The fashion industry's sustainable cotton promises face mounting scrutiny following comprehensive analysis revealing that meaningful progress remains elusive for most major brands. New research exposes significant gaps between corporate sustainability claims and actual purchasing practices, with synthetic dependence reaching concerning levels across global supply chains.
- Just 31 companies out of 100 analysed use cotton as their primary material, representing 50% or more of operations.
- Among cotton-focused brands, only 17 demonstrate genuine commitment by sourcing more than half their cotton from certified sustainable sources.
- Synthetic fibres now dominate 26 major brands' material portfolios. The report highlights fast fashion leader Shein as heavily reliant on synthetic fibres, though its specific material breakdown is not publicly disclosed.
- Twenty-five brands report incorporating certified recycled cotton, though quantities remain negligible for 14 companies at just 1–4% of total sourcing.
- The findings are from the Cotton Rankings 2025 published today by Solidaridad in collaboration with Good on You. The report analyses material sourcing data from the world's largest fashion retailers.
HOW THE RANKINGS WORK: Solidaridad partnered with sustainability rating platform Good on You to create three distinct rankings measuring different aspects of cotton sourcing across 100 major fashion brands. The collaboration represents a significant methodological shift from previous approaches, allowing deeper analysis through multiple assessment criteria. Good On You's methodology relies on publicly available data and, where data is missing, uses detailed product-level (SKU) analysis to create estimates. The study period covered March to June 2025, incorporating both direct company reporting and estimated data where transparency gaps existed.
- The first ranking measures total certified cotton percentages, revealing leaders like Adidas, Amazon, and H&M achieving 100% certification rates.
- Ranking two examines total cotton volumes purchased, with Inditex Group leading at 298,582 tonnes followed by Gildan at 239,358 tonnes annually.
- The third ranking compares cotton versus synthetic usage, showing concerning synthetic dependence among major industry players including fast fashion brands.
- Good On You's SKU-level analysis fills data gaps by reviewing actual product offerings when brands refuse to provide transparency on sourcing.
RISKS AND CONSEQUENCES: Smallholder cotton farmers producing 70% of global cotton face increasing marginalisation as brands shift towards synthetic alternatives. The research identifies critical threats to supply chain transformation, including limited investment in farming community support programmes. The report later recommends that "fair pricing" should become part of sustainable procurement. Consumer trust erodes when sustainability claims lack verifiable supporting data, potentially triggering backlash against companies making unsubstantiated environmental commitments.
- The report states that smallholder farmers, who largely live in poverty due to low cotton prices, lack the resources to adopt sustainable practices without greater support from brands and industry.
- Brands risk regulatory non-compliance as European legislation demands supply chain transparency and due diligence reporting on sustainability claims and practices.
- Consumer trust faces erosion when companies make environmental commitments without providing verifiable data on actual sourcing practices and material composition.
- Cotton's potential for carbon neutrality and climate positive impact remains unrealised while synthetic alternatives offer no environmental regeneration possibilities.
THE TRANSPARENCY GAP: Adidas, Amazon, H&M Group, Jack Wolfskin, and C&A lead certified cotton adoption with 100% sustainable sourcing across their cotton usage. However, cotton represents just 12% of Adidas' total material mix and 10% for Puma. The Inditex Group dominates total cotton purchasing at 298,582 tonnes annually, followed by Gildan at 239,358 tonnes. Complete transparency failures affect 71 brands that refuse to disclose total cotton volumes.
- Seventy-one brands refused to disclose basic cotton volumes while 39 companies provide no information about their certification types or sources.
- Only 35 out of 100 companies provided detailed certification breakdowns showing which standards and certification bodies they actually use.
- Just 25 companies offered clear material composition breakdowns including cotton, synthetics, and other materials used in their operations and products.
- Patagonia leads recycled cotton usage at 27% while ten brands including Inditex Group use between 10–18% recycled materials.
BEYOND THE PERCENTAGES: Companies achieving perfect certification scores often operate with minimal cotton usage, suggesting strategic positioning rather than meaningful industry leadership on sustainable sourcing. The concentration of highest certification rates among brands using cotton as secondary materials indicates that certification percentages often mask limited overall impact, as brands with strong shares of certified cotton typically use cotton only as a secondary material. Large corporations maintaining opacity around basic sourcing data likely seek to avoid scrutiny of purchasing practices that prioritise cost reduction over sustainability commitments.
- Adidas claims 100% certified cotton but cotton represents only 12% of their material mix, limiting actual sustainable impact.
- Perfect certification scores concentrate among brands where cotton plays secondary roles, which raises questions about whether this represents marketing positioning over genuine sustainability leadership.
- Major corporations avoiding basic transparency likely fear scrutiny of cost-focused purchasing practices that undermine sustainability commitments and farmer livelihoods.
- The report suggests synthetic adoption is driven by an "ongoing effort to cut prices," indicating economic motivations are a primary factor.
