Realizing how critical it has become for a label to exist that comprehensively assesses a product’s impact, we knew we had to help bring one to life.
But, we also knew we weren’t experts.
So, we spent the last few years analyzing over 30 of the top assessments, certifications, organizations, and labels evaluating sustainability in the fashion industry to curate a holistic framework for our methodology.
Think about the phones in our hands, the clothes we wear, and the cars we drive…
From megabytes to miles per gallon, we know a lot about the products we buy, but almost nothing about the hundreds of hands they touch or thousands of miles they travel before they get to us.
While we as consumers remain in the dark, our very own dollars fund broken industries across the world today.
This lack of transparency continues to worsen 3 major problems in the fashion industry
01.
People wise, human rights abuses abound and less than 5% of the 100M people making clothing around the world are paid aliving wagethat covers their most basic needs.
02.
Planet wise, fashion is a top 5 polluting industry responsible for up to 10% of the world’s carbon footprint, impacting climate change more than international shipping and aviationcombined.
03.
Greenwashing: In fashion, pursuingonlythe most marketable ‘green’ initiative to push on shoppers (while conveniently ignoring everything else) has sadly become the norm.
We all want ‘eco-friendly’ denim that’s made by someone who’s also paid a living wage…
We all want ‘ethical’ yoga pants that aren’t made with materials that harm the environment…
We all want ‘sustainable’ to mean a comprehensive focus on People and the Planet…
…without greater transparency, though
fashion can’t change.
Designed to encourage food companies to produce healthier food and help consumers make better choices, the Nutrition Facts Label has increased transparency in the food & beverage industries for over 30 years now.
Yet, fashion remains decades away from anything comparable, and recent attempts fall devastatingly short of protecting People & Planet.
It’s time the transparency we get for the food we put in our bodies exists for the clothes we put on our bodies.
As a brand focused on sustainability, we’re far from perfect. To hold ourselves more accountable in hopes the industry will begin to do the same, we’re raising the bar for transparency to an unprecedented level…
It’s time for the #SustainabilityFactsLabel
Leveraging the research of sustainability experts around the world, we created this to empower consumers to make better choices and to invite brands like us to strengthen our approaches to sustainability.
From B Corp to Leather Working Group, to Climate Neutral, Fair Trade USA, Higg Index, FLA, SA8000, Textile Exchange, Good On You, Re/Make to you name it, we took it all in to ensure our label accounted for what experts commonly deem most critical to sustainability.
To see what we assessed and learn more about our methodology, visit nisolo.com/labelmethodology.
With 10 categories scored across People and Planet backed by 200 different public-facing data points, the Sustainability Facts Label is the most comprehensive yet digestible evaluation tool the fashion industry has seen to date.
92 data points make up People, inclusive of those commonly assessed by experts as well as entire categories such as Gender Equality and Healthcare & Benefits, which many assessments don’t evaluate but we deem critical and urgent.
Learn more about our methodology here.
108 data points make up Planet, inclusive of those commonly assessed by experts as well as criteria such as Durability within Raw Materials Integrity and Post Use Product Lifecycle, which many assessments do not evaluate but we deem critical and urgent.
Learn more about our methodology here.
From now forward, a product-specific #SustainabilityFactsLabel and QR code that links directly to the 200 data points evaluated across People and Planet will be found on all Nisolo shoes and accessories.
Our Vision
We envision a day when labels showing the impact of the clothes we buy are attached to all products.
Can you imagine what would happen?
Better choices could be made, consumer demand would strengthen, and supply chains would change for good.
While it’s far from perfect, our hope is that the Breadth (10 categories for People and Planet), Depth (200 data points), and Digestibility (simple design) of our label become the bare minimumfloorfor future labels to be built upon. But, to turn this vision into reality, we need your help.
How To Help
1. Share
Awareness is the first step toward change. We’re still a small brand, and the most important thing you can do is help spread the word about the #SustainabilityFactsLabel on social media and directly with your community.
2. Invite
Secondly, we encourage you to invite your favorite brands into this level of transparency and into embracing a more comprehensive approach to Sustainability that’s inclusive of People and Planet.
3. Build Upon or Adopt
We open-sourced all of our methodology and decided NOT to brand this label so that others can build upon our work. The industry doesn’t need labels that are less comprehensive than this one. All they do is add to the confusion.
Brands & sustainability experts, the most important thing you can do is adopt these principles, or, even better, treat our label as the bare minimum floor and build upon the Breadth, Depth, and Digestibility of it to make an even better one.
4. Help Us Improve
As we clarify in our methodology, our label is far from perfect. We’d love your input on how we can improve it. What did we miss? We’re all ears.
Our practices aren’t perfect either. If they were, we wouldn’t have graded ourselves with a C- in certain categories. So, if there are places you’re also seeing where we can do better, we’d love that feedback too.
Please contact us directly at label@nisolo.com.
We all value people. We all value the planet. It’s time for our clothes to do the same.
#SustainabilityFactsLabel
#SustainabilityFactsLabel
Learn More
To learn more about our methodology and calculations, visit nisolo.com/labelmethodology
To learn more about the overall Nisolo Sustainability Framework, visit see nisolo.com/sustainabilityframework
We Want to Hear From You
We welcome everyone to learn about our impact so that we can work together to shift the industry in a more sustainable direction. If there is an area of our business you have questions about related to social and environmental responsibility, we’re here for it.
To us, all news from you is good news. We’d love to hear your feedback, so please reach out directly to label@nisolo.com.
