The Sting

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

• It uses some lower-impact materials, however it does not publish an aggregate breakdown of materials used.
• It uses renewable energy in its direct operations (such as stores or offices) but not in its supply chain.
• There’s no evidence it minimises textile waste in its supply chain.
• There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce water use.

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

• There’s no evidence it provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages.
• It audits some of its supply chain including all of the final production stage.
• Its Code of Conduct covers ILO principles.
• There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.

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

• It appears to use leather and wool.
• Some of its animal-derived materials consist of recycled or certified alternatives to conventional wool.
• It doesn’t appear to use shearling, cashmere, alpaca, mohair, or down.
• It has a policy to source wool from non-mulesed sheep but doesn’t provide any evidence to verify its claims.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate The Sting “It's a Start” overall.