Europe’s leading online fashion platform Zalando has become the first retailer to adopt the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s (SAC) latest version of the Higg Brand and Retail Module (Higg BRM), a tool allowing the assessment of the ethical and environmental performance of brands. The Higg BRM evaluates areas like human rights, wage parity and carbon dioxide emissions.

Zalando’s partner brands must provide supply chain information and, by 2023, the retailer will only sell products from brands that have met their new standard. “As Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, we want to raise the bar, act first and bring our partners on the journey to address today’s most important issues: climate change, use of resources and worker rights,” said Kate Heiny, director of sustainability at Zalando.

The Higg BRM will eventually be used by all SAC retail members, establishing a global standard to compare the sustainability achievements of fashion brands, as well as identify areas to improve on. A common standard to assess brand sustainability is crucial for the fashion industry when “more strikingly than ever, the coronavirus crisis has brought to light many of the challenges the industry faces,” explained Amina Razvi, SAC’s executive director. “Maintaining strong business relationships, leading with values of sustainability and compassion for the health, safety and well-being of workers around the world, and leveraging sustainability as a lens for both recovery and rebuilding will be critical for the industry,” she added.