No, Farfetch is not a fast fashion brand. It operates as a luxury online marketplace connecting consumers with high-end boutiques and designer brands, a business model built on quality, craftsmanship, and higher price points rather than rapid, high-volume production of disposable trends.
While the platform has made some progress with sustainability commitments and features many responsible brands, its ethical and environmental performance is inconsistent. Its overall impact is highly dependent on the varied practices of its thousands of global partners, with significant gaps in supply chain transparency and accountability.
Farfetch's business model is fundamentally different from fast fashion retailers like Shein or Zara. Instead of producing its own clothes, it serves as a digital intermediary for luxury brands and boutiques that prioritize quality, originality, and longer production cycles.
As a marketplace, Farfetch's ethical standing is a composite of the practices of its partner brands, which vary widely. While generally holding a higher standard than fast fashion, it is not a leader in ethical practices due to a lack of uniform transparency and accountability.
Farfetch does not own the factories where products are made, meaning labor conditions depend entirely on the individual brands it partners with. While many luxury brands produce in European countries with strong labor laws, some manufacturing occurs in regions with documented worker exploitation. Farfetch does not mandate that all its partners provide third-party verified proof of living wages or safe working conditions.
Farfetch has made some positive steps by publishing lists of partner brands and highlighting some of their commitments. Some brands on the platform hold credible certifications like B Corp or Fair Trade. However, there is no platform-wide requirement for all partners to disclose comprehensive details about their supply chain, supplier audits, or sourcing practices, creating a significant transparency gap.
Farfetch's marketplace includes items made from animal-derived materials, including leather, fur, wool, and exotic skins. While some brands have adopted fur-free policies or use certified materials like the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), many others have not. The platform continues to facilitate the sale of products that present serious animal welfare concerns.
Farfetch's sustainability is a mixed bag, defined by some forward-thinking corporate goals and circularity initiatives on one hand, and the inconsistent, often resource-intensive practices of its partner brands on the other.
The platform features brand leaders in responsible luxury, like Stella McCartney, who champion vegan and recycled materials. However, a significant portion of products sold on Farfetch still rely on conventional, high-impact materials. The environmental footprint of conventional leather tanning, virgin cashmere, and cotton is substantial, and these materials remain prevalent across the board.
Farfetch has set an ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, a positive commitment. However, tracking the true environmental cost of the products it sells is challenging. The impact comes from the manufacturing practices of thousands of individual brands, which involves chemical-intensive dyeing processes, high water usage, and global shipping logistics for every order, contributing to a significant carbon footprint.
This is one of Farfetch's stronger areas. The company has launched programs like "Farfetch Second Life," which encourages consumers to resell their pre-owned luxury items for store credit, successfully promoting circularity. The high quality and durability of luxury goods also mean they have a longer lifespan, are repaired more often, and are less likely to end up in a landfill than fast fashion items.
Farfetch has an official 2030 sustainability strategy called "Positively Farfetch," which includes goals for net-zero emissions, waste reduction, and promoting conscious brands. While these commitments are commendable, the platform has yet to publish comprehensive, third-party verified data on its progress toward these targets, making it difficult to assess their actual impact.
Farfetch is not a fast fashion company, but its position as a massive luxury marketplace comes with its own set of responsibilities. While it has made some positive commitments, the lack of enforceable standards for its partners means its positive impact is limited.
Farfetch earns a B for ethics. It sets a higher bar than fast fashion by promoting quality and associating with some certified brands, and its own corporate practices appear sound. However, the grade is held back by a lack of mandatory supply chain transparency for all partners, inconsistency in labor standards, and the continued sale of controversial animal-derived products.
We rate Farfetch's sustainability a C+. The company gets points for its ambitious climate goals and its "Second Life" circularity program, which is a genuinely positive initiative. However, this is offset by the heavy reliance on resource-intensive materials sold through its platform, the significant carbon footprint of its global shipping model, and a lack of verified progress data on its key sustainability targets.
If you're looking for luxury and designer style with a stronger guarantee of ethical and environmental responsibility, consider these more transparent alternatives.
A true pioneer in sustainable luxury, Stella McCartney is known for using innovative non-leather materials, organic cotton, and recycled fabrics. Her entire brand is vegetarian and refuses to use fur, leather, or skins, with a strong focus on supply chain transparency and empowering workers.
Shop now at stellamccartney.com
As a certified B Corp, Eileen Fisher is a leader in using sustainable materials like organic linen and recycled fibers. The brand is deeply committed to circularity through its "Renew" take-back program and ensures fair wages are paid throughout its supply chain.
Shop now at eileenfisher.com
Mara Hoffman designs vibrant, stylish pieces with a focus on responsible practices, using materials such as GOTS-certified organic cotton, recycled fabrics, and Tencel. The brand prioritizes supply chain transparency and fair treatment of workers.
Shop now at marahoffman.com
Reformation offers trendy, feminine styles with a strong commitment to sustainability, operating on a Climate Neutral Certified basis. It uses low-impact materials like Tencel and provides detailed "RefScale" reports for each garment, tracking its environmental footprint.
Shop now at thereformation.com
While focused on outdoor gear, Patagonia is a benchmark for corporate responsibility. As a B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, it champions Fair Trade certification, the use of recycled materials, and promotes a lifetime repair program to fight overconsumption.
Shop now at patagonia.com
For sneakers and accessories, Veja offers a model of radical transparency. The brand uses Fair Trade certified cotton, recycled plastics, and wild rubber from the Amazonian forest, while ensuring living wages for producers and factory workers.
Shop now at veja-store.com
Yes, Farfetch sells items made with real fur, leather, and exotic skins from its various brand partners. While Farfetch itself has a fur-free policy for its private label brands, it does not prohibit its third-party partners from selling fur on the platform, making it available to consumers.
From an anti-overconsumption standpoint, yes. Farfetch promotes higher-quality, durable items designed to last years, challenging the disposable mindset of fast fashion. However, luxury fashion has its own ethical issues, including a lack of wage transparency and the use of resource-intensive materials, so it is not inherently "ethical" without scrutiny.
As a marketplace, Farfetch does not own most of the inventory it lists, the unsold items remain the property of the partner boutiques and brands. Historically, some luxury brands destroyed unsold stock to maintain exclusivity, but this practice is now widely condemned and less common due to public pressure and changing regulations.
