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American brand J.Crew is known for its preppy styles for the whole family, but how ethical is J.Crew? We rate the brand “Not Good Enough” for its lack of action. This article is based on the J.Crew rating published in March 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 popular fast fashion marketplace under the microscope
J.Crew is known as a favourite store of former US First Lady Michelle Obama. Founded in 1983, the American brand offers preppy and colourful staples for women, men, and children. J.Crew believes “great style begins with great design”, but how do its designs impact the planet, people, and animals? How ethical is J.Crew?
Environmental impact
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 J.Crew “Not Good Enough”. The brand uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials, but that’s where the positive news ends. There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals or water use in manufacturing, nor does it appear to be taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain. A pretty dirty result from a brand with such a clean image.
Labour conditions
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 also rate J.Crew “Not Good Enough”. There’s no evidence J.Crew provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages. The brand also doesn’t appear to support diversity and inclusion in its supply chain, nor does it assure workers are paid a living wage. While its Code of Conduct covers the ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms principles, its lack of transparency and action here means it can’t achieve a higher score.
Animal welfare
Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our animals rating. J.Crew is making some effort for animals, so it gets a middling score of “It’s a Start” here. It has a formal policy aligned with the Five Freedoms of animal welfare but no clear implementation mechanisms in place. It appears to use leather, shearling, exotic animal hair, and silk, and it uses recycled wool in some of its wool products. It doesn’t appear to use down, fur, angora, or exotic animal skin, which is good, but there’s no evidence it traces any animal-derived materials to the first production stage, so the welfare of both animals and workers can’t be guaranteed.
Overall rating: ‘Not Good Enough’
Overall we rated J.Crew ‘Not Good Enough’ as the brand has very few robust and tangible environmental, labour, and animal welfare policies. Even though J.Crew’s website has extensive descriptions about steps to improve its impact on the environment and workers, they don’t communicate sufficient information about the brand’s policies, nor do they concern the majority of the brand’s line, which is why some people could consider that J.Crew is greenwashing.
Note that Good On You ratings consider 100s 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.
Good Swaps
Discover some of our favourite “Good” and “Great” alternatives to J.Crew below. These better brands are making concerted efforts for people, the planet, and animals in production and are deserving of a spot in your responsibly-curated wardrobe when you need to shop new.
