Fashion Revolution Transparency Index Reveals Gucci Ranks High on Fashion's Sustainability Aims, While Savage X Fenty and More Rank Low
Gucci became one of the first brands to score in the report’s 80th percentile.
The Fashion Revolution Transparency Index is an annual report that documents the worker rights, purchasing practices and wages of 250 fashion brands, in an effort to determine the industry’s current commitments to sustainability. In its eighth iteration, this year’s index examined brands with revenues over $400 million USD according to 258 very-specific indicators, according to WWD.
The report showed some promising results, including two fashion brands surpassing the index’s 80th percentile for the first time since its creation. Gucci (80%) and OVS (83%) led the way with the highest scores, and Gucci earned the largest increase when compared to last year. Per the report, the five “biggest movers” were Gucci, Armani, Jil Sander, Miu Miu and Prada.
However, the report also indicated that several big-name brands could not be meeting the industry’s sustainability aims, as they shared little or nothing with the Index. Specifically, the following 18 brands scored a 0% rating on the report: Anta, Belle, Big Bazaar, Bosideng, Fashion Nova, K-Way, Koov, Max Mara, Metersbonwe, Mexx, New Yorker, Heilan Home, Savage X Fenty, Semir, Splash, Tom Ford, Van Heusen and Youngor. Further, 71 of the 250 brands (28%) earned a score between 0% and 10%, marking a small improvement from last year’s 31%.
“With skyrocketing inflation and living costs globally, it is more urgent than ever that the people who make our clothes can afford to live decently and be able to provide for themselves and their families,” said Liv Simpliciano, Fashion Revolution’s policy and research manager, in a statement to WWD. “Mandatory legislation on living wages is necessary to level the playing field so no business can continue to operate with impunity and profit from the undervalued work of garment workers — this is why we launched our Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign [which advocates for fair pay legislation in the European Union].”
In terms of the environment, only 23% of the included brands shared their processes for naming toxic chemical risks, and just 7% revealed their wastewater test results. Additionally, only 12% of brands shared their yearly production rates.
On a more positive note, 52% of brands shared their first-tier suppliers, marking a significant increase from 32% in the Index’s 2017 report. Overall, Fashion Revolution earned a 61% participation rate, which Simpliciano states is a “case for progress.”
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