How sustainable is Ted Baker?
Ted Baker has committed to making the switch to 100% more sustainable materials and aims to achieve this by 2030. Its previous target of 50% more sustainable cotton by 2020 has been achieved and is currently at 53%. But even though there are also targets for more sustainable leather and cellulosic, current percentages aren’t provided and are largely sourced non-sustainably. This is very obvious in its animal welfare policy, which shows that the company, while moving away from it, is still using wool from mulesed sheep. Mulesing is a very animal-unfriendly process that shouldn’t still happen today. Ted Baker also uses cashmere without specifying sources.
Ted Baker has a Code of Conduct that covers basic labor rights, but doesn’t hold a membership with a reputable third party that conducts independent audits in its supply chain. The company doesn’t report on any audits at all, which poses a big risk of labor violations. Conclusively, Ted Baker is moving towards climate action and is planning to adopt Science Based Targets this year. It has signed the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan, which commits them to reducing water, waste and carbon emissions. However, current climate action is at a stage of infancy, too little is being done and there are improvements needed in transparency, labor and animal welfare.
