What is Everlane?
Everlane is a clothing and shoe retailer. They make classic apparel that should last in your wardrobe for years.
What differentiates Everlane from a lot of other retailers with similar offerings is their pledge of ”radical transparency”. Everlane’s “radical transparency” means including a price breakdown below every item listed on their site.
The price breakdown doesn’t account for all the company’s expenses, but it includes the cost of every element required to make the item.
For example, their Relaxed Oxford Shirt is priced at $80.
Some of their reasoning for pricing this shirt at $80 is at the bottom of its page. In a section titled ”Transparent Pricing”, the costs for materials, hardware, labor, duties and transport are listed.
Those prices plus the undisclosed costs of “fittings, wear testing, rent on office and retail space” plus a markup results in their Relaxed Oxford Shirt priced at $80.
It’s true that this model is rare in the fashion industry. But how transparent is it, really?
Getting an answer to “Is Everlane ethical?” requires some investigation into their claims. Let’s dive in!
Everlane’s Sustainable Practices
Everlane prides themselves on making clothes with people and the planet in mind. As a testament to that commitment, they make their Impact Report available publicly.
Their most recent Impact Report (2021), details the company’s gains in a number of fields. Social responsibility, materials, people, etc.
In terms of their sustainable practices, their materials used is the most compelling. 66% of their cotton is organic. They’ve also eliminated 90% of virgin plastic from their supply chain.
Their packaging is now made entirely of either recycled plastics or FSC-certified paper.
Other than those figures, there’s not much else to say for Everlane’s sustainability.
They don’t have a resale marketplace to create a closed-loop supply chain. They don’t release small collections to counteract grave amounts of textile waste.
They don’t have another system in place that’s guided by a ”reduce textile waste” ideology. They don’t have any kind of plan in terms of toxic chemical reduction, either.
Everlane acknowledges the amount of toxic chemicals used in leather production. But, no plan is explained for how to reduce or get rid of toxic materials.
A truly sustainable clothing company has a responsibility to minimize waste, toxic chemicals and destructive patterns.
I don’t see a viable, trackable plan to address those concerns so far from Everlane.
Everlane’s Ethical Practices
Answering ”Is Everlane ethical?” requires we look beyond the products. It’s time to consider the people.
To consider a retailer’s ethics, we must investigate 3 areas. The conditions in which their employees work, their employees’ wages, and their employees’ safety.
Like most other apparel sites, Everlane doesn’t own any of the factories in which their goods are produced. Instead, they have contracts with factories all over the world.
To ensure these factories meet certain standards, Everlane relies on 3 outside agencies to perform audits: Elevate, Arche Advisors and Intertek.
Everlane mentions their lack of ownership multiple times in reference to some factory standards. I find that concerning.
True, they don’t own these factories so they can’t enforce certain working hours, for example. But, simply acknowledging workers may work overtime without seemingly having another option is a problem.
Everlane should make clear how garment workers aren’t intimidated to work longer than necessary. They should also specify exactly how they earn money.
If a garment worker’s pay depends on the amount they produce, that spells trouble. And it hints at a fast fashion mindset.
There’s no data confirming workers are paid a living wage. There’s no description of anti-harassment agencies at factories. And there’s no proof of workers’ empowerment bodies or unions.
The silence on these crucial topics gives me pause when answering whether Everlane is ethical.
There’s a Site for That
If you’re like me and need guidance during your conscious shopping journey, you need Good on You.
Good on You is a blog and directory that grades brands based on research in their impact on people, animals and the environment. You can read extensive reports on a brand’s ethics or simply search its name in their directory for a quick grade.
It does the hard work of looking into a brand for you! No more scanning Impact Reports or dissecting grandiose claims.
Good on You is here to tell you the real on a brand’s ethical practices. It’s the ideal resource for your conscious shopping journey!
Final Word
Everlane’s ”radical transparency” is suspect. For a brand to be radically transparent, everything must be laid bare.
Sure, Everlane tells us specifically how much hardware for a shirt costs. But, they don’t tell us what that shirt does better for the environment or the person making it.
They don’t offer solutions to textile waste, garment worker intimidation or toxic chemicals used in treating materials like leather.
They don’t have a resale program to recycle the countless pounds of fabric they consume.
I don’t find any of this radical or ethical. Quite the opposite.
References
- Everlane’s 2021 Impact Report
- Want to know if a brand is fast fashion? Just answer these questions
- Good on You’s Directory