Is ASOS Ethical, Sustainable, or Fast Fashion?

If you’re wondering “Is Asos fast fashion” or an ethical and sustainable brand, this is for you.  Here’s everything you need to know about the UK-based online fashion and cosmetic retailer. 

Is ASOS fast fashion? 

Yes, Asos is a fast fashion brand.

Much like Zara, Boohoo, H&M, Bannana Republic and Romwe, ASOS has been having a huge moment on social media. The widely-popular fast fashion brand offers a huge range of products that runs the gamut from men’s formal and casual staples to women’s shoes, eveningwear, and loungewear in every color, size, and aesthetic imaginable. They even have a beauty and lifestyle department. Currently, the fast fashion brand Asos touts that they have over 40,000 items on display. Now, if you segment down to men’s shoes alone, you have 2,532 + options! 

In fact, it is reported to have an incredible 26.4 million active ASOS customers worldwide. With more than 850 different brands proudly sitting on their virtual shelves, and ASOS’s private range gaining momentum now more than ever, should we really ditch the convenience of getting your shopping fix for an all-inclusive destination? 

The sustainability issues of ASOS are many –including questionable labor policies and production processes that have a huge impact on our environment and the people in its supply chain.  

Undeniably, the online retailer is built a successful business model. But is Asos’ business plan a sustainable one? How ethical is ASOS at the end of the day?

• If you want to know more about why is Fast Fashion bad, check out our previous deep-dive.

The fast fashion brand has been vocal about the inclusivity and sustainability values at the forefront of its agenda since 2010. Yes, not many actions were taken to ensure the aforementioned targets.

Inclusivity & equity

Granted, almost 3,000 plus-size clothing pieces are available on ASOS, with the largest sizes falling between US sizes 22 and 26 for women and 2XL and 4XL for men. Given the the importance of size diversity in the fashion sphere, it’s encouraging to see ASOS provide some expanded sizing, particularly for the more difficult-to-find male styles.

Aiming to achieve 50% female and over 15% minority participation throughout their combined leadership team by 2023, and at every leadership level by 2030, ASOS has inclusiveness programs and targets inside its corporate headquarters.

Projects

Thus far, Assos successfully manage to convert its cut-offs into sanitary pads for women in Africa and took part in a second partnership with the LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD. Alsos also invited Paralympian Chloe Ball-Hopkins to its design team for a unique initiative. With regard to the latter, it vowed to forbid the sale of mohair, silk, cashmere, and feathers across the board and introduced a training program for sustainable fashion. 

Sustainability Iniviatives

The corporation has publicly stated its intention to become a net zero emissions company by 2030, but there is no proof that it has established an exact goal. What’s more, ASOS is starting to consider opting for more fair trade-certified textiles and more sustainable production methods. Its objective is to reduce landfill trash by 50% by 2025 –according to the brand’s reports & policies. Lastly, they seemingly want to start using 100% sustainable or recycled packaging by 2025 on top of reinforcing their Circularity strategy by 2030.

Although the ASOS clothing line includes certain environmentally friendly materials, there is no proof that it minimizes textile waste during production. There is also  little indication that ASOS uses water conservation measures throughout the majority of its supply chain.

Indeed, all of these promises are headline-worthy, but are they also sleazy tactics to appear more “woke” and sustainable? 

Especially when the fast fashion brand refuses to share any information about the actual conditions of the factories they are producing their clothes, how the workers are treated, or any details on their supply chain. Cheap prices and the rapid trend cycle leaves no room for ethical manufacturing, after all.

So, is ASOS ethical when it comes to labor conditions? Unfortunately, almost none of its supply chain is verified by labor standards that guarantee worker health and safety, livable wages, or other labor rights. In other words, this is the “winning” formula of slave labor and most fast fashion companies like SHEIN and Zara do this! 

During a BBC investigation, child refugees in Turkey were found making clothes for UK shops –including Asos. According to the report, ASOS accepts its clothes were made in the factory, but says it is not an approved factory. The company has since inspected and found 11 Syrian adults and three Syrian children under 16 at work.

It’s a fantastic start that ASOS has mapped its Tier 1, 2, and 3 suppliers because transparency is a prerequisite for ethics. But although they proudly display an interactive supply chain map on their website, the link doesn’t really lead to any maps, thus it seems like the transparency stops there.

 ASOS releases a comprehensive list of suppliers involved in the final stage of manufacturing, some details on the second stage of production, as well as a few policies to shield its supply chain’s vendors and workers from the effects of COVID-19.

The company announces only a handful of details on its supplier rules, audits, and corrective action procedures. Usually, reports should include details about forced labor, gender equality, or freedom of association. Something that ASOS fails to do repeatedly. The most troubling aspect, however, is that despite having the means to do so, we could find no proof that it guarantees that a livable wage is paid across its supply chain.

 Conclusion: Is ASOS Fast Fashion, Ethical, Or Sustainable?

Asos is unquestionably a fast fashion company. While Asos has some sustainability goals, they are quite generic and don’t yet demonstrate any real social responsibility with enough evidence to back up their claims.

At the end of the day, fast fashion brand makes a significant effort to appear more ethical than they actually are. If you are looking for sustainable alternatives to Asos, there are luckily many options available at an array of different price ranges!