The impact of fashion goes beyond your walk-in closet.
As trends’ lifespan become shorter, retailers are producing apparel at record speeds — keeping up with forecasted designs and getting the garments to customers’ doorsteps as quickly as possible.
Booming industrialism, digitization, and globalization at the end of the 20th century laid the framework for mass consumption online. According to McKinsey, clothing production nearly doubled and clothing consumption increased by 60% per capita between 2000 and 2014.
It takes a lot of energy (and waste) to keep up with mass production. The fast fashion industry has grown so much in the past decades that it is now responsible for 20% of the world’s water pollution and produces up to 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. Recognizing the harm of the industry, new generations of shoppers are saying they want to see widespread change.
A 2020 study found that 73% of respondents in Gen Z were willing to pay more for sustainable products. For the future of business and the climate, retailers are pivoting toward sustainable materials, reduced carbon emissions, and improved logistics.
But how many fashion businesses are following through on their sustainability commitments?
Good On You is a fashion brand index providing ratings on companies’ sustainable practices. The comprehensive methodology analyzes over 100 key indicators to arrive at their rating — this includes supply chain, fibers, packaging, and ingredients. Ratings range from “great”, “good,” “it’s a start,” “not so good,” and “we avoid.”
The priority rankings address how different brands impact people, the planet, and animals. Here’s how some of the most popular brands today scored.
Is Aritzia fast fashion?
This Canadian-based retailer has soared in the past few years, describing itself as “everyday luxury” at non-luxury prices. According to the company’s 2024 Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report, “100% of the energy fuelling [Aritzia] Boutiques, Support Offices, and Distribution Centres comes from renewable sources.” Additionally, 34% of raw materials in 2023 collections met a third-party certification and 37% of polyesters in the same collections were certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). Indexes reveal that the retailer does use low-impact materials that are biodegradable, including organic cotton.
However, when it comes to labor standards, Artizia falls short: few of Aritzia’s supply chain is verified by global labor standards that promote worker health and safety, according to Good On You. Additionally, Artizia has done little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its production nor committed to reducing hazardous chemicals in manufacturing.
Is Uniqlo sustainable?
Uniqlo received an “it’s a start” from Good On You for its improved sustainability practices. The Japanese casual wear brand could be seen as one of the most sustainability-focused international brands, being transparent about sourcing and recycling efforts.
Programs like Blue Cycle Jeans, a denim washing process that significantly reduces the amount of water needed to make jeans, and Re.Uniqlo, an effort to prolong Uniqlo brand clothing, are effective in addressing water and textile waste.
All about Reformation
The Los Angeles-based women’s retailer opened its first store in 2009, focusing on vintage reselling. Once it moved toward its own in-house production, Reformation had sustainability at the center of its operations — aiming to be climate positive (or carbon negative) by 2025. It has included an entire roadmap to achieving this feat, planning to eliminate silk and cashmere, source more recycled materials, expand on upcycling, and switch to “100% carbon removal projects.” Additionally, the retailer plans to rely more on cargo transportation as air transport is 30 times more carbon intensive than cargo.
As of 2024, Reformation’s textiles are 98% recycled, reduced water waste by 59%, and 100% of packaging material is recycled (although they’re aiming for an 100% plastic-free packing solution).
Is Shein truly fast fashion?
For years, Shein has been at the center of the conversation around fast fashion. The Chinese retailer, based in Singapore, has churned out thousands of products and designs at competitive prices and was valued at $60 billion in 2023.
In 2022, Shein received a score of 7 out of 100 on the Fashion Transparency Index, underscoring years of private policies regarding materials waste and labor conditions. To keep up with changing trends and designs, the retailer produces a large quantity of units using virgin fabrics and non recycled polyester, expelling as much carbon dioxide as 180 coal-fired power plants, according to Time. Various investigations found working conditions violating Chinese labor laws, 17-hour workdays in factories, and $20 a day wages.
Shein has recently adopted new initiatives, called “evoluSHEIN,” to improve on sustainability. This reform included investing in recycled polyester and cutting carbon footprint 25% by 2030. Critics accused Shein of greenwashing, holding that even with material recycling, producing on such a massive scale cannot be sustainable without global overhaul. Good On You suggests avoiding the retailer as a whole.
Is PrettyLittleThing actually fast fashion?
Under the parent company Boohoo Group, the UK-based fashion retailer reported over $2 billion in revenue in 2023 and boasts 18 million active customers. Under Boohoo’s UP.FRONT campaign to bring sustainable practices, the retail conglomerate committed to eliminating additional textile waste in UK landfills by 2025 and more sustainably-sourced or cotton materials (providing no measurable metric) by 2030.
Although the company uses some degradable textiles and provided some form of target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, PrettyLittleThing notably does not provide updates on goal progress and measurable contributions. Receiving a score of 21-30% on the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, the retailer can take major steps in improving climate-focused operations.
