A worrying phenomenon on the rise

When it comes to improving fashion’s impact on the planet, time is running out. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has issued humankind with a final warning that we have to act now on the climate crisis or it’ll be too late. We can, and must, halve global emissions by 2030.

For consumers, the trajectory can feel overwhelming. Leaving many asking “what’s my role in all this?” and “how can I make more sustainable choices?”. Clearly, greater transparency across fashion supply chains is critical for customers to play their part in tackling climate change, and indeed in driving greater action and accountability from brands and suppliers. We’ve seen some positive action here in recent years from stakeholders who’ve made efforts to communicate their sustainability impacts in a credible and consistent way—though far from enough.

But with green claims under the spotlight like never before, a worrying phenomenon is on the rise, known as “greenhushing”, putting much needed progress at risk.

So, what’s greenhushing?

Greenhushing is essentially the opposite of greenwashing, and both buzzwords speak to trends that are not new in fashion. For decades, companies have deliberately avoided communicating environmental impacts, for lack of concern or fear of being called out. More recently, as brands have noticed the increasing trend of people wanting to shop more sustainably, they’ve stepped up their marketing of “green” products, backed all too often by unsubstantiated claims. That’s why we created Good On You in 2016—to help the growing number of conscious shoppers see through the spin, avoid silent actors, and ultimately make better choices. Millions of shoppers have used our 5000-plus brand ratings to vote with their wallets for a better future.

Consumers have a right to know how brands impact the issues they care about. So the crackdown on greenwashing is undoubtedly important, and it’s coming from many directions.

Firstly, a rapidly growing demographic of conscious customers are demanding clearer information that covers all the issues they care about. They’re becoming wary of greenwashing and often don’t trust what brands have to say about their impacts. But as things stand, there is a confusing myriad of certifications, eco-labels, and reporting standards on sustainability issues in fashion. They tend to cover just one aspect of the supply chain and fail to take a product’s full life cycle into account. This all can leave consumers more frustrated than informed.

Secondly, scrutiny from regulators around the world is increasing—and it’s long overdue. Last month the European Union released its proposed new Directive to stop companies making misleading environmental claims. The aim of the Substantiating Green Claims Directive is to establish common criteria against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims, which is clearly important. But confusion is already mounting around what the Directive practically means, suggesting alignment on the rules are still years away.

Transparency is the bare minimum

In this context of greater scrutiny around green claims, it’s not surprising that fashion brands and retailers are taking a more careful approach to what they do and don’t say on these issues.

But the move to say nothing at all, as some brands have done, is concerning. In the midst of a climate emergency, brands have an even greater responsibility to disclose their impacts. Providing less information—for fear of falling foul of regulation or accusations of greenwashing—is dangerous. Greenhushing could lead to an alarming backslide on transparency, setting back the drive to make real progress in a more responsible fashion industry.

In the midst of a climate emergency, brands have an even greater responsibility to disclose their impacts.

Full transparency may not be easy for an industry with complex supply chains, but it’s really the bare minimum we should expect. Consistency in data and disclosure is critical to consumers’ ability to make informed decisions.

Yet so few brands are actually taking strides in this direction. For example, when Good On You delved into ratings data from over 4,000 fashion brands at the end of last year, it found failings in this vital area. Significantly, 51% of large brands with greenhouse gas emissions targets do not state whether or not they’re on track to meet them. As a sector, we must do better than this.

Greenhushing is a path of no return

The way forward is for brands, retailers, and manufacturers to collaborate on publishing verifiable data about direct operations and supply chains—covering everything from where and how clothes were made, to what resources were consumed and how much pollution and waste was produced right across their life cycle. As a board advisor on transparency for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), I’m advocating for brands to prioritise taking steps towards this. And, of course, transparency alone is not enough. We must bring stakeholders from all sides together, to align efforts and co-create solutions. Demonstrating progress against commitments is even more important to ensuring critical progress is being made over time, and industry bodies like the SAC have an important role to play to catalyse collective action and drive tangible impacts at scale.

Brands and retailers cannot be allowed to shirk their responsibilities to both people and the planet.

Undoubtedly, we also need clear legislative frameworks to ensure fashion brands, retailers, and manufacturers communicate consistent and accurate information to their stakeholders. More definitive and unified frameworks will help alleviate brands’ concerns about greenwashing and create space for less greenhushing, ultimately empowering consumers to make better choices and hold the industry to its promises.

As the window in which we can act on the climate crisis rapidly closes, brands and retailers cannot be allowed to shirk their responsibilities to both people and the planet. By not being transparent on their impacts, companies are choosing to set the sector on a path of no return. And this is not a viable option.

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The surging consumer demand for more ethical fashion

One of the major consumer trends over the last five years is the huge rise in shoppers searching for more sustainable options. Case in point: searches for “sustainable products” have surged by 71% since 2016, according to global research by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Sustainability is no longer a niche concern for a subset of the population. It’s become a mainstream focus for shoppers around the world.

But even as the demand for ethical fashion has rapidly grown, we’ve also seen an increase in greenwashing from major brands. Last year, a study by the European Union’s consumer protection authorities found that greenwashing is rife on e-commerce websites. The study deemed nearly 50% of claims false, misleading, or potentially illegal.

That’s the key problem consumers face. They’re demanding that brands take sustainability seriously. They’re scouring the web for more sustainable products. But it’s either too time-consuming, too confusing, or straight-up impossible for most average consumers to figure out what information they can trust.

Greenwashing is rife on e-commerce websites. Nearly 50% of claims are false, misleading, or potentially illegal.

Sustainability is undeniably complex. And most consumers aren’t sustainability experts. We simply can’t expect them to be.

This underscores why the latest news from Microsoft Bing is such a key milestone. It has become the first major search engine to incorporate fashion ethics ratings as a central feature of its shopping search experience. And it’s powered by Good On You’s credible and independent ratings.

Let’s take a look at how Microsoft Bing is helping everyday shoppers see through the greenwashing—and how these kinds of innovative actions can push the industry to do better.

Sustainability tech that’s empowering better choices

First, here’s why this matters. We all have a right to know how brands impact critical issues from climate change to workers’ rights. You shouldn’t need to be a supply chain consultant or climate scientist to verify if brands are telling the truth.

But before Good On You existed, there was no straightforward way to check brands’ track records on people, planet, and animals.

That’s why we launched our sustainability platform in 2015: to help transform fashion from the bottom up. And over the past several years, we’ve led a growing movement of consumers demanding just that. It’s a movement that now numbers into the tens of millions.

You shouldn’t need to be a supply chain consultant or climate scientist to verify if brands are telling the truth.

We’ve come a long way since our launch. Good On You is now widely regarded as the industry’s most trusted source for sustainability ratings and information. Our ratings system brings together the world’s most reliable public information on sustainability—tapping 500-plus data points across more than 100 key issues, indicators, and standards systems. We then present that in clear and accessible ratings. And we do it at a scale no one else has. So far, we’ve rated more than 3,500 brands, with thousands more on the way.

Microsoft Bing is making these user-friendly ratings more accessible than ever before.

How Microsoft Bing helps you see through the greenwashing

Now, let’s dive into the news. Good On You’s ratings are powering Microsoft Bing’s Ethical Shopping Hub, which first launched in the UK in late 2021. The Ethical Shopping Hub and search experience is now live in the United States and Canada, rolling out to more regions and languages soon.

How does it work? It’s simple—you’ll see it when you enter a relevant search query on Bing.com.

Within the shopping tab, you can select the Good On You filters to find products from brands that have been independently evaluated by our ratings system. Microsoft Bing users in the relevant regions are now able to filter fashion products based on Good On You brand ratings and values. When you hover over a listing, you’ll not only see the rating but also the criteria and values that the brand performs well on.

What’s so powerful is that these new features are central to how shopping experiences work on Microsoft Bing.

For many products that you’ll find using Microsoft Bing, Good On You has done the hard work for you. Using our proprietary tech, our analysts have evaluated each brand using our rigorous methodology, which we developed in collaboration with industry experts, academics, and organisations. Transparency and materiality are core to how the ratings system works. Learn more about how Good On You rates brands.

What’s so powerful is that these new features are central to how shopping experiences work on Microsoft Bing. They’re seamlessly integrated into the core search interface alongside filters for price range, size, colour, and so on.

We all have a role to play in shaping the future

This news sends a clear message to the wider world of tech and e-commerce: you also have a responsibility to act.

While sustainability conversations often centre on what brands themselves are doing, the power to transform the industry and our wider economy does not only lie with brands. Platforms like Microsoft Bing are in a unique position, as they sit between everyday shoppers and brands. That gives them many opportunities.

Pioneering retailers like FARFETCH already harness Good On You’s ratings to educate consumers and promote meaningful changes across the fashion industry. It’s clear how much potential there is for others to step up.

These platforms have the power to not only shift consumer demand, but to push brands to improve in ways governments have so far failed to mandate. The growing calls for government regulation of the fashion industry is, frankly, long overdue. But that does not absolve the rest of the industry from its responsibilities.

These platforms have the power to not only shift consumer demand, but to push brands to improve in ways governments have so far failed to mandate.

The industry urgently needs to take action for our planet, for the millions of garment workers who make our clothes, and for the communities affected across the supply chain.

That’s why it’s so crucial that everyone within the system recognises they have a role to play. We need individual action. We need government action. And we need the industry to take accountability for its impacts at all levels. The solution is truthfully all of the above. Microsoft is showing us how to start making strides in the right direction.

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That’s why brands and retailers are teaming up with Good On You, the leading sustainability ratings platform for fashion, to help shoppers make more conscious and sustainable choices.

For retailers, a positive rating by Good On You can help reinforce a brand’s conscious credentials—and drive traffic.

James Bartle, who is the co-founder of ethical brand Outland Denim, says: “Good On You was one of our earliest supporters and our partnership with them is incredibly valuable. Not only are they one of the most trusted global resources for consumers who want to make more sustainable purchasing decisions, Good On You’s platforms are also consistently in our top five sources of webstore traffic and referral-based conversions each month.”

But what does it really take to be an ethical fashion brand? And how can a brand address its impacts to reach more conscious shoppers? We explain.

How it works

The Good On You rating system considers the most important social and environmental issues facing the fashion industry to assess a brand’s impact on three key pillars: people, planet, and animals.

We look at leading industry standards, certifications, and a brand’s own public reporting to award a 5-point score from 1-We Avoid, to 2-Not good enough, 3-It’s a start, 4-Good, and 5-Great.  We recommend supporting brands rated ‘Good’ (4/5) or ‘Great’ (5/5) across our channels.

How transparent is your brand?

Transparency is an important first step in the journey to becoming a more sustainable brand, because it drives accountability and progress over time. It also helps customers make informed choices if a brand publicly discloses information on their practices and policies.

For this reason the Good On You rating system is based on the specific, concrete data that brands publish. So brands that are transparent about their practices and progress against key sustainability issues score better, whereas brands that don’t disclose any information score poorly.

Here’s what we look for when rating a fashion brand for their impact on people, the planet, and animals.

Impact on people

When we assess how a brand impacts people, we look at how its workers are treated across the supply chain. These include policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, gender equality, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage. We also consider a brand’s relationships with their suppliers, how they empower their workers, and whether they audit their factories.

Brands that want to avoid or reduce negative impacts on workers can:

1. Trace suppliers all the way to raw materials

2. Avoid hotspots for human rights abuses

3. Create and publish a supplier code of conduct that aligns with international labour standards

4. Develop strong relationships with suppliers to ensure worker safety and living wages, and promote worker empowerment

5. Use certification schemes to ensure compliance with standards, eg Fairtrade, Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA)

Brands that score well on people include premium jeans label, Outland Denim (Great), which traces all of its supply chain and offers employment opportunities for women who have been trafficked in Cambodia. Or US-made Christy Dawn (Great) that ensures payment of a living wage in its final stage of production.

Impact on the planet

For the environment, we consider each brand’s use of resources and waste management, their commitments to circular practices, whether they measure and reduce carbon emissions, their impacts on water and microplastics, as well as how they use and dispose of chemicals.

Brands that want to reduce their environmental footprint can:

1. Use eco-friendly materials to limit the amount of chemicals and water used in production

2. Transition to renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions

3. Reduce textile waste by reusing offcuts or using recycled materials

4. Minimise and/or use recyclable packaging

5. Use certification schemes to ensure compliance with standards, eg the Global Organic Textile Standard

Brands rated by Good On You that score well for the planet include timeless accessories label BEEN London (Great) that uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including recycled materials and manufactures locally to reduce its carbon footprint. Sportswear giant, Adidas (Good), uses recycled materials and has set an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from its own operations.

Impact on animals

For our animal ratings we consider how well a brand traces its animal products and its animal welfare policies. We identify the use of fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. We also consider if wool has been produced using ‘mulesing’ and whether and how the brand uses leather.

Brands that want to protect the welfare of animals should:

1. Consider going vegan—build a label without the use of animal materials

2. Use upcycled and recycled materials—good for animals and the environment

3. Avoid non-domesticated animal materials such as python and crocodile

4. Avoid harmful practices in the supply chain like sheep mulesing, or materials with inherent cruelty like karukul, shearling, and angora

5. Use certification schemes to ensure compliance with standards, eg PETA-approved

We rate brands like Ahimsa Collective (Good), producing cruelty-free vegan leather handbags and accessories. All garments made by modern streetwear brand Plant Faced Clothing (Good) are PETA certified vegan.

For a closer look at our approach and the issues we consider when rating a brand, refer to the Guide to the Good On You rating system.

Author bio:

Sandra Capponi is the co-founder of Good On You, the leading source for sustainability ratings in fashion. Since 2015, she’s led the team to rate over 3,000 brands for their impact and empower millions of consumers to buy better. With years of experience in corporate social responsibility, Capponi has long been concerned with supply chain issues in big business. She started Good On You because she sees huge potential in using people power to drive industry change. A typical Melbournian, she loves espresso coffee, live music, and wearing black…from brands rated “Good” and “Great”,  of course. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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Fashion has a huge impact on society. A $1.5T industry, it employs a massive 80 million people globally, and most of them (around 80%) are women aged 18-35. In factories across some of the world’s poorest countries, unfair and unsafe conditions are still common. In China and Bangladesh, the two biggest manufacturers of fashion, workers earn well below the living wage. Many of us were horrified by the news of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 which killed 1,133 garment factory workers, exposing serious issues in global supply chains.

Since then, there have been some signs of progress. The Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord signed in the wake of the most deadly factory collapse in modern history saw over 100 global fashion brands commit to making factories safe for millions of workers.

Many brands have taken steps to more actively trace, engage with, and report on their suppliers – this year the Fashion Transparency Index showed that 40% of the world’s biggest brands published their 1st tier supplier lists, up from 32% in 2017.

Many brands have taken steps to more actively trace, engage with, and report on their suppliers. But there is still a way to go.

But there is still a way to go. And tragically, the coronavirus pandemic has caused another shock to an already fragile system. Like many industries, fashion is facing unprecedented store closures and revenues are expected to contract by 30% in 2020. In response, brands are scrambling to recover losses by cancelling billions of dollars worth of orders, including those ready to be shipped. Many brands are also demanding discounts and delaying payments to suppliers. This is having a disastrous impact, as suppliers already squeezed by tight margins are having to layoff workers and shut factories putting millions of vulnerable people at risk.

In places like Bangladesh, China, India and Cambodia many fashion workers lack the security of paid leave and basic medical care. Brands owe factories over $5B worth of orders in Bangladesh alone leaving millions of workers vulnerable. As Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told Vogue Business, “For them (brands) it’s a question of the survival of the businesses, for us it’s the survival of our 4.1 million workers,” she says. Lost employment directly affects people’s ability to cover basic needs. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to survive. I lost my job, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to buy food” said garment factory worker, Sabina Akhter, to the BBC in Dhaka. Then, of course, there’s the devastating impacts of the virus where the infrastructure for social distancing and healthcare are simply not there. Increasing stockpiles of inventory are becoming safety hazards, with alarming environmental impacts likely to follow.

For them (brands) it’s a question of the survival of the businesses, for us it’s the survival of our 4.1 million workers.

Rubana Huq

A big question is, who’s responsible? There’s a role for regulation like we saw with the Accord, but that will take time. Boycotting supplier countries or blaming factories is not the answer either – they are an important source of employment and economic activity. Ultimately, brands need to take accountability for protecting their workers, in the frontline and all the way down their supply chains. Some brands have acted, at least by committing to pay for orders where suppliers have started work. But more brands should uphold contracts, take responsibility for orders, and pay their suppliers on time. The Workers Rights Consortium regularly updates a list of brands that have committed to paying for orders completed and in production and those that haven’t. Remake’s #PayUp campaign calls out 17 major brands including Gap and Primark that need to “pay for in-production and cancelled orders, rather than abandon their supply chain partners and the women who have kept their businesses profitable for decades”.

However, the issue is much broader than brands not paying up – it’s about the power that brands have over suppliers, to squeeze them whenever they’re in trouble, and the lack of responsibility they take for actions which can destroy people’s livelihoods.

It’s about the power that brands have over suppliers, to squeeze them whenever they're in trouble, and the lack of responsibility they take for actions which can destroy people's livelihoods.

Even if major players like Inditex and H&M commit to pay existing orders, demand in their factories has still been slashed and ultimately layoffs will still have the same dire consequences. Better Buying has surveyed suppliers and made recommendations for ways brands can support their suppliers during the crisis. There’s no doubt that many brands are facing huge challenges right now, but at least in the short term, most have access to government support and capital markets while overseas suppliers and workers face devastation with nowhere to turn. It’s time for brands to step up to work with, not against suppliers, and to support the very makers of our clothes.

Importantly, we all have a role to play too. We have the power to choose brands that put people first, to urge and incentivise brands to change their practices for the better. The shift towards more sustainable shopping was already on the rise, and evidence suggests it will only accelerate after the covid crisis. According to McKinsey and Company, consumer expectations will be heightened for “purpose-driven, sustainable action” from brands. We’re already seeing this at Good On You, with our growing community of conscious shoppers who, more than ever, are looking to get behind brands that are doing good. Big names in fashion are also attesting to this movement, including Jose Neves, CEO of global e-commerce giant, Farfetch. “Consumers will be more attuned to companies that are doing the right thing for their communities and for the planet”, Neves said in a recent update to Farfetch shareholders. Leading sustainable brands are noticing changes too. “Customers and consumers are more ready for this than they ever have been in history.” James Bartle, Founder and CEO at Outland Denim said to Business of Fashion, after seeing a spike in e-commerce and attracting over A$1M in equity crowdfunding since March.

In the future people will be looking at how a brand responded to the needs of the most vulnerable in their supply chain during the crisis as a mark of how serious they are about sustainability.

In the future people will be looking at how a brand responded to the needs of the most vulnerable in their supply chain during the crisis as a mark of how serious they are about sustainability.

At Good On You, we’ve updated our rating methodology to score large brands on how they treated their suppliers during the pandemic.

We also continue to see more and more brands that prioritise the protection and empowerment of workers. They’re not only stepping up during the crisis, but they’re leading the way for positive and enduring change for the rest of the industry to follow. Here are some of our favourites that you can support too.

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The obvious threat of a deadly virus is compounded by destructive economic impacts that are mounting day by day with no end in sight. Countless business shutdowns, entire industries wiped out, and billions of workers left stranded.

Fashion has fallen victim, too. Zara-owner Inditex wrote off over $330M worth of inventory last month. The world’s second largest retailer, H&M reported a 46% plunge in March sales. Retail stores all around the globe have closed, countless workers have lost their jobs, and vulnerable communities in global supply chains are facing grave danger.

From Macy’s to Topshop, the stories of major lay-offs at the front line are well publicised. Even brands committed to sustainable production like Reformation, Eileen Fisher and Veja have had to shut their doors, with many smaller players following suit. But it’s the stories behind the scenes of fashion labels that are even more despairing.

Bangladesh, the second-largest apparel producer after China, is set to lose $6 billion in export revenue as international brands cancel orders, jeopardising millions of jobs in one of the world’s poorest countries.

Unlike in the US, Europe, and Australia, these workers don’t have access to health care and government support and live off daily wages. Without pay, they literally cannot survive.

These tragedies shine a light on the underlying flaws of a model that reacts rashly and does not protect the very makers of our clothes. Businesses need to do more.

But there is hope.

Consumers are looking to do things differently, more consciously. They’re reconsidering values and backing local businesses that do good, paving the way for new, more sustainable models to emerge.

Some fashion brands are stepping up too, adapting to market challenges and demands with creativity and ingenuity. Factories are making face masks, ventilators, and hand sanitisers. Businesses are shifting focus to de-risking supply chains, expanding ecommerce platforms, investing in employee engagement, and returning to purpose-led strategies.

Meanwhile, our environment is experiencing some respite from over production and consumption. The connectedness of people and planet is more apparent than ever. The power of people’s choices is more meaningful than ever.

That’s why at Good On You we are even more committed to pursue our mission to empower people to buy better and connect conscious shoppers to sustainable brands.

With our sustainability ratings and active community, we can help retailers stay connected, share positive brand stories, and reach the growing conscious consumer market.

It’s time to reinvent the future of fashion.

Author bio:

Sandra Capponi is the co-founder of Good On You, the leading source for sustainability ratings in fashion. Since 2015, she’s led the team to rate over 3,000 brands for their impact and empower millions of consumers to buy better. With years of experience in corporate social responsibility, Capponi has long been concerned with supply chain issues in big business. She started Good On You because she sees huge potential in using people power to drive industry change. A typical Melbournian, she loves espresso coffee, live music, and wearing black…from brands rated “Good” and “Great”,  of course. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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Sadly, with the onset of fast fashion, luxury brands are transforming their business models to keep up – adopting wasteful practices, toxic materials and murky supply chains with limited protection for workers and the environment.

Transparency in luxury remains low, too. But the old arguments for keeping in-house secrets no longer stack up in an era when consumers are demanding to know where and how their clothes were made.

That’s why Good On You is committed to supporting fashion retailers to assess, curate and promote sustainable brands.

Not only do we empower our huge community of conscious shoppers to buy better, we help retailers choose better brands, too.

Good On You has partnered with Farfetch on a major new initiative to expand the sustainable fashion movement into the luxury sector. Farfetch’s latest Positively Conscious collection, launched this October, features hundreds of fashion brands that have been independently rated by Good On You for their impact on people, planet and animals.

We’re proud of the role we play in powering the sustainability agenda of Farfetch, a leading global tech platform for luxury fashion.

This partnership will see millions more people become aware of fashion’s impact and how to choose more sustainable brands. Together, we can meet the needs of the growing conscious consumer market and incentivise brands to change.

Good On You’s robust brand rating system for fashion is accessible to millions of shoppers via our app, website and online brand directory. The ratings take into account key social and environmental issues across a brand’s whole supply chain, so that people can know the impact of their clothes.

We understand that fashion retailers want to know the impact of brands, too. They need consistent, credible ways to assess sustainability performance. Good On You can help retailers identify leading brands and share with customers the information they’re looking for.

Let’s collaborate and use the power of people’s choices to create a sustainable future in fashion.

Author bio:

Sandra Capponi is the co-founder of Good On You, the leading source for sustainability ratings in fashion. Since 2015, she’s led the team to rate over 3,000 brands for their impact and empower millions of consumers to buy better. With years of experience in corporate social responsibility, Capponi has long been concerned with supply chain issues in big business. She started Good On You because she sees huge potential in using people power to drive industry change. A typical Melbournian, she loves espresso coffee, live music, and wearing black…from brands rated “Good” and “Great”,  of course. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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