Fast fashion? No, thanks - which brands to avoid

Non-profit organisation Remake has teamed up with Commons, an organisation that advocates for more sustainable consumer choices. A campaign is currently underway with the hashtag #NoNewClothes, calling on consumers to boycott fast fashion and spend less for a month.

Given the reduced purchasing power of consumers who are very careful about their spending - especially for non-essential products such as fashion and accessories - this is a trend that will continue to develop in favour of slow fashion, second hand and do-it-yourself.

Brands are rated based on their responsibility

Commons helps consumers make purchasing decisions and rates brands based on their responsibility for the impact of their products on people and planet along the supply chain (“Best”), reducing their carbon footprint and minimising waste (“Good”), meeting minimum sustainability requirements (“Fair”), making few efforts, especially in relation to the size of a company (“Poor”) and those that harm the ecosystem and their employees (“Harmful”).

Accordingly, those interested can search for their favourite brand and see how it performs.

As part of the #NoNewClothes challenge, Commons has also published a list of fast fashion brands to avoid, ranging from A for Abercrombie & Fitch to H for H&M and P for Primark to Z for Zara.

Consumers can click on each brand on the Commons website and see how it was rated based on criteria such as materials, responsibility and speed of consumption. Those who would like to know more can also request a detailed review.