When fast fashion first became popular in the 1990’s, brands aimed to solve a few problems for our society. Their main purpose was to allow current fashion to be accessible in an inexpensive way. What was not seriously taken into consideration was the huge environmental and social problems fast fashion brands have created. Fast Fashion not only contributes heavily to the mounds of waste sent to landfill every year, but also adds to microplastics in our oceans, waters, and marine life.
Cotton and polyester continue to be the most popular fabrics for fast fashion brands. Although these fabrics may seem harmless at first, they carry a lot of burden for the earth.
Cotton accounts for only 2.5% of the crops worldwide, yet is responsible for 75% of the world’s pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals are a big problem for human and animal health, contributing to disease, pollution and poor air quality. Polyester is a manmade fabric derived from petroleum–an energy intensive, unrenewable plastic-based resource. It contributes to a myriad of problems, including microplastic waste, growing landfills, and diminishing resources.
How to Know a Fast Fashion Brand?
In order to take a serious look at some of the most famous fast fashion brands, we came up with criteria to best evaluate all within the same lens. We decided to look at the following companies with these 10 criteria in mind. When the information was unavailable, this to us was a bad sign at transparency and rated as a ‘0’. These ratings may be updated as information changes and becomes more available. (Some of the links in the article are affiliate links, if you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.)
- Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year?
- Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices?
- Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it?
- Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as recycled material, Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen?
- Does the company claim to pay a fair wage?
- Does the company look for ways to ship in a carbon neutral way?
- Are the cost of items too low to justify?
- Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way?
- Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often?
- Has the brand been associated with any catastrophe or controversy?
Here we rate the most popular brands found in many malls across the country and online.
The TOP 10 Fast Fashion Brands to Avoid
(and a Better Alternative)
| Fast Fashion Brand (Click to Read Full Review) | Our Rating Out of 10 | Better Alternative (Click to Check It Out) |
| GAP Inc. | 2.0 | Organic Basics |
| Shein | 0.5 | AFENDS |
| H&M | 3.0 | 337 Brand |
| Zara (Inditex) | 4.0 | Done Good |
| Forever 21 | 0 | Urban Kissed |
| Victoria’s Secret | 2.5 | Cuup |
| Adidas | 7.0 | Adidas Allbirds |
| Abercrombie and Fitch | 2.0 | Groceries Apparel |
| Wish | 0 | Made Trade |
| Uniqlo | 3.0 | Pact |
GAP Inc.
(Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic, Athletica)
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | no |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | some |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | some |
| Does the company claim to pay a fair wage? | no |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | no |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | some |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | yes |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | some |
Our Rating: 2.0
GAP Inc. is only emerging as a more ethical company. Many of their practices need to be better tuned in order to acquire a higher sustainability rating. Shipping practices, paying a living wage, and using sustainable fabrics are a good start for Old Navy and associates.
If you like Old Navy clothing, try Organic Basics for fashion that lasts longer and is more sustainable over the long term.
Shein
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | some |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | Little to none (No) |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Little to none (No) |
| Does the company claim to pay a fair wage? | No |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | No |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | Yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | Yes |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | Yes |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | Yes |
Our Rating for Shein: 0.5
Shein’s motto is provote on-trend clothes that won’t break the bank. Unfortunately, this type of fast fashion practice leads us to cheap clothing that won’t last more than a few washes without looking worn. Shein is continuously adding styles and items to their collections, making clothing for quick turnaround. Shein is one of the worst in the fast fashion industry. They understand that sustainability is a popular issue, but the steps they’ve taken only scratch the surface and can easily fall into the category of “greenwashing”.
If you like Shein style clothing, try AFENDS for a more sustainable option.
H&M
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | Yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | Yes |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | Yes |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Some |
| Does the company claim to pay a fair wage? | No |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | Some |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | Yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | Yes, but… |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | Yes |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | Yes |
Our Rating for H&M: 3.0
H&M is trying to do better. They have a greater level of transparency than they ever did before, but that might have something to do with the fact that they were involved in the Bangladesh fashion catastrophe in 2013. H&M is using more sustainable materials in the production of their clothing, which is a good thing.
They have sustainability goals, with a far-off target of 2040, while most of the world is working towards sustainability goals for the year 2030. While they have reduced plastic bags in store, they still utilise plastic to transport each garment from factory to store, which accounts for a whole lot of plastic being thrown out! Have a biodegradable plastic for this would be a better choice. H&M still churns out new styles various times per year urging shoppers to want, buy, and need more.
The sheer size of the company allows them to be more innovative, trying out new fabrics and materials. We hope that they can be an industry leader in the future, but for now there’s still a way to go.
If you like H&M style but you want something more sustainable, try 337 Brand.
Inditex
(Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe)
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | Yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | Some |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | Yes |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Some |
| Does the company claim to pay a fair wage? | Some |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | No |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | Some |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | By Some |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | Some |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | Yes |
Our Rating for Inditex: 4.0
Better than other fast fashion brands, Inditex is the largest fast fashion brand in the world. We were surprised that it scored a 4.0, since there has been a lot of bad publicity out there about Zara and Co. recently.
The company has published a thorough guide of their practices here, in which they detail many of the sustainability goals. The company manufactures in a combination of countries, some with higher standards than others. They are beginning to choose more sustainable fabrics, and reduce plastic and energy within their facilities.
They still account for a great deal of waste, both textile and plastic, and continue to push the multi-season collections that fast fashion demands.
If you like Zara’s style but you want something more sustainable, try Done Good.
Forever 21
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | Yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | No |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | No |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | No |
| Does the company claim to pay a fair wage? | No |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | No |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | Yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | Yes |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | Yes |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? |
Our Rating for Forever 21: 0
Getting any information from the company itself was next to impossible. They do not have a sustainability page on their website, nor do they have any particular initiatives and goals to work towards. They scored 0 on every aspect of our criteria.
If you like Forever 21’s style but you want something more sustainable, try Urban Kissed.
Victoria’s Secret
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | Yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | Some |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | Some |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Some |
| Does the company claim to pay a living wage? | No |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | No |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | No |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in any way? | Yes |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | Some |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | Some |
Our Rating for Victoria’s Secret: 2.5
Victoria’s Secret does have some transparency about their manufacturing and fabric choices. Buried in a PDF on their corporate section of the website is a document about their most current environmental and social policies.
Victoria’s Secret is choosing more recycled polyester, and has identified more reputable countries and suppliers for cotton and man-made cellulosic fibers such as modal, lyocell, and viscose. They are not yet at the level of utilising the most beneficial eco-fabrics such as organic cotton and Tencel.
Victoria’s Secret’s workforce is mainly women. Production is mostly in Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China, giving us the impression that they are not paying a living wage to garment workers. Recently, they were involved in closing a factory in Thailand without paying worker amounts due as mandated by the Thai government.
If you like Victoria’s Secret’s style but you want something more sustainable, try Cuup or Only Heart.
Adidas
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | Some |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | Yes 1 |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Yes 1 |
| Does the company claim to pay a living wage? | Yes 1 |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | some |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | no |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in a way? | some |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | no |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | some |
Our Rating for Adidas: 7.0
Adidas sells a lot more than just regular running shoes. Cleats, clothing, and specialty sport items are all things that are designed and manufactured by Adidas. With this in mind, we are happy to see that Adidas is beginning to understand the importance of sustainability and is working towards many goals to be a better, greener company.
Adidas is using more recycled and unique materials, such as recycled fish nets from the oceans and algae. They claim to have a clear roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which includes having 9 out of 10 articles being sustainable by 2025. They are planning on reducing greenhouse gases by 30% by 2030, and by 2025 aim to have a system in place to identify high risk human rights issues in their supply chain.
The company’s transparency, as well as motivation to change socially and environmentally results in the highest score on our board.
If you like Adidas’s style but you want something more sustainable, try the Allbirds Adidas.
Abercrombie and Fitch
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | some |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | some |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | Too little to count |
| Does the company claim to pay a living wage? | no |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | no |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | some |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in a way? | yes |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | no…but |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | yes |
Our Rating for Abercrombie: 2.0
Most of the controversy surrounding Abercrombie in past years has had to do with labor issues, hiring practices, and image.
The company has recently been working on their efforts towards sustainability which are geared inline with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This is a step in the right direction. Despite recent efforts, most fabrics used in their clothing are still unsustainable, such as non-organic cotton and non-recycled polyester.
Factories manufacturing Abercrombie clothing are listed on their website here, yet are all still in the developing world and have been the subject of labor protests.
The company is known for quality clothing, but the sheer high fashion aspect makes styles unattractive for long-term wear. This is why we could not award them a full point for cost.
If you like Abercrombie’s style but you want something more sustainable, try Groceries Apparel.
Wish
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | yes |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | no |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | no |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | no |
| Does the company claim to pay a living wage? | no |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | no |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in a way? | … |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | yes |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | … |
Our Rating for Wish: 0
Cheap copy-cat clothing and plastic products are the foundation of this business. Wish does not even try to promote sustainability, nor does it try to reduce its impact with sustainable fabrics, low carbon shipping methods or quality products that last.
We do not recommend Wish and if you like the style of clothing and products, try Made Trade for a one stop shop of trinkets and clothing.
Uniqlo
| Does the company produce more than 4 seasons of clothing within a year? | some |
| Is the company transparent about their manufacturing, procurement, and shipping practices? | no |
| Does the company promote sustainability online and have claims to back it? | some |
| Does the company use sustainable fabrics such as Lyocell, organic cotton, hemp, and linen? | no |
| Does the company claim to pay a living wage? | no |
| Does the company look for ways to reduce carbon through their shipping and packaging? | no |
| Are the cost of items too low to justify? | yes |
| Has the company been accused of greenwashing in a way? | no |
| Is the company known for cheap clothing that needs to be replaced often? | no |
| Has the brand been associated with any recent catastrophe or controversy? | some |
Our Rating for Uniqlo: 3.5
UNIQLO is the biggest fast fashion brand in Japan and continues to expand internationally. What we like about the company is how the style of clothing is often timeless and the quality of the clothing is fairly durable for a fast fashion brand.
That being said, UNIQLO has been accused of labor rights violations with factory workers over the years. Clothing is unfortunately made with the standard cheap labor from China, as many other fast fashion companies.
They have a sustainability program in which they recycle donated UNIQLO clothing to either repurpose or remake into new clothing. Although they use some recycled or sustainable fabrics, most are still made with generic polyester or cotton. We found little information detailing how UNIQLO is trying to reduce carbon or efforts to minimize the increase in global temperature.
If you like UNIQLO’s style but you want something more sustainable, try Pact or Oh Seven Days. .
What Next?
Fast Fashion Brands have started to notice that consumers are getting smarter and more aware of the impacts that fast fashion has towards the future of our planet. Some of these brands are currently taking a more conscious approach to issues of sustainability. While these efforts DO account for something, there are other brands on the market who are much more irresponsible about every aspect of their production, from procurement of materials, to shipping, design, and sales & returns for the customer.
As consumers we have a voice–we vote with our dollars, if we choose fast fashion, the industry will keep on making more. If you want more information about Sustainable Fashion, read: How Sustainable Fashion is Saving the World.
4 Responses
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