According to the researchers: Brands often and detailed the use of sustainable cotton communicate inside the good on you (Goy) sustainability platform. In practice, however, their ranges mainly consist of synthetic substances. This is the most important conclusion from the new ‘Cotton Rankings Report’. Goy has provided this for the non -profit organization of Solidaridad.
The ‘2025 Cotton Rankings Report’ shows that only a third of the brands provide a detailed overview of their cotton certifications. The report takes into account a number of common certifications, including Better Cotton, organic cotton, fair trade and recycled cotton. These seals are widely recognized in the fashion and textile industry and are checked externally by independent third parties.
Certification is a difficult topic, a ‘Tricky Business’, warns good on you on your own website. For example, the German fashion brand Hugo Boss, the Dutch department store Hema and the Swedish furniture group Ikea, claim to use 100 percent certified cotton. However, none of these companies indicates what certifications it is. Brands such as the Italian fashion house Gucci, the American retailer Walmart and the US clothing brand Levi’s also state to use more than 80 percent certified cotton, but without further explanations. Where information about certification is missing, many brands use vague terms such as “sustainable” or “preferred” cotton. It is not clear what these terms mean, according to the researchers: inside.
There are also examples of mainstream brands that show solid transparency. The German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas, the German outdoor supplier Jack Wolfskin and the German-Dutch clothing provider C&A indicate exactly which percentage of their cotton falls under which certifications.
The provision of information about certifications is one thing. Even more important, according to the researchers: inside, is the proportion of cotton in the entire mix of materials. The fashion companies in the ranking – and generally – mainly rely on synthetic substances. Polyester is the most popular fiber.
Brands rarely put their amounts of material open, as the study shows. This gives the consumer: Inside, the impression that everything is fine with a brand is if it communicates transparently via sustainable materials such as certified cotton.
Therefore, the cotton ranking list was expanded to deepen this year. It offers insights into how much cotton brands actually use and how this applies to synthetic fibers. Only 29 of the 100 examined brands opened their cotton quantities. According to the researchers: Inside, many companies shy away from revealing this transparency because they fear, their market power – or their absence.
This findings are important for the transition to a circular economy for textiles. If it is known exactly how much cotton brands use annually, it becomes clearer for the industry how much it produces and what the entire material impact is. In addition, the supplier’s negotiating position becomes clearer: inside. It also shows how important the use of certified cotton is for a timely change to sustainability.
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