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If you like trendy and sexy lingerie, you might be wondering where you can find more sustainable alternatives to Victoria’s Secret. We’ve got you.
The issues with Victoria’s Secret
For a lot of us, when we think of “trendy and sexy lingerie”, our minds automatically default to Victoria’s Secret. The brand has been around for almost 50 years and has grown into a massive global underwear empire.
But if you’re here, you’ve likely started questioning what goes on behind the scenes of the biggest fashion brands. You might’ve also begun looking for alternatives that’ll be better for you, the Earth, and its inhabitants. The next brand on your list? Victoria’s Secret.
We previously decided to dig a little deeper to look at Victoria’s Secret’s impact on people, the planet, and animals, and answer the burning question: how ethical is Victoria’s Secret?
Before we give you the alternatives to the underwear giant, let’s have a quick look at why we don’t recommend Victoria’s Secret.
Victoria’s Secret rates “Not Good Enough” for its impact on the planet and people. While the brand has a few lower-impact materials in its collection, it’s missing a policy to minimise the impacts of microplastics or textile waste when manufacturing its products. The American brand also signed up to Greenpeace’s Detox My Fashion program back in 2011 and had set a deadline to eliminate hazardous chemicals by 2020. Unfortunately, 2020 has come and gone now, and we found no evidence it met its target.
When it comes to workers, none of Victoria’s Secret’s supply chain is certified by labour standards, ensuring worker health and safety or other labour rights. More importantly, we found no evidence that the brand provides payment of a living wage in its supply chain or that it implemented adequate policies or safeguards to protect suppliers and workers in its supply chain from the impacts of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.
That is why, based on our research and thorough methodology, we gave the brand an overall rating of “Not Good Enough”. The brand has to do better for the planet, people, and animals, be more transparent, and treat all its workers fairly.
So if you like lingerie, what more ethical and sustainable alternatives to the underwear giant are there? Let’s take a look.