Ethical Fashion FAQs

The brand scores and statistics about how different clothing and footwear companies perform are all taken from the Ethical Fashion Report 2026 produced in partnership with Baptist World Aid Australia.

BWA Australia have been publishing an Ethical Fashion Report since 2013. This year it includes more UK-only brands thanks to a new partnership with BMS World Mission.

Sources for other statistics mentioned in the guide include:

UK adults spend £162 billion per year on clothing: From a survey of 2,000 UK adults by credit specialist Aqua, quoted in this article.

On average, we have 80 items of clothing in our wardrobes, 32% of which we haven’t worn for a year: from Oxfam State of Style Report 2026.

In the UK, around 300,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfill or is incinerated each year: from an article on the Keep Britain Tidy website.

Gen Z consumers (born 1997-2012) are more interested in buying clothes from sustainable and ethical sources than older people, but they also buy more fast fashion than other age groups: from survey data about generational clothes-buying habits quoted in this article from Statista with UK population statistics checked at Statbase.org.

BMS World Mission is a Christian mission organisation working in more than 30 countries on four continents to serve and equip local communities, share the gospel and bring practical help to people in the greatest need.

We believe that every person matters; they are known and loved by God. We believe in supporting the whole person holistically – practically and spiritually. We care deeply about how we as Christians engage with issues around the world, helping people discover how they can play their part in God’s mission right now. Your support in partnering with BMS and stepping into advocating for ethical fashion is all part of God’s mission.

Find out more about BMS World Mission

Here’s how to read the BMS Brand Checker scores:

Colour

The coloured circle indicates the brand’s rank compared to the rest of the industry. The five colours each represent 20% of the brands (one-fifth, or 67 brands out of the total 336). The top 67 performers are in blue, the next best are in lilac, and so on down to the bottom performers in red.

Number

The number is the overall score a brand received in the survey out of 100. 

Asterisk

Companies with an asterisk (*) beside their score have been assessed on public information only. They may have either chosen only to provide evidence through their public transparency initiatives, or they may have opted not to engage with our researchers at all.

 Why don’t the scores use traffic light colours – green for good, red for bad?

Green could suggest that these brands have fully addressed the issues, so we chose not to make that the top colour. In reality, every brand on the list still has a significant way to go – in 2026, the top overall score was just 70%. We still want to petition for change, even with our top-scoring brands.

The data that goes in to the Ethical Fashion Report comes from publicly available information and conversations with brands who chose to engage with the survey questions.

58% of companies were assessed on their public information and 42% on their company submission.

Along with the survey, companies were provided with documentation that outlines expected standards for each question. Ethical Fashion Report researchers met with companies, as requested, to ensure the expectations and rationale of the survey were clear.

The information provides a clear and transparent assessment of how companies are engaging with the challenges raised over several criteria. Our desire is to see brands improve their standing, not to start a fight with them – everyone benefits when standards are raised.

We are delighted to be working with our friends at Baptist World Aid Australia, who have 13 years of experience in producing this report. The research and analysis they have carried out is outlined extensively in the full Ethical Fashion Report.

Clothing waste is a huge problem for the planet and for communities in places like Accra, Ghana, where millions of unwanted second-hand garments end up every week and up to 40% end up dumped in rivers, drainage ditches and unregulated tips. By buying second-hand you’re standing against waste and loving clothes for longer. 

But… even if you buy your favourite brands second-hand, you can still use the BMS Brand Checker to get in touch with the companies who made them and encourage them to do better.

The garment workers we have met through BMS partners are really proud of the skills they have learned and grateful for the jobs they have. But the rate at which we buy clothes is the reason worker conditions are getting worse. If we bought just the clothes we need at a fair price, garment workers could be working with more dignity. 

For this to change, everyone has a part to play. Governments need to expect more from fashion brands, companies need to be willing to do business differently, and consumers need to put their values into action. You can do that today by using our Speak Out to Brand tool to email your favourite clothing brand and encourage them to do better – just search for them in the BMS Brand Checker.

Everyone has a relationship with clothes, so Ethical Fashion is a great way to engage your congregation, small group, youth group, or any other group that wants to learn how to love their neighbour!

 Our Threads Bible Studies are designed to do just this. They unpack what the Bible says about personal responsibility, justice and poverty, care for creation and gender equality, and then suggest practical actions you can take as individuals or as a group. There’s one version for adults and another aimed at young people.