Nasty Gal

Is Nasty Gal ethical and sustainable?

The Good Shopping Guide gives Nasty Gal, an online fast fashion brand owned by Boohoo 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. This brand has several areas to improve upon before it would likely qualify for our Ethical Accreditation.

In what areas does Nasty Gal perform poorly?

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

Although some of the Boohoo Group’s companies (such as Burton, Nasty Gal, and Dorothy Perkins) claim that their items are only made from organic cotton, there is no certification or independent verification to back up this assertion. One of the “dirtiest crops,” cotton, is certified to ensure that it wasn’t grown in a way that would have affected local farmers, ecosystems, wildlife, or communities. As a result, Nasty Gal received a very poor rating for our Organic standard.

PETA has also criticised parent, company, Boohoo for its use of wool in its products. Boohoo told the media that it would discontinue carrying wool products in its online stores in response to these complaints. This tale also demonstrates that Boohoo broke this arrangement after receiving complaints from sheep farmers. Vegans may want to avoid Nasty Gal’s items because they sometimes still include wool.

Nasty Gal’s track record with animal welfare infringements doesn’t improve much from there; parent company, Boohoo received criticism for marketing actual fur—likely from a rabbit—as faux fur. This comprises misleading clients and mutilating animals just for the sake of fashion. People who are vegetarians, vegans, or who care about animal welfare may want to avoid this company until it adopts higher standards and starts working toward getting our Ethical Accreditation for this reason, which is just one more! We did not give Nasty Gal a high ranking for its Animal Welfare Policy as a result of these incidents.

According to a 2020 report by Labour Behind the Label, only £3.50 per hour was paid to (UK) garment workers who worked exclusively for the Boohoo Group, far less than the £8.72 minimum wage in the UK at the time. Additionally, the company is charged with running factories in Leicester that were open during the UK shutdown, exposing employees to Covid-19, and openly threatening workers who were more vulnerable.

Another Human Rights violation is discussed in The COVID Fashion Report, a version of Baptist World Aid Australia’s Ethical Fashion Report, which was published in 2020. The six COVID Fashion Commitments, which require businesses to demonstrate the steps they are doing to assist and protect their most vulnerable supply chain members, form the framework for the study. Through its acts, Nasty Gal did not show that it was in accordance with any of the COVID Fashion Commitments.

In a report released by the Environmental Audit Committee, the UK’s least environmentally friendly apparel brands include Nasty Gal and Missguided (EAC). In a letter it sent in November 2018, the EAC demanded evidence of the actions 16 British stores are taking to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing they sell. The audit also revealed that neither of the two companies previously mentioned had signed the Action, Collaboration, and Transformation labour rights accord, which aims to guarantee that all garment workers receive a wage that is sufficient to support them.

In what areas does Nasty Gal perform well?

Though the aims of the Nasty Gal Annual Report 2020 are ambiguous, Nasty Gal’s 2021 Sustainability Plan does improve somewhat by including a few objectives; these goals focus on packaging reduction and reducing operational carbon emissions by an average of 4.2% every year. However, with the Net Zero 2050 deadline, Nasty Gal will have to stick closely to that reduction percentage if they are to meet this global target.

Nasty Gal 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 Nasty Gal’s Code of Conduct here.

How can the Nasty Gal brand improve its Ethical Rating?

In relation to Nasty Gal, The Good Shopping Guide‘s score is given based on 15 ethical standards. Nasty Gal must address a number of issues before the company can receive our Ethical Accreditation, including its lax standards for animal welfare 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.