Is Cropp Fast Fashion? How Ethical & Sustainable is Cropp

Is Cropp fast fashion? Yes. Learn about Cropp's rapid cycles, ethical concerns, and minimal sustainability efforts. Discover how it impacts your shopping choices.
Written by: 
Ash Read
Last updated: 

Yes, Cropp is a classic fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapid production cycles, trend replication, and rock-bottom prices that encourage frequent and disposable consumption. Cropp's ethical practices are concerning due to low wages and a lack of transparency, and its sustainability efforts are minimal, with a heavy reliance on virgin synthetic materials.

The brand's trendy, affordable clothing comes at a significant ethical and environmental cost, aligning it with other major fast fashion players and falling well short of industry standards for responsibility.

What Makes Cropp Fast Fashion?

Cropp's business model uses the standard fast fashion formula of high volume, low prices, and rapid turnover to mirror current streetwear trends.

  • Rapid New Arrivals: The brand releases new collections every 4 to 6 weeks, continuously pushing a high volume of new products to keep up with quickly changing trends and encourage constant purchasing.
  • High Production Volume: Cropp introduces thousands of new styles annually across its product lines. This massive scale is designed to maintain a constantly fresh in-store and online experience, emphasizing novelty over quality.
  • Rock-Bottom Pricing: With T-shirts priced between $7-$15 and dresses around $20-$35, Cropp competes on cost. These low prices are indicative of cheap materials and low production costs, which are often achieved by paying garment workers below-living wages.
  • Trend Replication: Cropp's design strategy focuses on quickly imitating trends seen in streetwear and on social media rather than creating original designs. This speed-to-market approach is a defining characteristic of fast fashion.
  • Low-Cost Manufacturing Base: Production is outsourced to factories in low-wage countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and China. While this keeps costs down, it's often associated with poor labor conditions and minimal environmental oversight.
  • Reliance on Cheap Materials: The majority of Cropp's clothing is made from virgin synthetic fabrics like polyester. These materials are inexpensive and versatile but are derived from fossil fuels, shed microplastics, and are not biodegradable.

Is Cropp Ethical?

Cropp's ethical record is poor, suffering from a severe lack of transparency and evidence suggesting that its factory workers are not paid a living wage.

Labor Practices

Cropp manufactures in regions like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and China, where labor violations are common. Reports from these areas indicate that workers in similar factories often face excessive hours (exceeding 60 per week) and unsafe conditions. The wages paid to garment workers in Cropp's supply chain are estimated to be around $180-$220 per month, falling significantly short of the living wage benchmark of $350-$400 required to meet basic family needs.

Supply Chain Transparency

The company provides virtually no public information about its supply chain. It does not publish a list of its suppliers or the findings of any factory audits. This extreme lack of transparency makes it impossible for consumers or third-party watchdogs to independently verify the conditions under which its clothes are made or hold the brand accountable for its labor practices.

Animal Welfare

Cropp primarily uses synthetic and plant-based conventional fabrics, with very limited use of animal-derived products. The brand has no formal animal welfare policy and does not hold any certifications like "PETA-Approved Vegan," indicating it is not a focus area of its corporate responsibility efforts.

Where Cropp Falls Short Ethically

  • Lack of Transparency: The brand fails to disclose any meaningful information about its factories, audits, or corrective actions, keeping its supply chain in the dark.
  • Wages Below Living Wage: There is clear evidence that the wages paid in its supply chain are insufficient for workers to afford a decent standard of living.
  • No Fair Trade Certifications: Cropp has no certifications to guarantee fair compensation or safe working conditions, relying instead on local laws that often fall short of international labor standards.
  • Absence of Worker Empowerment Policies: The brand provides no evidence of initiatives aimed at protecting worker rights, enabling collective bargaining, or improving workplace safety beyond minimal legal compliance.

Is Cropp Sustainable?

Cropp’s sustainability practices are insufficient and largely non-existent. The brand's operations are resource-intensive, rely on polluting materials, and lack any meaningful commitments to circularity or environmental improvement.

Materials & Sourcing

Cropp relies heavily on virgin synthetic fibers, with polyester making up to 80% of the material composition in many of its products. These fossil fuel-based fabrics are resource-intensive and contribute to microplastic pollution. There is very limited use of more sustainable materials like organic cotton or recycled polyester, placing it far behind competitors who have started to transition. The brand holds no certifications for its materials, such as GOTS or the Global Recycled Standard.

Environmental Impact

The brand has not published any data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management. Like most fast fashion brands, its production processes are likely linked to high water consumption, chemical pollution from dyes, and significant carbon emissions from manufacturing and global transportation. Without any transparency, there is no way to assess the true scale of its environmental impact.

Circularity & Waste

Cropp has no publicly visible take-back, repair, or recycling programs to manage its products at the end of their life. Its business model, focused on disposable trends, directly contributes to textile waste that ends up in landfills and incinerators. The packaging is primarily single-use plastic, with no demonstrated effort to shift to recycled or biodegradable alternatives.

Sustainability Goals & Progress

The company has made no public commitments to key environmental targets, such as achieving carbon neutrality, reducing water usage, or eliminating hazardous chemicals. Cropp does not publish a sustainability report and holds no major third-party certifications like B Corp, Climate Neutral, or Bluesign to validate any environmental claims.

Where Cropp Falls Short on Sustainability

  • Heavy Reliance on Virgin Synthetics: The extensive use of polyester and other fossil fuel-based textiles locks in a high environmental footprint and fuels microplastic shedding.
  • No Environmental Transparency: The brand fails to report on its carbon emissions, water use, or waste generation, avoiding accountability for its impact.
  • Absence of Clear Targets: Cropp has not set any measurable goals for reducing its environmental harm or transitioning to more sustainable practices.
  • No Circular Initiatives: There are no programs for recycling, resale, or repair, meaning the brand takes no responsibility for its products once they are sold.

Our Verdict: Cropp's Ethical & Sustainability Grades

Cropp's operations are fundamentally at odds with ethical and sustainable principles. The brand prioritizes trendy styles and low prices above all else, with practices that neglect both the people who make its clothes and the planet.

Ethical Practices: D

Cropp earns a D due to a dangerous lack of supply chain transparency and wage data that clearly falls below living wage standards. While there's no evidence of the absolute worst labor violations, the company's deliberate opacity and refusal to adopt fair labor certifications indicate a clear disregard for ethical accountability and worker well-being.

Sustainability: D

The brand receives a D for its almost complete failure to address its environmental impact. Cropp's heavy reliance on virgin fossil fuel-based materials, combined with a total absence of sustainability targets, reporting, or circular initiatives, places it squarely in the category of a highly unsustainable brand.

Ethical & Sustainable Alternatives to Cropp

If Cropp's poor ethical and environmental performance is a concern, consider these alternatives that offer similar styles with a verified commitment to people and the planet.

Thought Clothing

This UK-based brand offers contemporary, casual styles made from sustainable materials like organic cotton, hemp, and Tencel. Thought is committed to a transparent supply chain, holds Fair Trade certifications, and designs its durable pieces with longevity in mind.

Shop now at wearethought.com

Everlane

Everlane is known for its modern basics and "Radical Transparency," disclosing the costs and factory conditions behind each product. The brand uses higher-quality materials like organic cotton and recycled fabrics and has committed to reducing its carbon emissions.

Shop now at everlane.com

Reformation

For trendy, feminine styles similar to Cropp but with a sustainable mission, Reformation is a top choice. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified, uses sustainable and deadstock fabrics, and provides detailed "RefScale" impact reports for each garment.

Shop now at thereformation.com

Veja

If you're after street-style sneakers, Veja is a leader in transparency and sustainability. The brand uses eco-friendly materials like certified organic cotton, wild rubber from the Amazon rainforest, and recycled plastics while prioritizing Fair Trade principles across its supply chain.

Shop now at veja-store.com

Patagonia

For durable outdoor and lifestyle basics that are built to last, Patagonia is a global leader in ethics and sustainability. As a certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, the brand champions Fair Trade labor, uses a high percentage of recycled materials, and offers a lifetime repair program to fight waste.

Shop now at patagonia.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Cropp owned by?

Cropp is owned by LPP Group, a major Polish fashion conglomerate that also owns other fast fashion brands like Reserved, House, Mohito, and Sinsay. LPP Group operates on a fast fashion business model, focusing on rapid growth and volume across all its brands.

What kind of materials does Cropp use?

Cropp predominantly uses cheap, conventional materials, with virgin polyester accounting for a significant portion (up to 80%) of its product composition. It also uses conventional cotton, viscose, and other synthetics, with very minimal use of more sustainable alternatives like recycled or organic fibers.

Is Cropp better than other ultra-fast fashion brands like SHEIN?

While Cropp operates on a clear fast fashion model, its product turnover may be slightly slower than ultra-fast fashion giants like SHEIN, who release thousands of new items daily. However, both brands suffer from the same core issues: lack of transparency, questionable labor practices, and heavy reliance on environmentally harmful materials. Neither can be considered ethical or sustainable.