Competitors - sustainability/ethics

Main Competitors:

> Top 10 Abercrombie and Fitch competitors: (google)
- Gap
- H&M
- J Crew
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Aeropostale
- ZARA
-Forever 21
- Uniqlo
- URBN
- Inditex

> Gap:

- CEO Art Peck states - "Doing what's right - supporting fair treatment and dialogue between garment workers and factory management, tackling climate change and fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome - is a competitive advantage. Our business succeeds when everyone is given a chance to thrive."

- Commitment to conserve 10 billion litres of water by the end of 2020 through improving manufacturing practices

- By 2020 eliminate the use of wood-derived fabrics sourced from ancient and endangered forests.

- By 2021 source 100% cotton from more sustainable sources, including better cotton initiative (BCI), organic, recycled and American-grown cotton. 

- However only audits some of its traced facilities.

- Work empowerment initiatives are minimal.

- Uses down feather without any accreditations.

- Uses leather without stating its sources.

> H&M:

- Their 'Fair Living Wage' strategy - 5 year strategy to analyse and improve factories.

- One of their goals was to ensure that supplier factories producing 50% of H&M group's product volume are implementing improved wage management systems by 2018. - The result was 67%, covering 500 factories and about 635,000 workers.

- H&M use recycled polyester, wool, silver, plastic and glass and organic silk and linen.

- However H&M only implements some of the available worker empowerment initiatives at the final manufacturing stage and even fewer at the raw materials and inputs stages of production.

- Uses leather and down feathers without specifying where they are sourced therefore they do not guarantee animal welfare.

- Still a large promoter of 'fast' or 'disposable fashion' with the constant rotation of new trends having a huge environmental impact - the clothing industry is responsible for 5.4% of the world's carbon emissions which places it 5th of all industries.