The first quarter of 2026 has brought significant insights into the sustainability landscape of the fashion and beauty sectors, with new data from Good On You revealing a mixed but ultimately challenging picture for global brands. Out of 362 brands rigorously assessed by analysts between January and March, a mere 28 — or 8% — achieved the coveted "Good" or "Great" ratings, signifying substantial positive impact on people, the planet, and animals. Notably, three Australian brands garnered high praise, with one achieving an exceptional score of 98 out of 100 points, underscoring a regional strength in ethical production. This quarter’s analysis reinforces a long-standing pattern: smaller, purpose-driven brands consistently outshine larger corporations in transparency and concrete sustainability efforts, while a significant portion of the industry continues to lag, prompting a "We Avoid" recommendation for over 30% of rated entities.
Unpacking Good On You’s Mission and Methodology
Good On You, established in 2015, stands as a pivotal force in the sustainable fashion movement, dedicated to empowering consumers with clear, actionable information about the ethical and environmental performance of brands. Its core mission revolves around "reading between the seams," meticulously scrutinizing brands to identify those causing harm, expose instances of greenwashing, and champion companies genuinely committed to responsible practices. The platform’s comprehensive rating system is not merely a superficial assessment; it delves deep into a brand’s public disclosures across three key areas: impact on people (labour rights, safe working conditions), impact on the planet (resource use, waste, carbon footprint), and impact on animals (use of animal products, animal welfare policies).
Each month, a dedicated team of analysts undertakes the arduous task of rating new brands and meticulously reviewing existing ones, ensuring the information remains accurate and up-to-date. This dynamic process reflects the evolving nature of sustainability standards and brand performance. Crucially, Good On You’s methodology relies solely on publicly available information. If a brand’s policies, supply chain details, or impact reports are not transparent and accessible to the public, they cannot be factored into the rating. This stringent requirement places the onus squarely on brands to disclose their practices, thereby driving greater accountability across the industry. Consumers can access these continually updated ratings through the Good On You app or its extensive online directory, serving as invaluable tools for conscious purchasing decisions.
Q1 2026 Performance: A Landscape of Disparity
The Q1 2026 ratings present a stark dichotomy within the global fashion and beauty landscape. While the emergence of high-scoring brands offers hope, the overwhelming majority fall short of achieving top-tier sustainability benchmarks. The fact that only 8% of the 362 brands rated could secure "Good" or "Great" status speaks volumes about the pervasive challenges in achieving widespread ethical and environmental responsibility. This low percentage indicates that most labels either lack sufficient proactive measures to be more responsible, or they are failing to adequately disclose the efforts they are making. In an era where consumer demand for transparency is soaring, this lack of public information is a critical barrier to progress.
Conversely, the "We Avoid" category, representing brands with the lowest scores and often a complete lack of transparency, swelled to 113 brands, accounting for a staggering 31% of all brands rated in the quarter. This figure underscores the magnitude of the problem: nearly one-third of the brands consumers might consider purchasing from offer little to no credible information about their impact, making it impossible to ascertain their ethical standing. These statistics are not merely numbers; they represent millions of garments and products entering the market with unknown social and environmental costs, perpetuating unsustainable cycles.
Australian Innovators Lead the Sustainable Charge
Amidst the broader industry challenges, Australian brands have emerged as beacons of sustainable practice in the Q1 2026 ratings. Their success highlights a growing regional commitment to ethical production and innovation.
Goodnap, an Australia-based sleepwear brand, soared to the top of the list with an impressive 98 out of 100 points. This near-perfect score reflects Goodnap’s holistic approach to sustainability. The brand meticulously crafts its sleepwear using lower-impact materials, demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental stewardship from the outset. Beyond material choices, Goodnap prioritizes equitable employment opportunities for workers throughout its supply chain, addressing crucial social justice aspects of production. Furthermore, the brand proudly maintains a vegan ethos and exhibits remarkable transparency by tracing most of its supply chain, allowing consumers to understand the journey of their products. Goodnap’s exemplary performance sets a high bar for the industry, proving that style and comfort can coexist harmoniously with profound ethical responsibility.
Another standout from Australia is Serpent and the Swan, a Sydney-based jewellery brand celebrated for its deeply personal, keepsake items. Specializing in handcrafted necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings, Serpent and the Swan distinguishes itself by crafting every piece to order, minimizing waste and promoting conscious consumption. A cornerstone of their ethical practice is the exclusive use of recycled fine metals, significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with new mining operations. This commitment to circularity in precious materials, combined with bespoke production, positions Serpent and the Swan as a leader in sustainable luxury, offering consumers both beauty and peace of mind.
Also contributing to Australia’s strong showing is BJ’s PJs. Founded with a clear mission to provide minimal, comfortable, and supportive lounge and sleepwear, BJ’s PJs emphasizes the use of lower-impact materials. Crucially, the brand supports local economies and reduces its carbon footprint by manufacturing its garments locally. Like its high-scoring counterparts, BJ’s PJs demonstrates strong supply chain traceability. Catering to a diverse customer base, the brand offers its comfortable range in an inclusive size spectrum from XS to 4XL, promoting body positivity alongside ethical production.
Global Brands Driving Continuous Improvement
Beyond the newly rated Australian success stories, the Q1 2026 report also highlights global brands that continue to perform strongly or have shown notable improvements in their sustainability efforts.
All We Remember, a US brand, encapsulates its philosophy in its foundational belief: "marrying innovative design and responsible ecological production is the best way forward." This ethos is reflected in their gender-neutral clothing lines, which are consciously made with lower-impact materials. The brand further minimizes its environmental footprint by focusing on local manufacturing, thereby reducing transportation emissions and supporting regional economies. All We Remember represents a model for modern fashion that integrates design excellence with unwavering ecological responsibility.
Purusha People, known for its activewear, continues to impress with its dedication to sustainable practices. The brand infuses dainty details into its range of organic, plant-based pieces, designed not only to perform (wicking away sweat) but also to align with a "chill" and conscious lifestyle. Their commitment to organic, natural fibres significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with conventional textile production, avoiding harmful pesticides and chemicals. Purusha People also champions inclusivity, stocking its pieces in sizes from XS to 4XL, demonstrating that ethical fashion can and should be accessible to all body types. Both Purusha People and BJ’s PJs were specifically noted for improving their scores in the most recent review, indicating a proactive approach to enhancing their sustainability credentials.
The Persistent Divide: Small Brands vs. Industry Giants
The Q1 2026 ratings once again underscore a critical and persistent pattern observed by Good On You for years: small brands overwhelmingly dominate the ranks of top performers, while large businesses frequently fall short. This phenomenon is not coincidental. Smaller brands often begin with sustainability as a core value, embedding ethical practices into their foundational business model. They typically have more direct control over their supply chains, allowing for easier tracing of materials and labour conditions. Their agility enables quicker adoption of new sustainable technologies or practices, and their often niche focus allows for deep dives into specific, lower-impact materials or production methods.
In contrast, larger corporations, despite possessing immense purchasing power, extensive resources, and significant influence to effect change, commonly struggle with transparency and impact. Their complex, globalized supply chains, often involving hundreds or thousands of factories and suppliers, present formidable challenges in achieving full traceability and ensuring ethical practices at every stage. Furthermore, for many established giants, sustainability initiatives are often retrofitted onto existing, often linear and resource-intensive, business models, rather than being foundational. This often results in a slower, less comprehensive approach to reform, making it harder for them to meet the rigorous transparency and impact criteria set by organizations like Good On You.
This disparity has profound implications for the industry. It suggests that genuine, transformative change might be slow to materialize from the top down, instead being driven by innovative, smaller players. For consumers, it highlights the importance of supporting these emerging ethical brands. For large corporations, it serves as a stark reminder of their unmet potential and the urgent need to fundamentally re-evaluate their operational models to prioritize transparency and verifiable impact.
The "We Avoid" Category: A Call for Accountability
The 113 brands that received Good On You’s lowest score, "We Avoid," represent a significant challenge for conscious consumers and a critical area for industry improvement. These brands, constituting 31% of all those rated in Q1, were found to be doing insufficient work for people, the planet, or animals, or, more commonly, demonstrated a profound lack of transparency across their supply chains. A score of zero against Good On You’s robust methodology indicates a complete absence of publicly available information, making it impossible to assess their impact or verify any claims of sustainability they might make.
Among the brands that received the lowest possible score of zero, highlighting an extreme lack of transparency or verifiable action, are:
- Urban Revivo
- Gerry Weber
- Documents Beauty
- Gas Jeans
- Cotton & Silk
These brands, and many others in the "We Avoid" category, represent a critical blind spot in the market. Without public disclosure, consumers are left in the dark, unable to make informed choices. This lack of accountability not only undermines efforts towards a more sustainable industry but also erodes consumer trust. In an era of increasing environmental awareness and social justice demands, brands that fail to disclose their practices risk alienating a growing segment of the market that prioritizes ethical consumption. The existence of such a large "We Avoid" category serves as a powerful call to action for these companies to engage in greater transparency and implement tangible, verifiable sustainability initiatives.
Broader Industry Implications and the Path Forward
The Q1 2026 Good On You ratings offer a snapshot of a fashion industry at a crossroads. While the success of pioneering brands, particularly those from Australia, demonstrates that highly ethical and sustainable production is not only possible but thriving, the broader picture reveals significant systemic issues. The persistent gap between small and large brands in terms of transparency and impact highlights the structural challenges faced by established giants and the agility of newer, purpose-driven enterprises.
Consumer demand for sustainable fashion is no longer a niche concern; it is a mainstream expectation. Reports consistently show a growing willingness among consumers to pay more for ethically produced goods, and a significant desire for clear, trustworthy information about brand practices. Platforms like Good On You are instrumental in meeting this demand, empowering individuals to exert their purchasing power as a force for positive change.
The implications for the industry are clear: transparency is no longer optional but a fundamental requirement for long-term viability and brand reputation. Companies that continue to operate in opaqueness risk not only negative ratings but also losing market share to more responsible competitors. Moving forward, the industry must embrace radical transparency, invest in truly lower-impact materials and production methods, ensure fair labour practices across complex supply chains, and commit to circular economy principles. The success stories of Q1 2026 serve as an inspiration and a blueprint, demonstrating that a fashion industry that is truly good for people, the planet, and animals is within reach, provided there is collective will and unwavering commitment to accountability.
Editor’s note: Feature image by Serpent and the Swan, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion and beauty brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use its directory to search thousands of rated brands.
