The 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard from Stand.earth presents a mixed but critical picture of how global apparel and footwear brands are addressing their climate impact, with a handful of leaders and many laggards still heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
Brands Cutting Emissions But Not Fast Enough
Out of 42 global fashion brands analyzed, only 14 brands (33%) reported sustained emissions cuts of more than 10% against their baseline year, and just three are aligned with a 1.5°C pathway, while 17 brands actually increased their carbon footprint. As of 2025, 12 of 42 brands (29%) have set some form of supply chain renewable electricity target, up from five brands in 2023, showing a clear but uneven shift toward cleaner energy in manufacturing countries.
At the same time, only six brands (14%) reported providing any kind of decarbonization project financing for their suppliers, and just one brand, H&M, showed strong evidence of non-debt financing, which highlights a major gap in how brands support a just energy transition on the ground. The report also notes that 20 of 42 brands (47%) have public time-bound commitments to phase out coal by 2030, but that figure has stalled rather than grown since the last scorecard.
Fast Fashion And Luxury: Leaders And Laggards
In fast fashion, H&M Group (B+) again comes out ahead of rivals like Inditex (C), while Next, Boohoo, SHEIN, and Aritzia sit among six F-rated brands, showing how sharply performance diverges even within the same segment. Fast fashion brands continue to score poorly on low-carbon materials and circularity, with the highest grade in that category only a C for H&M, Inditex, and Bestseller, despite their investments in next‑gen and recycled fibers.
Luxury shows some momentum: five of seven luxury brands, including Armani, Burberry, Capri Holdings, Chanel, Kering, LVMH, and Prada, improved their overall scores since 2023, with Kering (C+) leading on stricter material sourcing and biodiversity, and a target to cut strategic suppliers’ energy use by 70% by 2035. Yet the report calls luxury supply chains “opaque,” with only Armani sharing both Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier lists, while Capri and Prada disclose only partial supplier information.
Sportswear, Mass Market and Retail
Sportswear and outdoor brands such as Adidas, Allbirds, Asics, Columbia Clothing, Lululemon, Mammut, MEC, New Balance, Nike, On-Running, Patagonia, PUMA, REI, and Under Armour stand out in renewables. An “impressive” seven of the 12 brands with supply chain renewable electricity targets come from this segment, with Nike (C+) leading sportswear and Patagonia (C+) scoring strongly on low‑carbon materials and governance.
Mass market brands such as Eileen Fisher, Hugo Boss, Levi Strauss & Co., PVH, Ralph Lauren, Target, VF Corp, and Walmart outperform the cross‑sector average in every category by at least one grade, with Eileen Fisher (B-) leading on low‑carbon materials and circularity thanks to strong resale and repair programs. By contrast, retailers Walmart (D-) and Target (D) fall below the overall average across most categories, though Target edges slightly ahead on climate targets and supplier engagement.
Net Zero Targets And Coal Phase‑Out
Net zero announcements are spreading fast: 64% of companies assessed have some form of 2040 or 2050 net zero goal, but only five brands—including AEO, H&M Group, Inditex, Kering, and PUMA—show strong evidence of credible interim targets toward those goals. The report highlights coal as a “quiet killer,” pointing out that fewer than half of brands have a public, time-bound commitment to phase out coal, despite its heavy climate and health impacts.
The average company grade improved from an F in 2023 to a D in 2025, reflecting modest but real progress across categories such as supplier support, governance, and transparency. Yet only six companies (14%) have committed to or achieved a majority phase‑out of fossil fuel-based materials, with Allbirds, Eileen Fisher, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss & Co., and Kering named as leaders.
Circularity, Shipping And Climate Blindspots
Circularity is becoming mainstream, with 40 of 42 brands (95%) now offering some form of resale or repair program, a jump the report frames as a “hopeful sign” that circular shopping has entered the fashion mainstream. Almost one third of companies provide strong examples of investment in textile circularity, including closed‑loop recycling and next‑gen fibers from textile waste or agricultural residues, and PUMA (C+) stands out with a target to use 30% textile‑to‑textile recycled polyester by 2030.
Upstream shipping is another rising focus: nearly two‑thirds of companies now include upstream shipping within their Scope 3 emissions targets, and 12 brands have delivered sustained decreases in those emissions, while just five brands—Adidas, Allbirds, Mammut, PUMA, and VF Corp—have publicly committed to sharply limiting air freight. Still, only nine brands (21%) disclose transportation emissions by mode, and five companies, including Fast Retailing, Inditex, Prada, PUMA, and SHEIN, reported emissions that have increased significantly since their baseline year.
Perhaps the starkest gap is climate adaptation: the scorecard finds that no brand provided clear evidence of specific, locally developed climate adaptation training, financing, or support for workers, and only two brands, Patagonia (C) and Eileen Fisher, stand out for actively backing proposed New York and California Fashion Acts. There is a growing need for brands to publish detailed “Just Climate Transition” plans, increase direct financing for supplier decarbonization, commit to phasing out oil‑based synthetics, and bring greener, slower shipping into the center of product planning.
