Helping you find the most ethical and sustainable fashion brands is what we live for at Eco-Stylist. But how do we do this? Here we break down our rigorous certification process and show you what it takes for a brand to make the grade.
Going for gold in certified sustainable fashion
Brands that make it on to our certified list are all brands that we trust and believe in. We rate them out of a possible 100 points. Over 50 points is certification, 60 and above is silver and brands that score in the top tier are our absolute heroes and receive gold certification.
You might be thinking we’re setting the bar pretty low at 50 points for certification. But our grading system isn’t like the ones you might be used to from school or college. Brands that score 50 points are sustainability leaders, but they can always improve. Our scoring system gives them room to do more and do better.
The magic number – Our three sustainable brand criteria
When we rate brands, we look at the big picture. We want to know that they are clear and transparent, do what they say they do and use practices that support people and the planet. To do this, we asses brands against these three criteria:
Transparency
We want to know who made your clothes and how. We look at the entire supply chain, from raw materials to finished product. We want to see how open brands are and how easy it is to access this information.
Fair labor
We’re looking for brands that treat people well. Brands that pay living wages, invest in their communities and provide benefits like healthcare and childcare for the people who work for them.
Sustainably made
Brands need to be making clothes in ways that support the planet to be certified by us. Are they using eco-friendly materials like hemp and TENCEL? Are they investing in renewable energy? Are they promoting practices that support people, animals and the environment?
“Any brand that passes our certification is a leader in the space. It’s a brand we believe in. We would wear their clothes.”
-Garik Himebaugh
Eco-Stylist founder
The science bit
We use a consistent framework and methodology for assessing brands which means our certification is based on science and not just opinion. We give brands clear and actionable feedback, providing a roadmap for how they can improve. Brands have the capacity to make significant changes in a short space of time so we review them every two years to reflect any progress they’ve made.
Our principles
At Eco-Stylist we measure sustainability by who we include. Our certification process scores brands on their commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Equality. We want to see a representative percentage of people of colour in senior leadership positions. And we want to see evidence that brands have policies in place to prevent discrimination and promote inclusion.
Finally, we measure brands against our three principles. This is where opinion does come into the equation but with six years experience of assessing brands we know what we’re talking about. For a brand to receive our certification we need to know:
1. The brand is not fast fashion
2. The brand inspires us
3. We trust the brand
Want to dive deeper into our criteria?
Join Eco-Stylist founder Garik Himebaugh as he takes a detailed look at our methodology in this video:
How can you support certified sustainable fashion?
Every time you choose sustainable brands over fast fashion you’re making a difference.
Our certified brands are doing 15 times better than the average fashion brand on key social and environmental factors. Check out our certified list for brands leading the way in style and sustainability.
Are you a brand interested in getting certified?
If you’re a brand that cares about sustainability and people as well as profits, we’d love to work with you.
Eco-Stylist certification is an industry-recognised standard specific to sustainable fashion. We don’t just rate your brand, we give you a roadmap to gold certification. We’ll show you every step you need to take to become a truly sustainable brand.
“Eco-Stylist’s brand certification service was rigorous, and truly identified the ways in which my company excelled in its sustainability efforts. The process also highlighted areas for growth, ensuring we could focus our energy on how we could better serve our community and environment.”
-Drew, Voyce Threads
With Eco-Stylist certification you’re showing your customers you care about what matters to them. Join brands like Adelante and Just Tall and display our certification logo with pride on your website.
Catherine is a content writer based in London. She’s mostly worn vintage since she was a kid. Her style icon is Jimi Hendrix and she plays electric guitar badly in her spare time.
