LONDON – Adidas and Reebok have come out top in this year’s Fashion Transparency Index which ranks 150 of the biggest global apparel brands and retailers on how much information they disclose about their suppliers, supply chain policies, and social and environmental impact. Also high on the list are Puma, H&M and M&S, while ASOS is the biggest climber having improved last year’s score by 18 per cent.
The Index, says Fashion Revolution, aims to get “people thinking differently about what they wear.” Adds the report: “We need to know that our questions, our voices, and our shopping habits can have the power to help change things for the better. With more citizens encouraging brands to answer ‘who made my clothes?, we believe Fashion Revolution has the power to push the industry to become more transparent.”
The report notes that we are seeing more and more businesses sharing their policies and commitments on human rights and the environment, but adds that there is still much information about the practices of the fashion industry that remains concealed, particularly when it comes to impacts on the lives of workers in the supply chain and on the environment.
The report adds: “The average score for all 150 brands and retailers is 21% out of 250 possible points, proving that there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Out of the 98 brands and retailers we reviewed in 2017, we have seen a 5 per cent average increase in their level of transparency in 2018.”
Adds the report: “Lack of transparency costs lives. It is impossible for companies to make sure human rights are respected, working conditions are adequate and the environment is safeguarded without knowing where their products are made. That’s why transparency is essential.
“Transparency requires that companies know who makes their clothes – from who stitched them right through to who dyed the fabric and who farmed the cotton — and under what conditions. Crucially, it requires brands to share this information publicly.
“If we know the facilities where our clothes are being made, if we have access to information about the factories, mills and farms where brands are sourcing then the public can help hold the industry to account for bad practices and encourage good practices.”
