Madewell

Madewell is owned by J.Crew.

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 Madewell “It's a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials, however it does not publish an aggregate breakdown of materials used.
• It’s set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain, and it claims it’s on track.
• There’s no evidence it’s set a target to manage water use in its supply chain.
• It provides evidence on its efforts to minimise packaging.

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 Madewell “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It partly traces its supply chain, including the final and some of the second production stages.
• Its Code of Conduct covers ILO principles.
• It incentivises its suppliers to improve labour conditions in its supply chain.
• It claims to have a program to improve wages, but there’s no evidence it ensures its workers are paid living wages in most of its supply chain.
• During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it did not disclose adequate policies or safeguards to protect workers in its supply chain from the virus.

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 Madewell “It's a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It appears to use leather, shearling, wool, cashmere, and alpaca.
• Some of its animal-derived materials consist of recycled or certified alternatives to conventional cashmere and wool.
• It doesn’t appear to use mohair, down, angora, fur, or exotic animal skin.
• 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 Madewell “It's a Start” overall.