GUESS

At the time of rating, GUESS was in the process of being acquired by Authentic Brands Group. This rating is based on relevant information available prior to the completion of the acquisition, and is not reflective of the initiatives relevant to Authentic Brands Group.

Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions and wastewater to business models and product circularity. Here we rate GUESS “It's a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It uses some lower-impact materials including organic cotton.
• It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but claims it’s not on track.
• It offers clothing recycling to consumers to help address end-of-life textile waste.
• It’s set a target to improve water use efficiency in its supply chain.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assess brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate GUESS “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• Much of its final stage is located in low risk countries or certified facilities, however it does not publish an aggregate breakdown of suppliers.
• There’s no evidence it provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages.
• Its Code of Conduct covers ILO principles.
• It audits some of its supply chain including all of the final production stage.
• There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.
• It has not taken sufficient steps to remediate its links to cotton sourced from Xinjiang, a region in China at risk of Uyghur forced labour.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate GUESS “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It appears to use leather, wool, cashmere, alpaca, down, and decorative exotic feather.
• Some of its animal-derived materials consist of recycled or certified alternatives to conventional wool and down.
• It doesn’t appear to use angora, fur, exotic animal skin, shearling or mohair.
• It has a formal policy but it is not aligned with the Five Domains of Animal Welfare.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate GUESS “Not Good Enough” overall.