Good on You and Good for Others

The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion estimated in 2019 that the fashion industry accounts for about 9% of global emissions, which is more than maritime shipping and international air travel combined. Our clothes require immense amounts of water for cotton plantations, release synthetic microfibers into the oceans and generate polluting wastewater during production. Now these might be more or less well-known facts, but how can consumers do something against it by making more informed decisions?

Naturally, we want to introduce you to a platform that tries to answer this question. Good on You is a website and app that tells you how ethical thousands of fashion brands are. They also feature a variety of items from brands with very high ratings.

"Changing the world one brand rating at a time"

Just like Tripadvisor's stars or Morningstar's 5 Sustainability Globes, Good on You gives each featured brand a rating from 1 ("We avoid") to 5 ("Great"). Specifically, this is broken down into three key areas. People, meaning how workers are treated across the supply chain; planet, indicating the emissions and use of resources; and animals, measuring the use of fur, down feather, and more. Good on You rates the brands by checking if they are certified by organizations such as OEKO-TEX or by relying on public statements and assessing whether they are trustworthy or not. This system rewards companies that both have an ethical business model and are transparent about it. One could argue that if information on some parts of the supply chain is missing, that does not necessarily indicate unethical business choices. However, through these many certification schemes and the regulatory trend of requiring more information on these areas, brands are running out of excuses on why they should not be transparent, especially since being known for having an ethical business model holds tremendous branding value.

Once again, a digital solution reduces information asymmetry and empowers each and every one of us to make more sustainable and ethical decisions. Personally, I also think Good on You is great for the many people who move around a lot. Without needing to know about nearby thrift stores or having a network of family and friends to give clothes to, at least you are always informed about the brands you purchase from.