Scores for over 450 brands are available on the Baptist World Aid website through the online Ethical Fashion Guide. They are also listed in the Ethical Fashion Report which you can read online here.
Companies are assessed across five sections of the Ethical Fashion Survey: Policies and Governance, Tracing and Transparency, Supplier Relationships and Human Rights Monitoring, Worker Empowerment, and Environmental Sustainability. For a full list of the 48 questions assessed and the evidence requirements, please visit the Appendix to the Ethical Fashion Report.
If a brand isn’t included, we encourage you to do your own research. You can use our Ethical Fashion Decision Making Flowchart and resources to help you.
Our ethical fashion work is entirely funded by generous individual supporters and church partners of Baptist World Aid. No financial support for this project is provided by any companies assessed in the research.
Buying second-hand is always a more sustainable option than buying brand-new, even if the original brand scores poorly. By purchasing second-hand we reduce the demand for new clothing and help reduce waste issues associated with ever-quickening fashion cycles. It’s important to remember however, even when op-shopping, that the most sustainable wardrobe is the one you already own. As cycles of consumption increase and op-shops are overrun with poorly made second-hand fashion, excess clothing is often passed on to developing countries, harming their local economies and environment. Opting to take better care of your existing clothes and wearing them for as long as possible remains the most effective way to minimise your impact.
While companies are ultimately responsible for the ethical production of our clothes, individuals help shift industry practices that impact workers and the environment. Engage in the ethical fashion movement by buying less, buying better and expecting more. Stop and consider whether you need more clothing before you make a purchase, and start ethical fashion and mindful consumption conversations with your friends. When you do need to buy something new, you can use our Ethical Fashion Guide to find brands that align with your values. You can also engage with companies and governments by letting them know you care about the way garment workers and the environment are treated. We have plenty of resources, blogs and ideas to help you take part in the ethical fashion movement.
In 2024, 120 companies representing 460 brands were included in the research. All companies with annual revenues exceeding AUD $50 million are automatically included in the 10th Edition Report. Smaller companies that have been part of our research in the past are given the option to participate if they fall below that threshold. This selection process helps us include the largest companies with the greatest consumer reach, which have the most significant impact on workers and the environment. If you would like to request that a brand is included in our research fill out the form in this page.
The list of brands included in the Ethical Fashion Guide changes with each release. Some brands are removed because they go into administration or are sold to other parent companies who are not covered by our research. Companies with annual revenues over AUD $50 million are automatically included. Smaller companies below this threshold can choose to ‘opt in’ to the research process to have their progress benchmarked. In 2024, we included 15 new companies, but 15 also opted out this year as they fell below the threshold.
Companies scores are based on 48 questions covering 18 indicators of ethical supply chain practice. Our research uses a combination of information published on company or brand websites, company reports (e.g. Annual Reports, Corporate Social Responsibility Reports), and any relevant statutory statements (e.g. Modern Slavery Statements) that cover the research period. All companies had the opportunity to provide evidence directly to the research team. Where companies have been assessed on public information only, they have an asterisk (*) next to their score.
The research team do not conduct site inspections of factories as part of their assessment, but we have specific evidence requirements that companies must meet in order to receive credit for survey questions. Therefore, company scores reflect the strength of their labour rights and environmental management systems, based on the evidence they provide either publicly or directly to the research team. For more information on our evidence requirements, refer to the section, ‘How can you guarantee the honesty and accuracy of evidence and information provided by companies?’.
We recognise that some companies may have taken positive actions that aren’t reflected in our assessment, as these actions were not evidenced. While any positive actions that contribute to the economic dignity and wellbeing of workers are to be celebrated; transparency and visibility of these actions is critical as they are the only way to ensure accountability for delivery.
In 2024, our research team assessed 107 data points per company survey, which equates to over 13,000 data points assessed for the full report. You can find more information on our research methodology in the Ethical Fashion Report.
Companies are given a numeric score out of 100, representing their overall performance in our survey. The average industry score in 2024 was 31.3. Alongside the numeric score, each company is assigned a coloured circle that shows how they rank relative to the 120 companies in the report. The colours are split into five groups, with royal blue representing the top 20% of companies assessed and light orange representing the bottom 20%.
The coloured circles represent how each company ranks compared to the 120 companies assessed. There are five colours available, broken up into quintiles. This means companies are split into five groups that are divided equally from the highest to lowest scoring in 20% increments. Royal blue represents the top 20% of companies, while light orange represents the bottom 20%. The table below shows the score range for each colour group. You can also refer to the colour key on the online Ethical Fashion Guide which explains this visually.
• Top 20 % of companies : scored 51.3 – 90.4 out of 100
• Top 40 % of companies : scored 38.6 – 49.9 out of 100
• Middle 20 % of companies : scored 23.0 – 37 out of 100
• Bottom 40 % of companies : scored 11.3 – 21.7 out of 100
• Bottom 20 % of companies : scored 0.00/ Not assessable – 10.2 out of 100
While our A-F grading system, used between 2013 and 2021, helped shift the fashion industry forwards and educate people, we know global citizens now have a better understanding of the complexities of ethical fashion since our first report was released.
By publishing the actual score that each company receives in the Ethical Fashion Survey, companies and individuals get a clearer picture of their performance and can track progress against the Ethical Fashion Survey benchmark. Pairing this score with a colour, showing the brand’s quintile, helps illustrate that while every company has work to do, some are making faster progress than others.
A ’good score’ isn’t a reason to just go and buy. It shows that a company is making improvements and addressing labour rights and environmental sustainability issues in its supply chain—and being transparent about them. This makes it a better option than a company with a lower score, but not necessarily a fully ethical purchase.
By providing this greater level of transparency and showing performance against a standard, the current scoring system both provides information and encourages reflection on what still needs to change to make the fashion industry better for its workers and the planet.
Our online Ethical Fashion Guide shows if a brand has improved, stayed the same, or decreased in score since last year. To find this information, simply click on the brand to see these details. If you would like to understand the specific company scores and state of the industry in 2022 when the research was last conducted, please read the 9th Edition Ethical Fashion Report (2022).
The colours are important because they show how each company ranks relative to their peers. A key goal of the Ethical Fashion Project is to continually drive the entire industry forwards, from the top performers to those lagging behind. Achieving an ethical supply chain is an ongoing process, and reaching a certain score doesn’t mean the work is done. For global citizens using our scores for their own personal advocacy, the colours help identify companies that they can ask to do better, or companies they can encourage for leading the way.
Even though there has been progress over the past decade, the industry average is still 31.3. This shows that it’s not as simple as looking at who scored the highest and who scored the lowest, because even the top-performing companies still have a long way to go.
Our report is designed to address a very specific concept: ‘How strong are the systems companies have in place to mitigate risks of worker exploitation and environmental degradation?’
Fast fashion companies have driven harmful cultural shifts toward increased production and consumption. While our Ethical Fashion Survey touches on these issues, they aren’t the primary focus. Instead, our research looks at 48 questions covering 18 different indicators of ethical sourcing practice, providing a comprehensive analysis of a range of issues.
The truth is, some fast fashion companies are doing better than most at mitigating worker exploitation in their supply chains. Their size and scale give them resources to invest in systems to prevent modern slavery—things like tracing their suppliers, effective monitoring, building relationships of influence with suppliers, and working with unions and governments. It also gives them resources to invest in innovative technologies and processes that can reduce environmental harm in specific indicators such as water pollution and emissions reduction. They’re far from perfect, and their score out of 100 shows that. But when we compare them to their peers, their systems rank amongst the best–which is what this research focuses on. For more information on how our survey addresses issues like overproduction, purchasing practices, and other fast fashion issues, please read this article.
The fact that fast fashion companies perform in the top 20% of companies assessed is a reflection that companies of any business model can work towards strong ethical supply chain systems. However, historically and again this year, the highest-scoring companies tend to take a different approach, scaling their business only at the rate that allows them to maintain full visibility and a high standard of ethics.
In addition to an overall result, the Ethical Fashion Report has traditionally published a breakdown of company performance in each of the five key sections of the survey. This detailed information is still available in the Ethical Fashion Report, with numeric scores replacing the old grading system. These scores reflect the company’s aggregated performance across the various questions within each section.
On the Ethical Fashion Guide website, a different approach has been taken. When considered outside the context of the full report, the aggregated section information was not always easy to understand.
While the aggregate section results are in the report, the online guide now highlights six spotlight issues. The ratings for each brand are based on a company’s response to specific questions tied to these issues. Each of the six indicators have been explored in more detail in the earlier sections of the report, alongside their connections to other survey areas. The questions and calculations behind these ratings are explained in the relevant report sections.
In 2024, two spotlight issues were carried over from 2022: sustainable fibre use and paying a living wage. Four issues were added: responsible purchasing practices, addressing gender inequality, water and chemical stewardship and circularity. While these aren’t necessarily more important than other topics, they highlight key areas relevant where both companies and consumers can see where the industry needs improvement. You can find insights and supporting statistics on the progress made in the 2022 spotlight areas in our Ethical Fashion Report.
Companies with an asterisk (*) beside their score have been assessed on ‘Public Information Only’, including assessment of company webpages, annual or sustainability reports, and modern slavery statements. This could be because the company chose to provide evidence only through their public transparency initiatives or because they opted not to engage directly. All evidence is assessed using the same validation criteria.
Some companies may prefer to disclose their supply chain management practices publicly, rather than engaging directly with our research (for example, they might be part of multiple research projects or prefer to make a single public disclosure). Others choose not to engage at all. We assess these companies in the same way as all others (see ‘How are company scores determined?’ above), but where less information is publicly available, it can affect their score. We believe it’s important to give consumers with comprehensive coverage of the Australian fashion market to help them make informed decisions. As such, companies with revenue over AUD $50 million are automatically included.
Over the years, non-responsive companies have received a range of scores based on their publicly available information.
Scores awarded to companies were rounded to two decimal points, but scores listed in the Ethical Fashion Guide have been rounded to the nearest whole number for simplicity. As a result, some companies may appear to have the same score but are in different colours. In reality, these companies likely have fractionally different scores when decimal points are considered, which places them in different coloured quintiles.
Each survey question has strict validation criteria that must be met. The evidence requirements vary from question to question and wherever possible, we request third party documentary evidence, such as audits. With our Ethical Fashion Team assessing 120 companies throughout the survey process, they can easily identify weaknesses in the evidence provided and request further validation when needed. For companies assessed using public information only, the same evidence requirements and assessments apply.
It is important to note that the Research Team do not conduct site inspections of factories as part of their assessment. Company scores are not an assessment of actual conditions in factories and farms, but rather reflect the strength of a company’s labour rights and environmental management systems. This research relies on publicly available data, as well as evidence of systems and practices provided by companies themselves. Wherever possible, The Research Team engages with company representatives to ensure the data accurately represents the company’s policies and processes.
The Ethical Fashion Survey assesses 48 questions across five different sections. Each question plays an important role in providing a clear picture of how a company is working to prevent worker exploitation and environmental degradation. However, companies have more leverage to drive change in certain areas of their supply chain, and some actions result in stronger outcomes for workers and the environment. Section weightings are assigned to help drive change where needed most. These weightings also take into account the number of questions per section (some sections have significantly more questions than others), and industry average performance (sections with higher averages may be weighted lower). Weightings are reviewed regularly to ensure the Report continues to push the industry in the right direction.
Given the complexity and volume of research that goes into each company’s Ethical Fashion Report score (107 data points assessed per company), a low score on a single question or indicator does not significantly impact the overall score.
The section weightings are as follows:
| Section | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Policies & Governance | 6 % |
| Tracing & Risk | 15 % |
| Supplier Relationships & Human Rights Monitoring | 33 % |
| Worker Empowerment | 25 % |
| Environmental Sustainability | 21 % |
Where relevant, the section weightings are further broken down to reflect actions taken at each stage of the supply chain.
| Final production – 45 % | Input production – 35 % | Raw materials – 20 % |
The higher weighting given to final stage production reflects that this is the stage where most fashion brands have direct supplier relationships and the greatest leverage for change. However, due to the growing risks to both human rights and environmental sustainability in the earlier stages of the supply chain, a significant weighting is still given to these stages.
Our research methodology requires specific documentary evidence and validation for each question assessed in the survey. This means we don’t take vague statements at face value, but rather, dig deeper and work with companies wherever possible to ensure they’re genuinely implementing ethical practices in their supply chains. Wherever possible, we request third party verification documents such as audits and certificates. For companies assessed on public information, the same level of evidence and validation standards apply. Additionally, our research team reviews company statements, webpages, and documents on a daily basis for several months during the survey process, giving them expertise in identifying greenwashing red flags. You can view the full assessment criteria by viewing the Ethical Fashion Report Appendix here, and reviewing the ‘Survey Support Document’ section.
Which brands are protecting workers and the environment? Find out so you can use your influence to demand better.
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