The 2024 Fashion Transparency Index reveals a notable absence of UK brands in the top 10, highlighting a significant gap in transparency efforts among these companies.
- This year, Puma leads the index with a 75% score, closely followed by Gucci at 74% and H&M at 61%, illustrating a strong commitment to public disclosure by top international brands.
- Cheltenham-based Superdry emerges as the highest-ranked UK brand, yet only manages to secure a 38% score, indicating room for improvement in transparency initiatives.
- Fashion Revolution’s rigorous evaluation process involves reviewing the public disclosure of over 250 global fashion brands, spotlighting significant disparities in transparency levels.
- The report also emphasizes the struggles some brands face in prioritizing transparency, with 32 companies scoring 0%, alarming stakeholders and prompting calls for greater accountability.
The 2024 Fashion Transparency Index, led by Fashion Revolution, underscores important insights about transparency in the global fashion industry. Notably absent from the index’s top 10 are UK brands, a reflection of their ongoing struggle to match the transparency efforts of their international counterparts. Puma achieves the highest score of 75%, demonstrating its dedication to openness. Gucci and H&M follow closely, reaffirming their leading positions with scores of 74% and 61%, respectively. Such figures reflect a significant commitment to public accountability.
Superdry appears as the highest performing UK brand but only achieves a score of 38%. This score places it well below international leaders, highlighting the transparency challenges faced by UK brands. JD Sports, Sainsbury’s, Next, and Marks & Spencer reveal similar patterns with scores ranging from 25% to 31%, pointing to the broader issue of lagging transparency within the UK market.
Fashion Revolution implements a comprehensive evaluation method, examining the public disclosure of over 250 of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers. Through a structured questionnaire, brands have the chance to highlight additional disclosures and correct any overlooked data, potentially improving their scores. Nevertheless, the UK brands’ performance remains underwhelming.
A spokesperson from Fashion Revolution suggests that the specific transparency issues facing UK brands are tied to their individual circumstances rather than geographic location. Despite strong societal and civil advocacy for increased transparency, these brands have yet to prioritize the necessary changes. In fact, 32 brands shockingly score 0% on the index, signaling a complete lack of public transparency.
The Fashion Revolution spokesperson emphasizes the hope that these findings, coupled with the What Fuels Fashion? campaign, will encourage brands to invest in decarbonization and transparency efforts. Encouragingly, there is a call to designate at least 2% of annual revenues toward these initiatives, aiming to align corporate practices with environmental and societal expectations.
The Fashion Transparency Index highlights a pressing need for UK brands to advance their transparency practices, addressing both stakeholder expectations and global benchmarks.
