Has there been any progress on transparency in the global fashion industry?

Fashion Revolution‘s annual report, devoted to the transparency of brands with regard to their social and environmental responsibilities, shows some progress, but mostly a lack of communication regarding issues in the sector. The report focuses specifically on transparency rather than sustainability, the former not being synonymous with the latter.

Among the findings of this annual report, Fashion Revolution points out, for example, that the share of brands observed that do not disclose the volumes produced has risen in one year from 85% to 88%. Fingers are also pointed at brands’ use of water, with only 23% of them disclosing their process to conduct water-related risk assessments.

The Index does note, however, that for the first time, two of the most important brands in the ranking scored above 80%, namely OVS and Gucci. However, among the negative points, the report notes that 94% of brands do not disclose the fuels used in the manufacturing of their clothing. And 99% would not disclose the number of workers earning a “living wage” in their supply chain.

“Overall, the global fashion industry has made very little progress in terms of transparency, with major fashion brands achieving an overall average score of 26%, an increase of just 2% on last year,” laments Fashion Revolution. “Nevertheless, progress has been made in this area (…). More than half (52%) of the 250 major brands examined by the European Commission have indicated that they disclose their lists of first-tier suppliers, a promising development compared to the 32 out of 100 brands (32%) in the first edition of the Index.”

The brands’ score is calculated based on five factors with specific coefficients. ‘Spotlight issues’ (36% of the score) relate to brand transparency on specific issues such as forced labour, workers’ pay, the fight against overproduction and circularity. The ‘Know, Show & Fix’ criterion (16.8%) focuses on brands’ duty of care and their reactions to problems. The ‘Policies & Commitments’ criterion (13.2%) analyses long-term social and environmental commitments. Added to these are the notions of traceability (29.6%) and governance (4.4%).

Over 150 pages of figures and data show how many companies are investing in the various social and environmental issues facing the sector. For example, 89% of brands publish the rules they impose on their suppliers regarding child labour, 53% communicate their equal pay policy, and 40% publicise their anti-waste strategies.

While reminding us that transparency does not necessarily mean sustainability, Fashion Revolution notes that the number of companies with a score of zero has risen in one year from 15 to 18 brands. This year, these include Tom Ford, New Yorker, Mexx, Savage x Fenty, Max Mara, K-Way and Big Bazar.

“Given the global impact of hazardous chemicals on people and the planet, it is worrying that only 7% of major brands and retailers publish the results of their supplier wastewater test results,” warns Fashion Revolution.