How ethical is People Tree?
People Tree, a fashion retail brand owned by People Tree Fair Trade Group Ltd, is one of The Good Shopping Guide’s well-rated ethical brands. The brand receives an excellent Good Shopping Guide ethical score in our Ethical Fashion Retailers Ratings Table and therefore passes our Ethical Benchmark as a good ethical brand.
We encourage other companies in the Fashion Retailers sector to follow People Tree’s example and adopt more ethical policies and practices.
In what areas does People Tree perform well?
People Tree performs well across all categories of our research, receiving high scores across all of our criteria for the Environment, Animals, and People.
On its sustainability page, People Tree details all of its admirable efforts, such as using organic cotton, and working with small-scale producers in Nepal and Bangladesh to hand-dye, hand-weave, hand-knit and hand-embroider garments. People Tree also has Soil Association certification, which evidences its commitment to organic cotton and organic farming. As a small business with such a high ethical standard, People Tree receives top ratings for our Environmental criteria.
When it comes to Animal Welfare, vegans or animal rights campaigners might be concerned about the use of wool in People Tree garments. People Tree’s website includes a section on its wool policy; the brand explains that it uses wool because it is a natural material, can be produced organically, is biodegradable and renewable. People Tree’s wool comes from New Zealand and is mulesing-free (though People tree does use Merino wool); check out New Zealand’s Animal Welfare policy here.
Other key People Tree achievements include: a comprehensive Code of Conduct (which follows the 10 Fair Trade principles), making no Political Donations, and using low-impact dyes which are free from harmful azo chemicals.
To find out more about People Tree, see its website.
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.
Ethical performance in category
GSG score
GSG category benchmark
Ethical Rating
Environment
-
Environmental Report
Good
-
Organic
Good
-
Nuclear Power
Good
-
Better Cotton Initiative
N/A
-
Fossil Fuels
Good
Animal
-
Animal Welfare
Good
People
-
Armaments
Good
-
Code of Conduct
Good
-
Political Donations
Good
-
Ethical Trading Schemes
Good
-
Human Rights
Good
Other
-
Ethical Accreditation
Poor
-
Other Criticisms
Good
-
Ethical Innovator
Good
= GSG Top Rating = GSG Middle Rating = GSG Bottom Rating