How To Score

Important Things to Know Beforehand:

• THIS IS NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE. As we learn more and as brands evolve, the relevancy and methodology of the scores may change.
• TRY YOUR BEST! One of the first things I realized while scoring my outfits was that I forgot where some of my clothes came from, and I hadn’t been keeping track of whether I had worn a piece of clothing 30 times. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt if necessary and go with your gut feeling.
• THIS IS A SHAME AND GUILT-FREE ZONE. Your outfit’s Fashion Eco Score does not represent you as a person. Our values, personal style, and habits come from a variety of sources for a variety of reasons. Not to mention, finding information about a company’s sustainability practices is not easy. Demand more from the brands you love! And learn about new brands that have woven sustainability and accountability into their company DNA.
• HAVE FUN & REFLECT. If you’re a fashion nerd like me, you’ll have fun adding up points for your daily outfits and realizing that you have good and bad days. But if you try the Fashion Eco Score once, reflect and think about how the results made you feel. Did it increase your awareness on what you’re buying? Did you realize you don’t wear this shirt very often? Or did you finally feel proud of wearing those leggings for the umpteenth time? For the full experience, try scoring your outfits for 1-2 weeks straight. Also, try it out during different times of the year for different seasons (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring).

Why self-scoring is important

• The world is fast paced and information changes at any time, all the time. It’s our responsibility as conscious consumers to continually educate ourselves so that we can make accurate decisions about a brand and/or purchase. Brands should also work to make information about their supply chain and sustainability practices easily accessible (i.e. not hidden in some legal footer on their website to “check a box”).

Ok…let’s get into scoring!

The maximum points you can earn is 10 points. Pick 5 pieces of clothing. Each is worth 2 points.The points can be broken down as below–

1. Top (0-2 points)
2. Bottom (0-2 points)
3. Shoes (0-2 points)
4. Socks or Undergarment (0-2 points)
5. Sweater or Accessory (0-2 points)

1. Dress (0-2 points)
2. Shoes (0-2 points)
3. Undergarment (0-2 points)
4. Sweater or Accessory (0-2 points)
5. Socks or Second Accessory (0-2 points)

1. Top (0-2 points)
2. Bottom (0-2 points)
3. Shoes (0-2 points)
4. Undergarment (0-2 points)
5. Socks or Accessory (0-2 points)

If you’re stuck you can also apply any daily beauty or hygiene products.

Note the brand for each item of clothing and award the following points according to the brand’s effort and transparency towards ethical and sustainable practices (in published articles or on their website):

Award 0 Points If:

• Rated I Would Avoid or Not Good Enough according to the Good On You brand directory.
• You have no idea where this came from (it happens!)
• On the company’s brand page, there is no mention or information of using ethical and/or sustainable methods of production. Or the information is lackluster and insufficient.

Award 1 Point If:

• Rated It’s A Start according to the Good On You brand directory.
• Some information is available about sustainability, but the brand lacks meaningful evidence (no tracking data, certifications, reports, etc.).

Award 2 Points If:

• Rated Good or Great according to the Good On You brand directory.
• You know it’s a local ethical and sustainable business!
• The brand showcases certifications, policies, evidence, and/or tracking data around its ethical and sustainability practices.
• The item has been altered or mended for extended life.
• The item has been thrifted or swapped!
• The item was borrowed or rented 😉

Tip: First, check if the brand has already been rated in the Good On You ethical brand rating directory. If not, you will need to self-score using a simple Google search. Search “[insert brand] sustainability.” You will often find information about any sustainable and/or ethical practices in the “About Us,” “Our Story,” “Social Responsibility,” or “FAQ” section of a brand’s site. If the Good On You rating hasn’t been recently updated or if you have contrary evidence, no problem! Simply assign a score using YOUR best judgment.

Bonus points!

For an item that scored 0 or 1 point, you can add +1 point if you’ve worn it at least 30 times (use your best judgment). If you’re a fashion sustainability PRO, adjust accordingly! Skip this part completely or even deduct -1 point if you haven’t worn an item at least 30 times. Each item can have a maximum of 2 points each.

Add up the points from each of your 5 pieces of clothing plus bonus points and view your score out of 10.

What your outfit’s Fashion Eco Score means:

If your outfit scored between 7-10 points: Hooray! Your outfit reflects sustainable & ethical choices. Thank you for supporting pioneering thoughtful brands, secondhand shops, and wearing your purchases regularly.

If your outfit scored between 4-6 points: Unfortunately, questionable or fast fashion may have been involved but you. are. on. your. way 👏! Keep wearing your clothes and consider making swaps for more sustainable & ethical brands when you shop next time. You can also alter, thrift, or swap in the future.

If your outfit scored between 0-3 points: Fear not! An outfit that scores between 0-3 points simply means that you should consider 1) whether you will continue to wear these items regularly and 2) where these clothing items came from. If you do not plan on wearing some items regularly, consider reselling, altering, or offering this up in a clothing swap with friends or family. Ask yourself more often where your clothes came from and start keeping track if you’re going to wear each clothing item at least 30 times before you buy.

How did scoring your outfit feel? Try again tomorrow! For a full transformation, I recommend scoring your outfit for 14 days (2 weeks). I’d also love to hear from you.