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đŸ˜± Breaking: 75% of luxury brands get our two lowest ratings

Our data reveals most luxury brands aren’t doing enough to reduce their impacts.

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Dive deeper into fashion and sustainability
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Luxury brands like to speak a big game about sustainability. At the Global Fashion Summit Copenhagen last year, Antoine Arnault, LVMH’s head of image and environment, said that luxury fashion is “sustainable by nature”, but our ratings tell a different story: the majority of luxury brands are not doing or disclosing nearly enough to address the sustainability issues in the industry.

Of course, overproduction of cheap clothing is primarily driven by fast fashion giants. And luxury brands often put more attention, time, and artisanship into garment production, which means luxury clothing is likely to last longer and have a better resale value, as Vestiaire Collective’s recent report revealed. It found that buying “pre-loved” luxury items is more cost-effective than buying fast fashion, when considering price per wear.

That said, other factors urgently need addressing across the industry—luxury included. And not least is the payment of living wages to workers throughout entire supply chains. This week we’re looking at some of the most significant challenges facing the luxury sector.

💬 In this week’s issue:
  • It’s more expensive, but is it more sustainable? We look at the data to find out what luxury fashion’s impact really is.
  • Mushroom, coconut, pineapple, and more: Are these the recipe for fashion’s leather-free future? It’s complicated.
  • H&M and Zara have been linked to land grabbing and deforestation in Brazil: Plus more sustainable fashion news you need to know this month.
All that glitters isn’t green. Our comprehensive data reveals that despite their high price tags, most luxury brands still fall short on sustainability. Here are the most significant challenges facing the industry:
  • “Not as bad as fast fashion” is a low bar: It may not encourage the same levels of excess, but luxury fashion still has complex supply chain issues and a historic lack of transparency, as our ratings for leading luxury brands demonstrate.
  • What our data shows: An abysmal 75% of luxury brands received our two lowest ratings, “We Avoid” and “Not Good Enough”, including the world’s biggest luxury brand, Louis Vuitton. You’d expect better of the industry leader. Only 10% are “Good” or “Great”.
  • The most pressing sustainability issues in luxury fashion:
    • Human rights: The majority of luxury brands received our two lowest ratings for labour when we analysed the publicly available data. There’s still a long way to go here.
    • Carbon footprints: Greenhouse gas emissions and large carbon footprints aren’t unique to luxury, but the sector has a responsibility to take meaningful action to mitigate its impact and demonstrate best practice to the rest of the industry.
    • Transparency seems secondary to exclusivity: Transparency in the industry is only improving at a snail’s pace. We need to see luxury brands taking the lead and fully disclosing details of their supply chains instead of waiting for legislation to push them into doing the right thing.
  • Better luxury brands are leading the way: Maggie Marilyn, Stella McCartney, Edeline Lee, and Mother of Pearl are all rated “Good” by our world-leading analysts. Our list of the top rated more sustainable luxury brands has the full breakdown of “Good” and “Great” companies to know about.
Read the report
The leather industry has many sustainability issues—from the horrors of factory farming to the health issues affecting workers, and its high carbon footprint. If buying leather doesn’t sit right with you, there are innovators all over the world creating alternatives to rival the animal-derived material. But are they more than plastic?
  • Choosing materials based on your values: Yes, some leather alternatives, including the ones listed in this article, still rely on some element of plastic or fossil-fuel-derived materials for durability, which raises the question: is it better to avoid plastic-based leather or to avoid animal-derived leather?
  • The current answer is: every single material on the market today has some sort of trade-off and impact on the planet, and a mixture of preferred materials is needed going forward. We believe that you are the final decision-maker when choosing materials for yourself. Figure out what is most important to you, considering that materials are not the only issue a brand should be addressing, and let information guide your process.
  • In the meantime, here are some leather alternatives to keep an eye on: Piñatex, made from pineapple leaf fibres; MuSkin, a new material made from mushroom, and Desserto cactus leather—another exciting vegan alternative that has gained traction in recent years.
Learn more about leather alternatives
Founded in 2022, Cerqular makes it easier to shop brands that match your values. The sustainable lifestyle retailer carries a selection of brands we’ve rated “Good” and “Great”, including LA Relaxed, Veja, BEEN London, Unspun, and more. We asked Ellen Sun, the platform’s merchandising manager and expert in curating more sustainable brands, for her tips on finding the right items to align with your needs and values, and what she’s loving in Cerqular’s offering at the moment:
  • Veja trainers: “A great investment because they’re easy to wear and the versatile design won’t go out of style.”
  • Dew jeans by Dawn Denim: “These comfy and soft Dew jeans are made from organic cotton and have a classic design that you’ll want to wear for years.”
  • Houdini’s rain jacket: “It shields you from wind or rain and is a great companion for outdoor adventurers because it’s so lightweight.”
Read the full story
'Good' and 'Great' news
Here we share weekly highlights from highly rated brands. Using our codes and links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.
Check out the full round up
đŸ’» We're hiring!
Want to build software that powers Good On You ratings? We’re hiring! Come join our remote working team and help reduce the impact of fashion on people, the planet and animals:
  • Senior Back End Developer to build products and contribute to all technical aspects of Good On You’s strategy, product development and systems operation
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