How It Works

Overview

There are currently two scores: the Material Score and the Supply Chain Score, which are averaged to generate the FiberScore for each clothing product.

Material Score

The Material Score accounts for the fibers in the fabric of the clothing item. Plastic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and spandex, also known as synthetic fibers, earn no credit because of the various health and safety issues they cause—from the toxic chemicals generated in their production to the release of microplastics during usage and after disposal^1,2. Natural fibers such as cotton and linen earn full credit because the fibers on their own generally do not pose any health and safety risks.

The Material Score also addresses man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCFs). The fibers come from plants like natural fibers, but they are produced in a way that significantly alters the raw material using various chemicals and processing techniques. The production methods of MMCFs vary significantly, so each type of fiber is scored based on our assessment of the impact of the production of the fiber on the health and safety of workers involved in the textile industry and clothing consumers.

Supply Chain Score

The Supply Chain Score considers third-party certifications provided or not provided for a clothing item, specifically certifications related to the health and safety of the products for consumers and the health and safety of workers involved in the textile industry. Transparency is important even for products made using healthy and safe fibers because toxic chemicals can still be added to the products throughout the clothing manufacturing process and workers can still be treated poorly.

Ranking System

All scores follow the same ranking system with categories of "Bad", "Okay", "Good", and "Great". A score below 4 is considered "Bad", a score from 4 to less than 6 is considered "Okay", a score from 6 to less than 9 is considered "Good", and a score from 9 to 10 is considered "Great". The ranking categories are also color-coded with "Bad" shown in red, "Okay" shown in orange, "Good" shown in yellow, and "Great" shown in green.