Next

Next is owned by Next plc.

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

• It uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials.
• There’s no evidence it minimises textile waste in most of its supply chain.
• There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain.
• It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.

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

• It sources its final stage of production from countries with extreme risk of labour abuse.
• There’s no evidence it supports diversity and inclusion in most its supply chain.
• It has an external grievance mechanism for workers in its supply chain to anonymously report concerns like harassment and unpaid wages.
• There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.
• It’s taken insufficient 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 Next “It’s a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It has a formal policy aligned with the Five Domains of animal welfare.
• It appears to use leather and exotic animal hair.
• Responsible Down Standard certifies most of the down it uses.
• It has a policy to source wool from non-mulesed sheep but doesn’t provide any evidence to verify its claims.
• It doesn’t appear to use fur, angora, or exotic animal skin.
• It traces some animal-derived materials to the first production stage.

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