The 2024 Fashion Transparency Index results reveal a significant gap in UK brands’ performance compared to international competitors.
- German brand Puma leads the index with a top score of 75%, highlighting its commitment to transparency.
- UK’s highest-ranked brand, Superdry, scored 38%, trailing behind international leaders.
- Key issues for UK brands may include inadequate prioritisation of decarbonisation efforts.
- Fashion Revolution urges brands to allocate resources towards energy transition and transparency.
The 2024 Fashion Transparency Index, published by Fashion Revolution, underscores a noteworthy gap between UK fashion brands and their international counterparts when it comes to transparency and sustainability. Among the 250 global fashion giants assessed, German sportswear brand Puma emerged as the leader, achieving an impressive score of 75%.
Despite healthy scrutiny from civil society and citizens, UK brands struggled to reach the top tier, with Cheltenham-based Superdry scoring the highest among UK entries at 38%. Other UK brands, including JD Sports, Sainsbury’s, Next, Marks & Spencer, and Burberry, scored even lower, highlighting a substantial performance gap.
Fashion Revolution’s research methodology involves inviting brands to participate in a pre-filled questionnaire, allowing them to address any omissions in the public disclosure. This approach often results in higher scores for fully participating brands, yet UK names still failed to close the gap.
In the broader context, the average score for all brands assessed was a mere 18%. Following Puma’s lead, brands such as Gucci and H&M secured 74% and 61%, respectively, further showcasing the transparency chasm UK brands face.
A representative from Fashion Revolution noted the absence of prioritization of decarbonisation and transparency as potential reasons for the underperformance of UK brands. They highlighted that without explicit media scrutiny, investor pressure, or demand from citizens, these issues might not be adequately addressed.
In a troubling insight, the index identified 32 brands, including names like Aeropostale, Forever 21, and Tom Ford, that scored 0% in transparency. The report calls for brands to actively invest at least 2% of their annual revenue towards decarbonisation and transparency efforts, urging them to step up their commitments.
The Fashion Revolution calls for urgent action from UK brands to improve transparency and sustainability practices.
