Boden scores lower than Primark in fashion sustainability ratings.

[PearlyRising]

Wow.

Categories of certification include Child labour, modern slavery, worker safety, energy use, water usage, animal welfare, chemical waste, energy consumption, carbon emissions, living wage...

Just listened to this in Lauren Bravo's How to break up with fashion and her source was

Goodonyou.eco directory featuring 200 brands

I'm not their biggest fan but I've bought more from Boden than I have from Primark in the last few years. Makes me wonder why.

People want cheaper clothes.

It's the Primark effect.

Thanks for sharing this OP. Looks like I’m going to be relying on M&S more then.

Not surprised at all about Boden. It’s always reeked ker-ching over and above anything else.

I think M&S have a real opportunity here - I hope it's something they continue to embrace and push forward

The problem with ASOS is most of what they sell is a huge mix of other brands, unless this app is only rating them on their own products.
The fashion industry really is very grotesque.

Have a look a Cimmunity Clothing

There has been an undercurrent of ethical clothing manufacturing for 30+ years since Patagonia started paying into ecological and social improvement projects and using recycled plastics. This direction has been taken by a lot of outdoor brands, as their customers are often more aware/experienced in environmental concerns, but this philosophy has moved into more mainstream clothing in more recent years.

Brands to look at
Patagonia (primarily outdoorsy, but they do some travel casuals, and everyone needs to stay watma d dry right?)
Community Clothing (manufactured in UK)
Howies
Finisterre
Hiut Jeans
Thought
Lucy and Yak (Manufactured in UK)
Bam
Rapanui
Rozenbroek (manufactured in UK).

None of these places compare price wise to Primark, ASOS own label etc, but you are paying fir better working conditions (and often lower environmental impact), and these braces tend to be good quality, with clothing that lasts for several years. Clothing, not fashion. (I have had issues with the quality of Thought though).

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

Please could someone who has downloaded the app tell me if it mentions Seasalt?

I checked seasalt and it was good.

Thanks for the very useful list @BikeRunSki. Has anyone come across some good office-wear brands? Baukjen seems to be the main one I've found

Baukjen is a good shout actually @mynameiscalypso. I always forget about them because I’m not really their target shape!! I did get some joggers from them a year but so ago, but sent them back because they were very syntheticy. Recycled or not, I am not keen on synthetic fabrics.

Another place I’ve thought of, not ethical manufacture as such, but they refurbish old clothes.

The Nearly New Cashmere Company

They repair and refurbish old cashmere garments. Family business from N Yorks. Stock levels, size, colour is completely hit n miss.

Thanks Dobby. I buy more Seasalt than anything (I don’t claim to be fashionable!)

Dd mainly buys second hand online or charity shops.

I am increasingly making my own clothes but that only helps with part of the problem. I suppose I could up cycle this duvet cover I am about to throw away into pyjamas but buying fabric is fun in exactly the same way buying new clothes is…

@Nuffaluff

Really impressed with M and S. They aren’t expensive either and do some good stuff these days.

Including women’s underwear designed for men.

I've never bought from boden their clothes are so horribly frumpy. That's pretty shocking though.

I'd never shop at primark either. Ethics aside I know people who do shop their say their stuff falls apart or looks worn very quickly.

I bought a baukjen dress last week in the sale. So expensive but I love it!

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

Thanks Dobby. I buy more Seasalt than anything (I don’t claim to be fashionable!)

Dd mainly buys second hand online or charity shops.

I am increasingly making my own clothes but that only helps with part of the problem. I suppose I could up cycle this duvet cover I am about to throw away into pyjamas but buying fabric is fun in exactly the same way buying new clothes is…

I had checked last night actually. So that’s why I knew the answer. I love seasalt, but can’t afford it regularly. I always get compliments when I wear it. It can be frump central but I kid myself it’s how I wear it that makes it non-frump.

I don’t buy clothes very often. I’m certainly not a fast fashion person.

@PearlyRising there is an assumption that a company started by someone middle class with a middle class demographic, would have somewhat "purer" or "wholesome" intentions than a company with a more working class demographic. The goal of all companies is to make money, their routes to this is diverse. How much these companies can get away with on the mark up from factory to shop till is one factor, as are the working conditions , I.e. working when pregnant, returning to work post pregnancy, loo breaks, buses to work etc.

Personally, I think In the West/ developed countries we are often removed from the manufacturing process for many industries (food, clothing, oil etc), as such we think when we buy from a 'middle class' shop, we imagine that somewhere down the line there is a middle class pregnant mother, who has a forthcoming maternity leave, and is being paid well, eating well etc because we have paid through the nose to look as sensible as possible.

There isn't.

The young lady in question has had to jump on the side of a bus at 4am in the morning after walking a poorly lit route to the bus stop. She will be leered at by the bus driver and many young men on the bus. Her shift manager will complain that her work isn't good enough, and loo breaks etc are bartered with sexual favours. She will be supporting her family as well as saving to study, only eventually to get a scholarship somewhere, travel abroad to a conference somewhere and meet someone who will look down on her and her "primark" looking clothes.

Baukjen scoring “good”. Thank god for that. If they were telling porkies…

I am surprised at Boden - feel silly now. They write up about how reheat source their tweed etc and the families they work with abroad… I thought they were ok.

Reheat? Total typo soz!

Anthropologie - not good enough

A lot of Boden's ratings (as with many other brands) is because there's no evidence of them doing some things so it might be that they aren't doing bad things, per se, but just that they haven't demonstrated what good things they are doing.

@mynameiscalypso

A lot of Boden's ratings (as with many other brands) is because there's no evidence of them doing some things so it might be that they aren't doing bad things, per se, but just that they haven't demonstrated what good things they are doing.

Yes I was thinking this. The rating is based on what information and evidence is available - so it’s not necessarily that if a company gets a poor rating it’s because it has poor practice. It might just be that it hasn’t provided evidence of good practice. Although, you’d think most companies doing good things would be shouting about them and making sure people knew they were doing good.

A lot of these ratings are 3+ years old.

I don't buy in Primark because I prefer to pay a bit more for something that will last. However, I have found that whilst Boden certainly cost more and some of their things do last better, a good proposition of e.g. tshirts look and feel good straight out of the package but look like rags after one wash. So I'm not surprised.

@NavigatingAdolescence

A lot of these ratings are 3+ years old.

Boden's is from earlier this year.

I don’t buy Boden.

I checked the brands I’ve had (second hand) recently and they’re all 3+ years old.