February 21, 2019 - Actress and activist Emma Watson just announced her decision to adopt ‘Good On You’ brand ratings as her benchmark for sustainable and ethical fashion choices. Good On You is this ground-breaking rating system in which FOUR PAWS, the international animal welfare organization, collaborated as the animal welfare specialists.

Emma Watson told Good on You, “On the red carpet we’re often asked not what we are wearing but ‘who’. It’s as if the ideas behind the clothes – the label, the designer, the collection – have more meaning than the garment itself. But there’s something missing. There’s a bigger story to be told about the conditions in which our clothes are made, the resources that have been used and the impact they’ve had on communities.”

Good On You is an App that gives the user fashion brand ratings, fashion news, and discounts all in one place. The goal of the brand is to make it easy for the everyday consumer to make ethical fashion purchases that are doing better by the planet, animals and people using a unique rating system.

How does the rating system work?

For Animals

Good On You identifies the use of fur, wool, down feathers, exotic animal skin, and more by brands. They consider if the brand is taking positive steps within the industry, especially with regards to transparency and legislation.  

For People

Good On You looks at how brands impact workers through policies including child labor, forced labor, worker safety, and payment of a living wage. They also look into a company’s supplier relationships and auditing practices.

For the Planet

Good On You considers each brand’s environmental footprint, including waste, chemical use and disposal, energy use and carbon emissions, impacts on water, and more.

Ratings are given using the scale, “We avoid,” “Not Good Enough,” “It’s A Start,” “Good,” and “Great.” Each rating is given based on research, how transparent a brand’s processes are, what initiatives they’ve taken and what certifications or accreditations they might have.

Fashion influencer Victoria Beckham recently just announced her decision to ban fur and exotic skins from her collections. Major fashion brands, including Michael Kors, Armani, H&M, Gucci, and more, have also responded to the demand for sustainable fashion. Over 975 fashion labels have committed to going fur free through the Fur Free Retailer program, a project working to support animal welfare and end the image of fur as “luxury” fashion. FOUR PAWS, the international animal welfare organization with its U.S. headquarters based in Boston, is a member of this alliance. 

Globally, FOUR PAWS campaigns for a permanent ban on the keeping and killing of fur-bearing animals and an end of the use of real fur in the fashion industry. And we are not alone.

This year, the Los Angeles City Council backed a new law to ban the sale of fur fashion in 2021 and hosted the world’s first vegan fashion show. Fur farming in the Czech Republic became illegal and the Ukrainian parliament introduced a law proposal to end fur farming.  

Globally, the fur trade sources 95 percent of its fur from animals who are forced to live in small wire cages on fur farms. Animals trapped in these cages are denied any natural environment or the ability to express their instinctive behaviors. At the end of their short lives, their death – by electrocution, gassing or by having their neck broken – is as cruel as their keeping.

This is why announcements like Emma Watson joining Good On You, exotic leather being dropped from designer labels and vegan fashion shows embracing ethical textiles are significant.

It shows that the world of fashion is shifting: Ethical fashion is the future.