Miss Selfridge

How ethical is Miss Selfridge?

Miss Selfridge is a British online fashion retailer. Once a component of the controversial Philip Green-controlled Arcadia Group, the brand entered administration in late 2020. The brand is now owned by ASOS PLC and is one of The Good Shopping Guide’s poorly ranked brands. The brand receives an adequate Good Shopping Guide score in our Ethical Fashion Retailers Ratings Table. Although Miss Selfridge has not yet met our Ethical Benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

In what areas does Miss Selfridge perform poorly? 

Despite Miss Selfridge’s progress, there is still room for improvement. The brand was marked down for its history of Human Rights violations.

Through ASOS, Miss Selfridge is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative. However, the parent company has been accused of endangering its employees. Staff at ASOS have criticised the company for how it handled safety issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers complained that the employer had not given them enough safety gear, such as gloves and hand sanitiser, and that they were worried that sick coworkers might come into work because they could only get the statutory sick pay of £94.25 per week, which was not enough to cover their costs.

Another criticism of Miss Selfridge comes from the Tailored Wages 2019 report by the Clean Clothes Campaign. This study looks at 32 well-known clothing businesses’ views on how brands are implementing a living wage for those who create their products. Miss Selfridge failed to give any evidence that any of the individuals who created its products were paid a living wage anywhere in the world, so the audit gave the brand the lowest possible rating.

In what areas does Miss Selfridge perform well?

Miss Selfridge performs satisfactorily across some categories of our research, receiving higher scores for our criteria concerning its Environmental Report.

For its Environmental Report, Miss Selfridge has been given a good score. Consumers should note that the parent company, ASOS PLC’s sustainability documents have been rated, in absence of its subsidiary, Miss Selfridge, having a publicly accessible sustainability document. (Miss Selfridge is now a clothing brand sold on ASOS and other online sites exclusively.)

As well as a basic group of targets and actions to achieve those targets, parent company, ASOS also has signed up to the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy Commitments, which urges businesses to take action to eliminate all hazardous or unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025. These Commitments specify that all plastic packaging must be compostable, recyclable, or reusable by the year 2025.

The GOTS label can be seen on some Organic products sold by the parent company, ASOS. ASOS has also released a statement on its boycotting of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan cotton due to claims of child labour.

Many other Environmental codes, rules, and declarations are available on the ASOS site.

How can Miss Selfridge brand improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide score results from multiple ethical criteria. (See our ‘How We Rate’ page to find out more about our research methodology.) To reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Miss Selfridge has some issues to resolve, including its Human Rights violations.

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.