When it comes to which brands stand out the most for their environmental commitment, we could mention many, although it’s a difficult topic becausethere’s no single way to measure that commitment, and there are different levels within the sector: large companies, independent designers, suppliers, manufacturers, etc. Some clearly prominent names within the concept of Right Fashion would beStella McCartney,H&M,C&A, theKering Group,Inditex, etc.
Based on the Transparency Index published byFashion Revolutionon April 23, 2018, the leading companies areAdidasandReebokat 58%, followed byPUMA,H&M, andEsprit, all of which score above 50%. This Index measures five major areas (policies and social and environmental commitment; accountability in incorporating these issues into purchasing and sourcing; traceability; problem-solving; and new challenges). The area with the greatest weight in the score is traceability (34%), followed by problem-solving (30%), commitment (19%), and new challenges—including waste, recycling, etc.—which account for up to 12%.
However, these studies do not measure the actions that companies actually take, but only the data and information publicly available on these issues and the impacts of these practices on workers, communities, and the environment. For this reason, many brands that are doing more to promote sustainability may not be included in these lists, either because they were not among those analyzed or because they do not make their actions public. We cannot equate sustainability solely with transparency, but transparency—which is merely a means to an end—facilitates commitment to that end: sustainability.Sustainability encompasses not only environmental aspects but also social and economic ones, as defined by Professor Munasinghe in 1993.
The fashion industry’s environmental impact is the most obvious issue; in fact, it is said to be the second-most polluting industry. But since the tragic accident five years ago at Rana Plaza (Bangladesh), which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 garment workers—and especially since 2017—a new roadmap has been developed to simultaneously address social issues.
As noted in the2018 Pulse of the Fashion Industry, last year 75% of fashion companies improved their scores, according to theSustainable Apparel Coalition’s (SAC)Higgs Index. However, according to the same report, in 2018 the global fashion industry scored 38 out of 100 on key environmental and social issues as well as sustainability. Therefore, there is much room for improvement.
Furthermore, one-third of companies have not yet taken action, and the pace of change is not fast—or not fast enough. Individual companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), find it difficult to navigate this change on their own and need to create an ecosystem that fosters partnerships for research, commercialization, and appropriate scaling.
To name a few other companies that stand out for their environmental commitment:Icebreakeris a good example for its traceability;Reformationfor calculating the carbon footprint of its products using theRefScale tool; Skunkfunkfor using 92% organic cotton in its garments in 2018;Inditex, Fjällräven, Outerknow, andVolcomhave rapidly increased their use of recycled polyester, which allows them to reduce toxins by up to 80%, energy consumption by 60%, and CO2 emissions by 40%.
Silvia Pérez Bou, academic coordinator of the"The Right Product" program atISEM Fashion Business School
