By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, Apr 24 (IANSlife): Out of the 250 high-street fashion brands reviewed in the latest Fashion Transparency Index which ranks companies according to how much information they disclose about their social, environmental policies, practices and impact, H&M has been named number one.

The Fashion Transparency Index, launched during the Fashion Revolution Week, creates awareness on important issues for the whole textile industry, such as transparency, good working conditions in the supply chain and the need for shifting towards a circular economy.

This year, an additional 50 brands and retailers, including major brands from Australia, India, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and Switzerland were reviewed for the first time. Several e-retailers, including Fashion Nova (USA), Koovs (India) and Pretty Little Thing (UK), were also added.

The Fashion Transparency Index comprises 220 indicators covering a wide range of social and environmental topics such as animal welfare, biodiversity, chemicals, climate, due diligence, forced labour, freedom of association, gender equality, living wages, purchasing practices, supplier disclosure, waste and recycling, working conditions and more.

H&M (H&M Group) is the highest scoring brand this year at 73 per cent of the 250 possible points, followed by C&A at 70 per cent, Adidas and Reebok at 69 per cent and Esprit at 64 per cent.

Hanna Hallin, Global Strategy Lead for Transparency at H&M Group, commented: "It is a great honour to be ranked as number one in the Fashion Transparency Index 2020 and a great recognition of our work. We always aim to be as transparent as possible in our progress in our progress towards a more sustainable fashion future, as well as the challenges ahead, in order to keep driving industry change. We are committed to continue taking step for greater transparency so customers can make informed decisions and drive a positive impact in the industry through our extensive work to become fully circular and climate positive, while being a fair and equal company."

The overall average score among the 250 brands is 23 per cent (up from 21 per cent among the 200 brands in 2019). Gucci is the highest scoring luxury brand at 48 per cent, up from 40 per cent in 2019, and is the only brand to score 100 per cent on Policy and Commitments.

The other Kering Group brands reviewed come in just behind Gucci, including Balenciaga (47 per cent), Saint Laurent (47 per cent) and Bottega Veneta (46 per cent).