Abercrombie & Fitch scores 2 out of 16 at Rank a Brand: Compare how transparent, green and fair your favorite brands are

Abercrombie & Fitch Info

Rank a Brand score:

2 out of 16
Please scroll down the score report.

Brand Owner: Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Head Office: New Albany, OH, USA
Sector: Fashion, Clothing & Shoes
Categories: Retailer, Casual, Underwear & Lingerie
Free Tags: Accessories

Widget

EMAIL BRAND

Abercrombie & Fitch Logo

Find out how green, fair and transparent your favorite brands are.

Compare Other brands

BRAND NAME Brand_name_botline

PERFORMANCE Brand_name_botline

Last Updated: 17 April 2012
Last Verified: 17 April 2012

Abercrombie & Fitch Score Report

Questions about Climate Change/ Carbon Emissions

1 out of 4


1. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions?	Abercrombie & Fitch has taken several policy measures to reduce its carbon emissions, such as reducing stress on the region’s power grid during critical periods (see p.21 of its 2010/2011 CR Report). Also, its Carbon Disclosure Project is supervised by an independent third party (p.23).	SOURCE
2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual carbon footprint of its 'own operations' and has the brand already reduced or compensated 10% of these emissions in the last 5 years?	Abercrombie & Fitch increased its Scope 1&2 carbon footprint from 134,749 tons CO2 in 2008 to 129,667 tons CO2 in 2010 (see p. 24), which represents a reduction of only 3,8%.	SOURCE
3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of its 'own operations' by at least 20% within the next 5 years?	AAbercrombie & Fitch states that it aims to continue working on its Carbon Disclosure Project (p. 20), but does not mention any concrete reduction targets on its website.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the product supply chain that is beyond own operations?	Abercrombie & Fitch states that it is advocating for reduction in carbon emissions in its supply chain (p. 20), but does not mention any concrete targets or results on its website.	SOURCE

Questions about Environmental Policy

0 out of 4


1. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 5% of its volume?	Abercrombie & Fitch mentions reduced reliance on non-sustainable materials on its home campus (p. 25). However, the A&F does not provide any information about preferred materials used in production. Sustainability information should be easily accessible for consumers to make responsible choices.	SOURCE
2. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 10% of its volume?	See remark for environmental policy question 1.	SOURCE
3. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 25% of its volume?	See remark for environmental policy question 1.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) have an environmental policy related to the ‘wet processes’ within the production cycle, like bleaching and dying of fabrics?	Abercrombie & Fitch states that it is "currently developing a water stewardship program for our manufacturing partners through which we endeavor to ensure that there is “zero discharge” of toxic chemicals resulting from our processes" (p. 5).	SOURCE

Questions about Labour Conditions/ Fair Trade

1 out of 8


1. Does the brand (company) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labour, no child labour, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace?	All standards mentioned in Abercrombie & Fitch's Code of Conduct (see link).	SOURCE
2. Does this CoC include at least two of the following workers rights: 1. to have a formally registered employment relationship 2. to have a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. to have a sufficient living wage?	1. Not explicitly stated; 2.No, only mention of reasonable work hours in compliance with local laws and standards with no regularly scheduled work weeks in excess of 60 hours (or lower if prescribed by local law or local industry standards). 3. Abercrombie & Fitch only refers to minimum law or industry wages.	SOURCE
3. Does this Code of Conduct include the right for workers to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, the right to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining?	Freedom of association is mentioned, but in the case where the local labour laws restrict these freedoms, the supplier is only encouraged (but has no obligation) to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining for the employees.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume?	Abercrombie & Fitch does not have a significant published list of direct suppliers on its website. Sustainability information should be easily accessible for consumers to make responsible choices.	SOURCE
5. Is the brand (company) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labour conditions, or does the brand (company) purchase its supplies from accredited factories with improved labour conditions?	Abercrombie & Fitch is a member of Better Work and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), but information about a code of conduct, monitoring/auditing, and reporting on audit results is not found on the webistes of these two initiatives.	SOURCE
6. Do independent civil society organizations like NGO's and labour unions have a decisive voice in this collective initiative or in these certification schemes?	BSR works in cooperation with several NGOs, but they are not represented in the Board of Directors and it is, thus, unclear how much say they have in decision making. Better Work has some representatives of civil society organizations and the academia in its Advisory Committee, but the decisions are made by the Management Board.	SOURCE
7. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labour conditions policy?	Abercrombie & Fitch reports that it typically audit factories once a year and provides only very limited information on these audits (p. 18).	SOURCE
8. Has the brand's labour conditions policy resulted in a 'compliance level' of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a 'monitored level' of at least 80%?	See remark for labor conditions question 7.	SOURCE