More and more, we hear about how we need to shop clean to save our planet, but what does “shopping clean” mean? When someone says “ethical” clothing brands, many cannot actually define what makes a brand ethical. We know fast fashion is bad, but navigating through a sea of information to find brands that fit your style, budget, and ethical standards is tricky.
Last month, I found my new holy grail resource for shopping. Good On You is an app I recently downloaded to make shopping clean, easy, and less time-consuming. This app “gives you the power to easily check the impact of your favorite fashion brands on the issues you care about.” In other words, it rates clothing brands on how sustainable/ethical they are.
Brands can receive 1 of 5 overall ratings:
We avoid
Not good enough
It’s a start
Good
Great
The overall rating is the average of the brand’s 3 ratings on policies and transparency regarding:
1. Labor (i.e., People)
The labor rating takes into account how a brand impacts its workers. This looks for policies regarding child labor, forced labor, worker safety, freedom of association, and reasonable pay.
2. Environment
This rating is based on the brand’s resources, policies on energy use, carbon emissions, and impacts on water. The use of certain toxic chemicals and the disposal of chemicals is also taken into account.
3. Animals
Animal cruelty and the type of materials are the basis of this rating. Many of the highly-rated brands are vegan companies and refrain from using leather or exotic animal skin.
Good On You also lets you know how recently they updated a company’s rating. This is important to take note of because if a rating is from a year ago, it might be worthwhile to do your own research to see if the company has made changes to improve its rating. I was surprised by the number of brands that I believed were much more sustainable than they actually are. Good On You also recommends brands that are vetted out to assure transparency and cleanliness. Each brand is also rated with a different number of money signs so you can get an idea of how expensive it is. Whether you are new to shopping ethically or a veteran, Good On You is a resource I would recommend to anyone. The app itself is super easy to use, and it provides you with all the information you need. It is important to be aware of where your money is actually going and what impact your purchases have on everyone and everything around you.