Known for its cool, effortless designs, GANNI has become a standout in the fashion world. But does it stand out in sustainability as much as it does so in style? Let’s explore how this Danish darling is navigating sustainable fashion and find out if we are truly “GANNI Girls.”
Key takeaways
- Transparency: GANNI is highly transparent, sharing detailed progress in its Responsibility Report and openly addressing challenges. It is a B Corp Certified company and has robust policies on ethics and workers.
- Workers: GANNI emphasizes living wages, ethical supply chains, and gender equality. It supports worker welfare through programs for female empowerment and regular supplier audits, though subcontractor oversight needs improvement.
- Environment: GANNI actively reduces emissions, adopts sustainable materials, and promotes circular practices like resale and recycling. It aims for 90% of its materials to be more sustainable by 2025.
- Quality and Craftsmanship: GANNI ensures lasting quality through durable designs and repair services. Its bold, creative pieces prove sustainability can coexist with style, though the journey toward full sustainability continues.
Transparency
Transparency may not be the end goal, but it is the backbone of sustainability. GANNI gets this and delivers in several key areas. The brand’s latest annual Responsibility Report is a comprehensive look at GANNI’s progress toward its ambitious 2025 Vision, and addresses targets on emissions, biodiversity, and circularity.
What sets GANNI apart is its openness about setbacks. Unlike many brands that avoid highlighting challenges, GANNI uses these moments to reflect and recalibrate. GANNI’s transparency (relatively uncommon in the fashion industry) helps build a stronger foundation of trust with consumers, allowing them to feel confident that the brand is genuinely committed to change rather than greenwashing.
GANNI is also a B Corp Certified company at 90.6 points and, according to its website, is working to get closer to 150 points by 2025. Plus, the brand has a Code of Conduct, Involuntary Workers Policy, Migrant Workers Policy, Child Labor Policy, Code of Ethics, Bribery and anticorruption, and Modern Slavery Statement, all of which are published in its website. All this proves GANNI’s level of commitment to accountability and integrity.
Workers
GANNI tackles social impact through three key areas: Living Wages, Supply Chain Accountability, and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Living Wages
GANNI understands the distinction between minimum wages (a legally mandated baseline determined by a country’s economic conditions) and living wages (a wage ensures workers can afford a decent standard of living for themselves and their families). GANNI mandates that all its suppliers adhere to minimum wage laws through its code of conduct, but goes a step further by prioritizing the implementation of living wages.
The brand has set an ambitious target of enrolling all Tier 1 suppliers in its Living Wage Initiative by 2025. In 2023, GANNI expanded its Living Wage Initiative to three strategic garment manufacturers, and identified eight suppliers who are already paying above the Living Wage benchmark for their respective regions. Although this marks an important step in meeting its 2025 target, there is still a long way to go.
Supply Chain Accountability
By consolidating its supplier base and conducting regular audits, GANNI keeps ethical oversight in focus. The brand’s goal is to have 95% of Tier 1 and subcontracted suppliers audited and continually monitored by 2025. However, challenges persist, particularly with subcontractors in regions where labor laws are weaker. In 2023, GANNI fell short of its 60% monitoring goal due to increased subcontractor production but responded by reevaluating its processes and strengthening its supplier authorization procedures.
The brand has also partnered with organizations like the Fair Wear Foundation which supports ethical labor practices.
Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Most of GANNI’s manufacturing workforce is female. Through targeted programs, GANNI fosters inclusivity and provides opportunities for economic independence and personal development for women. According to its website, GANNI partners with local organizations to offer skill-building workshops that enhance earning potential and quality of life for female workers. The brand’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion extends beyond its supply chain, influencing its hiring practices and workplace culture.
Environment
GANNI’s environmental efforts center on reducing emissions, adopting sustainable materials, and promoting circular economy practices.
Reducing Emissions
GANNI has set science-based targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C pathway. According to its Responsibility Report, the majority of GANNI’s carbon footprint lies in Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions that occur in the value chain and that are tied to its supply chain, raw materials, and product transportation.
In 2023, the brand’s total emissions across Scopes 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources like stores and offices), 2 (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy), and 3 were 20% lower than in 2022. This improvement was driven by key factors, like reduced carbon footprint from materials, lower upstream and downstream transportation emissions due to decarbonization efforts, and improved data accuracy.
Adopting Sustainable Materials
Materials play a key role in reducing a brand’s environmental footprint and GANNI is no different. Materials constituted almost 60% of the brand’s total carbon footprint in 2023 which led GANNI to come up with some initiatives. The Fabrics of the Future initiative is one of them and emphasizes in replacing high-impact materials with more sustainable options. By 2025, the brand’s goal is for 90% of materials to be in the Preferred category, with 10% sourced from Fabrics of the Future.
In 2023, GANNI launched seven pilot products with innovation partners, building on efforts since 2019. This initiative focuses on reducing reliance on high-emission materials like virgin leather, wool, cotton, and polyester. Additionally, GANNI partners with organizations like the Textile Exchange to ensure its materials meet rigorous environmental standards.
Fabric Score
To ensure transparency, GANNI classifies materials into three categories: Preferred, Better, and Avoid, based on carbon footprint data and industry benchmarks. Let’s see how the brand has done so far:
- Cotton: Represented 35% of GANNI’s material mix, with 98.6% classified as “Preferred” (organic or recycled). Quite a good number.
- Polyester: Represented 24% of GANNI’s material mix, with 92.5% classified as “Preferred” (recycled). Notably, the use of conventional polyester increased in 2023, largely due to GANNI’s commitment to eliminate virgin leather from its collections. According to their website, the brand is “transitioning to recycled leather and innovative materials for this purpose, and anticipate seeing a decline in conventional polyester again soon.”
- Wool and animal hair: Represented 9% of GANNI’s material mix, with around 72% classified as “Preferred” (certified, organic or recycled). While every progress should be celebrated, there is still some space for growth.
- Leather: Represented 12% of GANNI’s material mix. The brand completely phased-out of virgin leather in 2023. This milestone was done despite its profitability and challenges in finding viable alternatives. A bold, but fruitful, step.
Circular Economy Practices
GANNI’s work on circularity is split into three sections:
- Designed for Circularity: This refers to clothes in their design phase and how they can be designed to be durable, repairable and recyclable.
- Recycling: This refers to the creation of local partnerships with collectors and sorters to ensure that fiber-to-fiber recycling technologies are able to recycle GANNI clothing. It also refers to the reuse and upcycle of excess materials in the brand’s supply chain.
- Circular Business Models: This involves GANNI’s resale and rental platforms, as well as experimenting with closed-loop systems and cutting-edge recycling technologies to turn old fabrics into high-quality new materials.
Quality and craftsmanship
Sustainability and lasting products go hand-in-hand and GANNI gets this. If you have ever bought anything at GANNI, you know that the brand prioritizes craftsmanship and quality making sure their pieces are not just trendy but built to last. Sure, GANNI’s price tags lean toward the upper side, but that’s the cost of getting garments designed to endure.
By designing for circularity, GANNI incorporates durability into its design process, selecting materials and finishes that withstand wear and tear, thus extending the garment’s life. This commitment to quality is also visible in the brand’s repair and maintenance initiatives, which encourage customers to repair rather than replace items. GANNI offers repair services for common garment issues, such as zipper or button replacements.
And here’s the cherry on top: prioritizing sustainability doesn’t mean GANNI spares on creativity. Quite the opposite! Their signature bold colors, playful prints, and innovative aesthetic ensure you’re still wearing unique, head-turning designs.
Final Thoughts: On The Right Track
So, how sustainable is GANNI? Let’s break it down: the brand is not waving a “mission accomplished” flag just yet, but it’s definitely on its way. From its living wage initiative tackling fair compensation head-on to advocating for gender equality and inclusivity, GANNI proves it is serious about doing better. Transparency? Check. Measurable goals? Double check.
While perfection is still a runway away, GANNI’s commitment shows that sustainability doesn’t have to mean ditching style. Instead, it’s about proving you can wear bold prints, funky designs, and vibrant colors and sleep easy knowing your wardrobe choices are kinder to people and the planet.
GANNI is “ON THE RIGHT TRACK” *
*Here is more information on how The Pomelade rates.
Now that you know our verdict, are you a “GANNI Girl”? Let us know in the comments below!
