Nasty Gal

Is Nasty Gal ethical and sustainable?

The Good Shopping Guide gives Nasty Gal, 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. 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 Debenhams 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, Debenhams 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.

In what areas does Nasty Gal perform well?

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.