Ethical Fashion In The Palm Of Your Hand: Good On You!

BY: VANESSA ROBERTS

“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world just by being careful in what we buy.” – Emma Watson.

It’s a sad fact that the fashion industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to environmental destruction, human abuses and mistreatment of animals. The pressure (either real or imagined) to manufacture quickly and at the lowest possible cost often results in production practices that are ethically-compromised – to say the least.

MORE – The Reformation: Sustainable Fashion

Because the vast majority of garment production is conducted behind deliberately closed doors, it has been close to impossible for consumers to make educated and informed decisions about where they spend their money. We are often forced to make our own assumptions about a brand’s ethical standards – or we skip over the the issue altogether.

And so, the ‘Good On You’ app has set about to change all of that.

Effectively “opening the curtain” on issues around fashion industry ethics, the app gives brands a rating based on their production practices (labour, animals and the environment) and it also allows you to search for products based on ethical criteria. It puts the power to make good decisions back in the hands of the consumer.

(I was approached by Channel 7 News last week for my thoughts on the app, and I’ve included the news story down below if you’d like to watch it!)

About the Good On You app:

• It lists more than 3,000 clothing, footwear and accessory brands available in Australia’s 100 largest shopping malls.
• It provides ratings for around 1,000 brands, showing how each brand performs on labour rights, the environment and animal protection.
• It suggests similar brands that may better match your values.
• It helps you discover brands that match your style and budget, as well as your ethical preferences.
• You can create CHANGE by asking brands a question. You can give positive or negative feedback on the issues you care about.

So How Do They Rank Brands?

The app’s ratings are based on robust principles and independent data sources. They assess how well each brand avoids causing harm to workers, the environment and animals, and what they are doing to create positive change on the issues you care about.

The app provides detailed information and it’s very easy to understand and act on. I found many of the results eye-opening – both in terms of “good shock” and bad. You may be surprised to find that some brands have better rankings than you assumed. (Of course, there are still plenty of others that are in desperate need of improvement…)