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Someone wearing a black Canada Goose branded puffer jacket.
01 Nov
Someone wearing a black Canada Goose branded puffer jacket.

How Ethical Is Canada Goose?

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Canada Goose is one of the world’s best-known high-end outerwear brands. But how ethical is Canada Goose? Read on to learn why we rate Canada Goose “Not Good Enough”. This article is based on the Canada Goose rating published in September 2023 and may not reflect claims the brand has made since then. Our ratings analysts are constantly rerating the thousands of brands you can check on our directory.

The controversial Canada Goose

If you live in a colder climate, especially in North America, chances are you’ve spotted countless fur-trimmed Canada Goose parkas worn by folks across university campuses and city streets. As one of the most popular high-end outerwear brands in the world, Canada Goose is sold in over 40 countries with an annual revenue of over $1bn.

No stranger to controversy, the label has come under scrutiny several times over the years for its contentious use of animal-derived materials, especially coyote fur.

Canada Goose has historically labelled its coyote fur as “ethically-sourced” on its website, insisting all the wild-caught coyotes are killed in the US and Canada compliant with a set of state, provincial, and federal standards, however, wild trapping is extremely difficult to regulate and monitor, and breaches are common.

After pushes from animal rights advocates like PETA and a strong shift away from animal fur purchasing by consumers in recent years, the brand has made moves to incorporate only reclaimed or “deadstock” fur into its designs from 2022, and has even stated it will eventually remove fur entirely from its collection. However, there doesn’t seem to be many updates since they made this fur announcement in 2021, and you can still find fur products that don’t make any indication about the origin. The brand should publicly disclose where the remaining fur styles come from.

Despite this, its sales are still through the roof year over year and we have to ask: how is Canada Goose impacting people, the planet, and animals in producing its feather-filled apparel? How ethical is Canada Goose?

Environmental impact

As an outerwear brand that celebrates a love of the outdoors, Canada Goose is starting to turn its radar towards lessening its impact on the planet we all share. When it comes to environmental impact, Canada Goose is rated “It’s a Start”.

The brand uses a medium proportion of lower-impact materials including recycled materials, incorporates some bluesign certified fabrics, and offers clothing recycling to consumers to help address end-of-life textile waste. However, there’s no evidence it’s set a target to manage water use in its supply chain. While we commend the brand on these initial steps, there is certainly room for improvement here.

Labour conditions

Considering a Canada Goose coat retails for around $1000, the brand can certainly afford to support workers better. But Canada Goose rates “Not Good Enough” for people.

It’s unnervingly hush hush about its practices behind the scenes, scoring a measly 11-20% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. While this is a slight improvement from its previous score, it’s still nowhere near the level we expect of a responsibly brand.

There is no evidence the brand implements practices to support diversity and inclusion in its supply chain, and most concerningly, it doesn’t seem to pay a living wage in its supply chain.

Animal welfare

Beyond the lingering questions about the brand’s use of fur,  Canada Goose still uses other animal-derived materials, including leather, down, and wool.

While the brand has a general statement about minimising animal suffering and traces some animal products to the first stage of production, there is as yet no formal animal welfare policy in sight. It does now state it uses Responsible Down Standard down in its products, which is a step in the right direction.

For now, the brand is still “Not Good Enough” for animal welfare, but Canada Goose’s rating would benefit from the brand getting up-to-speed with ethical consumer desires and replacing the outdated animal-derived materials in its apparel.

Overall rating: ‘Not Good Enough’

We rate Canada Goose “Not Good Enough” overall based on our research. For a brand that claims to be acting sustainably and respecting people and the planet, it needs to be doing more on all fronts. Canada Goose should start by making good on its promise to remove fur from all products and strengthening its environmental practices. The brand must also ensure its workers are treated fairly and paid a living wage. Only then might the brand be considered responsible in its production practices.

Note that Good On You ratings consider hundreds of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

If you’re on the market for responsibly-made outerwear to guard you against the elements this season, there are better brands making strides in sustainability and ethics (and leaving fur out of the equation) you might prefer.

Good swaps

“Good” and “Great” alternatives to Canada Goose

Culthread

Rated: Great

Culthread is a UK-based clothing label that offers stylish, practical, and everlasting jackets and accessories from vegan and deadstock materials. Culthread's goal is to make quality coats and lifestyle products that you will want to wear and treasure forever.

Find most items in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Culthread.

Shop Culthread @ Immaculate Vegan.

Wuxly Movement

Rated: Good
Two people outside wearing a mint green and a bright orange technical raincoat ethically made by Wuxly Movement.

Wuxly Movement is a Canadian brand that produces outerwear designed to be a unique combination of tech-based and recycled materials for elite performance. Drawing on Canada's heritage in quality manufacturing, the founder saw an opportunity to innovate using more responsible materials all while peacefully leaving animals out of the equation.

Find the range in 2XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Wuxly Movement.

Houdini

Rated: Good
Person outdoors wearing black sustainable insulated jacket made by Houdini.

Houdini is a functional sustainable outdoor clothing label for men, women, and kids. It uses a medium proportion of eco-friendly materials in its range, including recycled materials. Find the range in sizes 2XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Houdini.

Shop Houdini @ Cerqular.

tentree

Rated: Good

Canadian brand tentree believes big change starts small. Small as in bringing your reusable bag to the grocery store, making fewer, more thoughtful purchases, and choosing to purchase more sustainably when you do. The brand plants ten trees for every item purchased to help regenerate ecosystems and provide planting jobs in communities around the world, and has already planted over 65 million trees.

All tentree’s products are created with an Earth-First approach, meaning they're made in fair, safe working conditions, and constructed using lower-impact and recycled materials.

tentree’s super comfy fabrics and easy wardrobe staples are typically available from XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop tentree.

Patagonia

Rated: Good

Patagonia is a brand that truly lives and breathes the great outdoors. It makes clothing for trail running, climbing, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding. Patagonia has "Good" labour practices, and uses recycled, rather than virgin, polyester. It has also committed to reducing its energy use and emissions.

The brand stocks sizes 2XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Patagonia @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Patagonia Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Patagonia.

The North Face (Pre-Owned)

Rated: It's A Start

For more than 50 years, The North Face has made activewear and outdoor sports gear that exceeds expectations. The brand has good policies to eliminate hazardous chemicals in its supply chain and uses some lower-impact materials, including recycled materials.

See the rating.

Shop The North Face Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Editor's note

Feature image via Unsplash, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use our directory to search thousands of rated brands.

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