wool, down, exotic animal hair, and exotic animal skin. It does not use angora. It traces some animal products to the first stage of production. And while in 2020, Louis Vuitton explained that 100% of the animals used for the company’s products are “humanely farmed”, explaining that the exotic skins industry could never be considered humane, PETA quickly shut down these claims. Such a blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the sentient creatures we share the planet with is outdated, and with so many vegan fabric innovations out there, using them in such a way simply isn’t necessary any more.

Overall rating: ‘Not Good Enough’

Louis Vuitton has been rated “Not Good Enough” overall based on information from the research done by our team at Good On You. Louis Vuitton needs to become much more transparent, and do far more to reduce its impact on people, the planet, and animals in order to meet the expectations of a new generation of fashion lovers.

See the rating.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

Good swaps

“Good” and “Great” alternatives to Louis Vuitton

The post How Ethical Is Louis Vuitton? appeared first on Good On You.

When winter days arrive, that means it’s time to big adieu to the lightweight layers and dig out the puffers and trenches to keep the heat in. If you’re in need of a new winter coat, either second hand or from a responsible brand, check out our editors’ favourites below.

Winter coats to keep you toasty

Feel like walking in a winter wonderland? From responsibly-made trench and wool coats to conscious puffer jackets and windproof coats, here are 22 more ethical and sustainable winter coats and jackets that will keep you warm, dry, and feeling great.

So, before your chills start multiplying, and you’re shakin’ all over, have a look below to discover the best winter coats out there made from lower-impact materials.

The post Stay Warm and Stylish With These 22 More Ethical Winter Coats and Jackets appeared first on Good On You.

If you’re on TikTok, you might have come across a mysterious brand from Hong Kong: CIDER. But how ethical is CIDER? Here we dive into the brand’s “We Avoid” rating, which was published in November 2023 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

CIDER is viral, but for the right reasons?

CIDER has taken social media platforms by storm since launching in late 2020, with some of its products going viral (like this cute orange sweater), and it now boasts an immense community of 4.1 million followers on Instagram.

Digitally-native CIDER describes itself as “a globally-minded, social-first fashion brand” that makes “clothes for a new generation”. On paper, the brand functions similarly to SHEIN, listing small batches of items for specific moods and occasions every week and functioning as a direct-from-factory marketplace. CIDER also prides itself in being “an innovator”, using data to only produce what they know will sell, which allegedly enables them to keep costs low and reduce the unsold stock.

We’re getting a whiff of greenwashing here, so we thought it was high time we took a look and figured out: is CIDER a good clothing brand? And more importantly, is CIDER ethical?

Environmental impact

CIDER receives our lowest possible score of “Very Poor” for its impact on the environment.

It uses few lower-impact materials, producing scores of clothes overwhelmingly made from harmful fabrics like virgin polyester and spandex.

There’s no evidence CIDER is taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain, nor does it appear to have taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals. Toxic chemicals in fast fashion is a serious issue in today’s shopping landscape, and worth researching before purchasing from this and similar stores.

Finally, CIDER follows an unsustainable fast fashion model with quickly changing trends and regular new styles. All in all, this is one brand to avoid if you care about the impact of your closet on the planet.

Labour conditions

The results aren’t any better for CIDER’s reputation surrounding working conditions in its supply chain, coming out with another “Very Poor” score.

While CIDER is more transparent than it was in previous ratings, when there was no discernible public information for our analysts to include here, the results are still extremely lacking.

There’s no evidence CIDER supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain, nor that is provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages. While it does audit some of its suppliers, the fact that it doesn’t appear to pay a living wage across any of its supply chain is a huge red flag and a crucial step for a more ethical fashion industry. CIDER has a long way to go for its workers.

Animal welfare

One area where CIDER is making some effort is animal welfare, receiving a middling score of “It’s a Start” here.

While the brand doesn’t use leather, down, fur, angora, or exotic animal skin across its collections, it does use wool and exotic animal hair without stating sources. There is no evidence of an animal welfare policy, nor does the brand appear to trace any animal products even to the first stage of production. There is certainly room for improvement here, too.

Overall rating

Overall, CIDER receives our lowest score of “We Avoid” owing to its lack of action across the board. Ultimately, the brand can make piecemeal improvements and increase transparency, but as an ultra fast fashion brand rooted in overconsumption and mass production, it cannot be a responsible brand worth supporting without a deeper shift in its business as usual.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Luckily, the Good On You team found a few “Good” and “Great” brands that we’d love to see go viral for all the right reasons. They are fantastic options to choose from if you want to break your fast fashion addiction and support the planet and all of its inhabitants with your purchases.

Good swaps

More sustainable alternatives to Cider, all rated “Good” and “Great” in the directory

The post How Ethical Is CIDER? appeared first on Good On You.

The US is home to a number of responsible fashion brands paving the way for a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry. We’ve rounded up some of the top-rated brands from the US for your reference.

Reduce your impact by supporting local brands

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important and more and more people are trying to reduce their impact on the planet. As a result, a growing number of responsible fashion brands are starting to emerge to both meet the demand and help change the fashion industry for the better. So if you live in the US, you might be wondering which clothing brands are doing it right.

We know how you feel, which is why we compiled this list of more ethical and sustainable clothing brands from the US. These 59 conscious brands have all been rated “Good” or “Great” using our first-class methodology and are amongst our favourites. American-made, organic, vegan, female-founded, Fair Trade. Whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.

What makes a better brand?

Simply put, a responsible brand makes sure it positively impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

It ensures its workers are treated fairly across the supply chain. This includes policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage.

A better brand also cares about its use of resources and energy, reducing its carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.

Finally, it uses no or very few animal products, like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan.

Now that you know what makes a responsible brand, you might decide to shop from companies located in your country or region. Whether it is to support your community at home or reduce your carbon footprint when shopping online, shopping locally can have positive benefits.

So if you live in the US or want to support North American labels, you might wonder which clothing brands are doing better. We know how you feel, which is why we compiled this list of “Good” or “Great” rated fashion brands either based or produced in the US.

Curious about brands in other regions? Check out our editors’ favourite brands from:

• California, LA, and New York
• Canada
• Europe, Germany (including Berlin), Belgium, Spain and Portugal, Italy (including Milan), France (and Paris), the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, and Switzerland
• the UK (and brands from London)
• Australia and New Zealand
• India

Our favourite more sustainable clothing brands from the USA

The post 59 Clothing Brands from the USA Making More Ethical and Sustainable Fashion appeared first on Good On You.

The great fabric debate

What’s in a label? What do we look for when we’re choosing lower-impact fabrics? Whether you’re a clothes maker or a fashion lover who doesn’t love fashion’s impacts, selecting more responsibly-made fabrics is one area where our choices can have a tangible impact on the wellbeing of people, the planet, and animals.

But there is a lot of debate about which fabrics are better. Does plant-based always equal good and synthetic equal bad? What new and innovative materials are backing up their claims with evidence? And what happens when we wash or dispose of these materials? Let’s find out.

Plant-based fibres

Recycled cotton

Cotton is one of the most common fabrics in the world. This plant-based fibre is light and breathable, which makes it a wardrobe staple. But growing cotton can be problematic: conventional cotton is one of the thirstiest and most chemical-intensive crops to grow. It requires a lot of pesticides and, as a result, harms the planet and the people who grow it.

Organic cotton can be a lower-impact alternative to conventional cotton, and has been booming in recent years. In theory, it aims to minimise the environmental impact of cotton production by trying to remove harmful pesticides and other chemicals from the production process. GOTS certified cotton is often the go-to recommendation for consciously grown cotton that is gentler on the planet and the people who create it. However, organic cotton certification recently came under fire when it was discovered much of the fibre marketed as organic may not be so: according to a report by The New York Times, “at the heart of the problem is an opaque certification system rife with opportunities for fraud.”

If you’re looking for the most responsible cotton, go for recycled. Recycled or upcycled cotton is made using post-industrial and post-consumer cotton waste. According to the Textile Exchange’s Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2022, recycled cotton is a lower-impact alternative to both conventional and organic cotton. It has the potential to help reduce water and energy consumption, as well as help keep cotton clothes out of landfills⁠.

Organic hemp

It seems like hemp is everywhere at the moment. Marijuana’s “sober cousin” is extremely versatile: it’s used as a food, a building material, in cosmetics, and it has been cultivated and used for hundreds of years as a fabric.

The great thing about hemp is that it’s grown all around the world, and it requires very little water, no pesticides, and naturally fertilises the soil it grows in⁠—making it much better for the environment than other crops. However, it’s important to be aware that hemp does not always mean organic, and many farmers still use environmentally damaging fertiliser. When going for hemp, make sure it’s organic and thoroughly study the brand you’re considering buying from.

One of the oldest fibres in the world, hemp helps keep you warm in winter, cool in summer, and gets softer the more you wash it, making it a great option for pieces that will stay in your wardrobe rotation for years to come.

Organic linen

Linen is another plant humans have been growing for centuries. Similar to hemp, it’s derived from a very versatile crop: the flax plant. Linen requires minimal water and pesticides, and even grows in poor-quality soil. Plus, every part of the plant is used, so nothing is wasted.

Because of the dense nature of the fibre, to get a pure white linen, it has to go through a heavy bleaching process. Sticking to its natural-toned hues will ensure a more environmentally-friendly garment afterlife.

Linen is strong, naturally moth resistant, and⁠—when untreated⁠—fully biodegradable. In addition to being good for the planet, it is also light and can withstand high temperatures, absorbing moisture without holding bacteria. What’s not to like?

TENCEL Lyocell

TENCEL Lyocell is a man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) created by dissolving wood pulp. The fibre is produced by Austrian company Lenzing AG. It’s been growing in popularity recently, and is said to be 50% more absorbent than cotton, and requires less energy and water to produce. Plus, the chemicals used to produce the fibre are managed in a closed-loop system. This means the solvent is recycled which reduces dangerous waste.

There’s another version of the fabric, called Refibra, made from upcycled cotton scraps. The cotton scraps are transformed into cotton pulp, which is then added to conventional dissolving wood pulp.

TENCEL has moisture-wicking and anti-bacterial properties, making it a perfect activewear alternative to pesky polyester.

Animal-derived materials

Recycled wool

Wool is a durable animal-derived fibre known for its longevity, warmth, and comfort. In its original form, wool is a resource-intensive material to produce and has associated ethical concerns.

Recycled wool, like that traditionally processed in Italy by Manteco, reduces the environmental and ethical impacts significantly and, with so much of the fibre already in circulation, is becoming a desired recyclable option.

It’s also diverse and easy to blend with other fibres such as fleece. The industry is beginning to see less demand for virgin wool with the higher value placed on discarded garments or offcuts in the manufacturing process.

Futuristic and innovative fabrics

ECONYL

Another recycled material to consider is ECONYL. This yarn, created by Italian firm Aquafil, is derived from recycled synthetic waste such as industrial plastic, waste fabric, and fishing nets from the ocean. Despite being derived from recycled materials, ECONYL yarn is said to be of the same quality as virgin nylon yarn.

The manufacture of ECONYL uses less water and generates less waste than the manufacture of conventional nylon yarn. In the manufacture of ECONYL, waste is collected, cleaned, and shredded, and then depolymerised to extract a raw material called caprolactam. The caprolactam is then repolymerised and transformed into ECONYL yarn.

A clear downside of ECONYL is—like other synthetics—it emits microfibres. While this means it’s not the best choice for clothing that is frequently machine washed, it can be a practical and lower-impact option for shoes or clothing that is rarely washed or generally handwashed like activewear, swimwear, and outerwear. Pick yourself up a Guppy Bag for when you must machine wash.

Bananatex

Launched in 2018 by Swiss brand QWSTION, Bananatex is the world’s first durable fabric made purely from banana plants. Cultivated in the Philippines through a mix of agriculture and forestry, the banana plant is said to be self-sufficient, and requires no pesticides, fertiliser, or extra water.

In addition to winning a variety of international sustainability awards, such as the Green Product Award 2019 and the German Sustainability Award Design 2021, the Bananatex fabric was certified Cradle to Cradle Gold.

In short, Bananatex has the potential to be a truly circular alternative to synthetic fabrics already on the market, contributing to reforestation in areas once eroded due to monocultural palm plantations while enhancing biodiversity and the economic prosperity of its farmers.

CIRCULOSE

CIRCULOSE is a new material made by recycling cotton from worn-out clothes and production waste.

Made from 100% recycled textiles, like that worn-out pair of jeans at the back of your closet, it is a “dissolving pulp” that can be used to make viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other types of regenerated fibres. These fibres are then spun into yarns, woven or knitted into fabrics, and finally cut and sewn into new high-quality textile products.

By using existing products and materials, CIRCULOSE embodies circular fashion principles and “closing the loop”, a crucial component of a more sustainable fashion industry.

Learn more about lower-impact materials

The post What Are the Best Lower-Impact Fabrics and Fibres on the Market Right Now? appeared first on Good On You.

Our editors have chosen the most timeless and minimalist luxury pieces from top rated brands on Good On You.

Less is more

In a departure from the ostentatious displays of logos that once dominated the fashion scene, there’s a growing preference for more discreet, minimalist luxury fashion. “While luxury pieces with (very) visible logos have been in the spotlight in recent years, especially on social networks, preferences seem to be shifting towards more discreet fashion,” notes Fashion United.

This cleaner aesthetic has even become a trend, coined quiet luxury. “If we had to define ‘quiet luxury’ with one specific brand, The Row would be the answer. Founded in 2001 by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, it thrives on the essence of pared-back minimalism,” writes Who What Wear. But as the quiet luxury trend gains momentum, some critics caution against its potential pitfalls and classist implications.

For us, minimalism means intentional living—having a wardrobe that sparks joy and aligns with our personal values. In this context, luxury is defined by brands that create timeless, high-quality pieces. It’s about investing in fewer items that withstand the test of time.

So, if you’re looking for that The Row (“We Avoid”), minimalist, pared-back aesthetic but want to support better brands, keep reading. We’ve got you covered with our handpicked selection of minimalist luxury items from “Good” and “Great” brands that are doing more for a better world. Before we dive in, let us tell you why you can trust our recommendations.

Why you can trust our recommendations

At Good On You, we provide trustworthy recommendations that align with your values and needs. Our mission is to simplify informed choices while embracing the “buy less, buy better” motto.

To ensure credibility, we aggregate comprehensive, transparent information on fashion sustainability—assessing brands using our leading methodology, developed by diverse experts. Our ratings directory of over 5,000 brands employs a simple five-point scale, curating a list of “Good” or “Great” brands making significant contributions to sustainable fashion.

Our editorial team, driven by expertise and passion, carefully reviews and approves each recommendation, upholding high standards of quality, longevity, and trend-transcendence.

While we recognise the value of reusing, mending, and second hand shopping, our expert ratings system guides you toward new brands aligned with your values and sustainability goals.

Minimalist luxury pieces from top rated brands

Tops

1. White T-Shirt (FM669)

2. Vegan Silk Tie-Neck Blouse (Minimalist)

3. Recycled Sky Italian Como Print Comfort Shirt (Neem London)

4. Knitted Boatneck Dress (Mila.Vert)

5. Cashmere Pullover (SANTICLER)

6. Cashmere Sweater (ISTO.)

7. Merino Wool Jacket (ARKNIT Studios)

8. The Apres Jacket (WE-AR4)

9. Arlo Tan Coat (Mother of Pearl)

Bottoms

10. Flared Soft Denim Jeans (Dawn Denim)

11. Classic Wool Straight Pants (BITE @ LVRSustainable)

12. Rosetta Skirt (Kotn)

13. The Chino (ASKET)

Accessories

14. Nikko Huggies (Bario Neal)

15. Classic Signet Ring (FUTURA Jewelry)

16. Luxe Zip Wallet (HYER GOODS)

17. Calliope Black (Mashu)

18. Hedy Ankle Boots (VEERAH)

The post Better Brand Edit: 18 Minimalist Luxury Pieces From Top Rated Brands appeared first on Good On You.

Another milestone year for Good On You

2023 hasn’t been smooth sailing, with the cost-of-living crisis still reshaping spending habits and impacting businesses worldwide.

Through all of the ups and downs of 2023, one thing remained unchanged: our commitment to our mission of using the power of consumer choices to drive positive change. This year again, the Good On You team actively worked towards achieving our vision to create a more sustainable future, by empowering millions more consumers and accelerating our impact through strategic partnerships, innovations, and data-driven reporting on the fashion industry.

From rating 6,000+ brands and deploying Good Measures globally to deepening collaborations and actively shaping industry conversations, let’s look back on everything that made this year another milestone for Good On You.

We innovated for impact

This year, we pushed our ratings to new heights; grew our community; and launched and refined innovative tools and platforms to drive progress in the fashion industry—before it’s too late.

We achieved a big milestone with 6,000 brands rated

Accelerating our impact means rating more brands than ever. By the end of the year, we’ll have rated 6,000 brands, a significant milestone.⁠ In fact, no one has ever so comprehensively rated so many brands before on publicly available data.

⁠Every single brand we rate undergoes a rigorous evaluation against our comprehensive rating system. Our methodology captures the intricacy of sustainability, analysing up to 1,000 data points across 100 key issues for each brand.⁠⁠

To ensure the utmost integrity, our ratings are based solely on transparent and publicly available information. We rely on credible third-party indices, certification schemes, and standards, along with brands’ own public reporting. Our expert team of analysts verifies and assesses this data meticulously, so consumers can trust that the information is reliable and accurate.⁠

This year, we rated 2,391 new brands, a massive increase compared to previous years. As always, we listened to our community and prioritised brands that our app users requested, including reviewing the ratings of the ten most searched brands on Good On You, to empower them with the information they’re looking for. We also rated brands to help our retail partners measure their portfolio, source brands doing better on important sustainability issues, and promote the leaders with confidence to their customers.

Our community thrived in 2023, with millions using Good On You to make more sustainable choices

This year, over four million people used Good On You to make more sustainable choices. That’s only on our own channels. Many millions more used Good On You’s ratings through our partners, like FARFETCH, Microsoft Bing, and Klarna. And the numbers keep growing.

Simultaneously, our team flourished, growing to 24 individuals, as five new talented members joined the team across tech, ratings, and social media. Good On You remains dedicated to empowering consumers, fostering community growth, and attracting passionate professionals to further our mission.

We kept improving our tools to help you make better choices

In our ongoing commitment to improve user experience and help you make more sustainable choices more easily, we’ve revamped the Good On You directory.

Our updates included improved discovery features for brands selling specific categories and product types, along with the addition of rating-based filters and enhanced functionality for plus-size options. Navigating the directory is now more efficient, allowing you to seamlessly search brands, styles, and countries.

We broadened our impact through strategic partnerships

We improved Good Measures, our sustainability hub for brands

Building on our commitment to empower brands and consumers, Good On You expanded our sustainability hub, Good Measures. Developed in collaboration with FARFETCH, the platform enables brands to review their Good On You rating, get personalised advice on how to improve their sustainability performance, and submit publicly disclosed updates for review by analysts. Last year, the innovative hub rolled out to over 300 FARFETCH brands and was made available to other Good On You partners like Otrium who is actively inviting their brands to the platform.

Many improvements have been made this year to help brands do better, track improvements, and better communicate their achievements to consumers. 88 brands are currently using Good Measures to better understand and improve their impacts, and it is now available to both brand and enterprise customers. If you’re an interested brand, get in touch via our partnerships page.

We launched our Good On You ‘for business’ homepage

We introduced a new partnerships website tailored to serve fashion brands, e-commerce platforms, and retail leaders. The success of our collaborations with Farfetch and Klarna, for example—two key players in the fashion world—is testament to the importance of our mission to empower consumers to make better choices.

A new partnership with retail giant URW marked another significant milestone

We were proud to announce our partnership with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), owner of premier retail assets including 75 shopping centres in 12 countries, to co-create a new Sustainable Retail Index (SRI).

The SRI is part of the evolution of URW’s Better Places sustainability roadmap and is the first-of-its-kind index to evaluate retailers’ sustainability commitments, ambitions, and performance across company, product, and store operations levels.

It’s made possible by Good On You’s robust ratings and efficient tech—Good On You assessed 800 brands for URW in eight weeks.

Teaming up with a retail powerhouse like URW means we're now bringing greater transparency to iconic shopping destinations all around the globe—and accelerating the sustainable evolution of the industry. Our partnership marks just the beginning. We’re already planning our work together on future developments of the SRI, especially in expanding its coverage from fashion to other retail branches, starting with beauty.

Sandra Capponi – Good On You co-founder

With Good On You’s trusted sustainability ratings and URW’s global reach, it’s another leap forward towards our big vision: helping consumers vote with their wallets and supporting brands and retailers to do better.

We launched in Japan

Good On You expanded its global reach by partnering with UPDATER in Japan, aiming to facilitate more ethical and sustainable choices for Japanese consumers.

In December, UPDATER launched Shift-C to give Japanese consumers access to Good On You’s comprehensive ratings, and from 2024, will support Japanese brands to use our scalable sustainability hub, Good Measures.

“At Good On You, we want it to be as easy as possible for every consumer to make choices aligned with sustainable outcomes, and partnerships like those with UPDATER help us get there,” says Good On You’s CEO Gordon Renouf.

Collaborative efforts with industry leaders yielded substantial results

Good On You’s strategic collaborations with industry leaders yielded remarkable outcomes, reinforcing our commitment to catalysing positive change within the fashion landscape.

We were proud to see YOOX NET-A-PORTER’s ongoing dedication to sustainability commitments. The Considered Edit on The Outnet, powered by Good On You ratings, played a pivotal role, accounting for an impressive nearly 11% of the total offer on the site in 2022. This showcases the growing influence of more sustainable choices in shaping consumer preferences and purchasing behaviours.

Diving into our extensive data on hundreds of brands for FARFETCH’s Conscious Luxury Report, we uncovered promising trends in the luxury fashion sector’s approach to sustainability. According to the report, searches for conscious-related terms on FARFETCH.com surged by 78% last year. Notably, among the large brands rated by Good On You for FARFETCH, 46% have implemented worker empowerment initiatives.

We led important conversations to catalyse action

In 2023, Good On You not only broadened its impact through strategic partnerships but also continued to lead transformative conversations, setting the stage for a more sustainable and accountable fashion industry.

We pushed our original reporting to new heights

In 2023, Good On You elevated its content, publishing 280 articles to help our community access the latest insights on sustainability in fashion. Our team’s guides, such as our co-founder Sandra Capponi’s exploration of greenhushing, provided in-depth insights, while contributions from journalists and experts—like Megan Doyle’s Needle Movers List—spotlighted emerging technologies and topics, offering compelling perspectives. We also featured book excerpts, such as Andrea Cheong’s Why Don’t I Have Anything to Wear?

We updated our climate change report, the largest survey of its kind in the industry

Our collaboration with Sophie Benson on our deepest data report ever for COP28 looked at new data on an astonishing 5,900 brands’ environmental track records and highlighted the fashion industry’s lack of urgency regarding the climate emergency.

We joined the most important conferences and forums

Good On You’s founders actively participated in crucial industry forums, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and accountability. From Marie Claire to Textile Exchange, Westfield, Fashion Declares Conference, and the Global Fashion Summit, our involvement underscored our role as thought leaders, advocates, and drivers of change within the sustainable fashion movement.

2023 in numbers

Most searched brands

All in all, it’s been another fantastic year for Good On You, and it’s all down to you.

So thank you. Thank you for your support and for helping us change the fashion industry for the better, even when times are tough. We couldn’t do what we do without you, and we can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us and the sustainable fashion movement as a whole. We’re so glad to have you here.

2024 will come with more exciting challenges and changes that we can’t wait to share with you. Bring on 2024!

Want to learn more about Good On You’s milestones? Check out our 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 highlights

The post Good On You’s Year in Review: Our 2023 Highlights appeared first on Good On You.