Remake ranking explained
Should that be a good reason to support some companies more than others.
The Remake Fashion Accountability Report 2024 provides a comprehensive and critical examination of the fashion industry's commitment and progress towards environmental sustainability and social justice. Remake ranking is based on the data that Remake is requesting from the 52 brands in quesiton.
The report uncovers a grim reality: despite grandiose promises, the average accountability score among 52 fashion companies remains disappointingly low, mirroring last year's findings. The industry's systemic issues—ranging from traceability, wages and wellbeing, commercial practices, to environmental justice—demonstrate a stark disconnect between rhetoric and action. However, there are some outliers and some pleasant surprises on the “Fast Fashion” world like the one of H&M group which ranks much higher than even luxury brands like LVMH. According to
and her precious network, H&M group has been dedicating huge efforts on sustainability and transparency, and as always hard work pays off.The way to understand the low scorers, is this: some companies don’t want to share some or any of their data, see SKIMS scoring 0 (!) just because they ignored the request of Remake. For someone might be a sign of je m’en fous, but me as a suspicious creature I see it as a sign of someone having some dirt to hide and that’s never a good sign. But let’s go on the key takeaways of the report:
1. Stagnant Scores Reflect Industry Complacency:
The report highlights an industry-wide stagnation, with average scores barely scratching the surface of what's possible. Notably, the top-scoring companies—Everlane, H&M Group, and PUMA—still fall significantly short of embodying an ideal sustainable and just fashion system. As I’m in a journey of seeing the glass half full, I will say that this average scoring is still better than the situation we had a couple of years ago.
2. A Call for Genuine Leadership:
The fashion world is critiqued for its lack of true leadership. Many companies initiate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) programs but fail to sustain or report on their effectiveness. The report urges companies to align their practices with the aspirations of the next generation of fashion professionals who seek meaningful change. I have previously mentioned in Chaotic Data, that 2024 will be a year of inclusion. The man rules creativity of fashion brands will start collapsing slowly but steadily and we will have some inclusivity in all possible ways. Again optimistic journey!
3. The Urgency of Legislative Support:
The report argues for a regulatory overhaul, advocating for laws and policies that hold companies accountable for their supply chain's human rights and environmental impacts. It underscores the need for industry-wide support for such legislation to foster a more equitable and sustainable future. And it’s true, European Union has been urging for legislative changes on fast fashion, but I don’t think that this will do anything if US or China doesn’t follow this initiative. According to Gitnux.org these are the main fast fashion consumers worldwide in USD:
China 40$ billion
USA 17$ billion
India 6$ billion
Japan 3.3$ billion
Germany 2.2$ billion
4. Highlighting the Human Cost of Fashion:
A significant portion of the report is dedicated to discussing the inadequacies in ensuring living wages and safe working conditions for garment workers. The report criticizes companies for their lack of transparency and failure to implement practices that could genuinely improve workers' lives.
5. The Environmental Toll of Overproduction:
The report also tackles the issue of overproduction and waste, identifying it as a primary driver of the industry's environmental impact. It calls for a shift towards durability, repairability, and circularity to mitigate the fashion sector's ecological footprint. Recently INDITEX changed the way they supply their stores and they went from boat shipping to plane… The environmental cost of this is calculated in one my previous articles and I think it says a lot about how fast fashion is contributing to the environmental toll.
6. A Path Forward:
Finally, the Remake Fashion Accountability Report outlines a roadmap for change, emphasizing the importance of transparency, responsible commercial practices, and genuine engagement with sustainability goals. It challenges the industry to move beyond superficial commitments to actionable, impactful strategies.