Coast

Is Coast ethical and sustainable?

The Good Shopping Guide gives Coast, an online fast fashion brand owned by Debenhams Group PLC, a low Ethical Rating. Unfortunately, this brand receives a Good Shopping Guide Ethical Score in our Ethical Fashion Retailers Ratings Table and has not yet met our minimum benchmark.

In what areas does Coast perform poorly? 

Coast scored low for the Environment, Animals, and People, partly because it is a fast fashion company and therefore commits all kinds of ethical infractions.

Although some of the subsidiaries of the Debenhams Group label its products as being produced exclusively from organic cotton (e.g., Burton, Nasty Gal, Dorothy Perkins), there is no certification or verification from an external body to support this claim. Certification ensures that cotton, one of the “dirtiest crops,” was not grown in a way that may have harmed farmers, ecosystems, wildlife, or communities living locally. Coast was therefore given a very low score for our Organic criteria.

PETA has also criticised parent, company, Debenhams for its use of wool in its products. In response to these complaints, Debenhams announced to the media that it would stop selling wool products in its online shops. This story also confirms that Debenhams reneged on this agreement in response to complaints from sheep producers. Because Coast’s products can still include wool, vegans may wish to steer clear of this brand.

Coast’s track record with animal welfare infringements doesn’t improve much from there; parent company, Debenhams received criticism for marketing actual fur—likely from a rabbit—as faux fur. This entails deceiving customers and killing animals only for fashion. This is just one more reason why folks who are vegetarians, vegans, or who care about animal welfare may wish to avoid this business until it sets higher standards and begins to work toward receiving our Ethical Accreditation! Due to these occurrences, we did not award Coast a high rating for its Animal Welfare Policy.

In what areas does Coast perform well? 

Coast also has a thorough Code of Conduct; this kind of documentation means that both consumers and investors can hold companies to account, and see which brands are planning for a sustainable future. See Coast’s Code of Conduct here.

How can the Coast brand improve its Ethical Rating? 

The Good Shopping Guide’s score results from 15 ethical criteria in relation to Coast. To reach our Ethical Benchmark and qualify for our Ethical Accreditation, Coast has several issues to deal with, including its poor animal welfare standards and treatment of workers in its supply chain.

If your fashion brand values ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation? Increase customer and investor confidence and stand out from the greenwash.