H&M is ranked number in the Fashion Transparency Index among the 250 high-street fashion brands. The list was launched during the Fashion Revolution Week.

The Swedish fast fashion giant scored 73 per cent of all the 250 possible points. The other successor brands include C&A at 70 per cent, Adidas and Reebok at 69 per cent and Esprit at 64 per cent.

Hanna Hallin, Global Strategy Lead for Transparency at H&M Group, said “We are committed to continue taking steps for greater transparency, so that customers can make informed decisions and drive a positive impact in the industry through our extensive work to become fully circular and climate positive, while being a fair and equal company.”

The brands are rated under 220 indictors including social and environmental topics such as animal welfare, biodiversity, chemicals, climate, due diligence, forced labour, freedom of association, gender equality, living wages, purchasing practices, supplier disclosure, waste and recycling, working conditions and more.

This time 50 new brands were added to the list from countries like Australia, India, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and Switzerland; also retailers like Fashion Nova (USA), Koovs (India) and Pretty Little Thing (UK) were reviewed for the first time.

The average score among all these 250 brands is 23 per cent, which is an increase of 2 per cent from what it was last year (21 per cent among 200 brands).

Compared to last year, Gucci was up by 8 per cent scoring 48 per cent this year, while it had scored 40 per cent in 2019. It is notably the only company to secure 100 per cent on policy and commitments.

Other brands behind Gucci are Balenciaga (47 per cent), Saint Laurent (47 per cent) and Bottega Veneta (46 per cent).

Since human beings are the major resource for the fashion industry, the Fashion Transparency Index is a measure to ensure that the brands are ensuring fair practices and a healthy environment for them.