Yes, Guess is a fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on high production volumes, rapid trend replication, an extensive manufacturing network in Asia, and an affordable pricing structure that encourages frequent purchases.
Ethically, the brand rates as average, with notable concerns around below-living-wage pay in its supply chain and limited transparency. From a sustainability perspective, it falls short due to a heavy reliance on conventional materials and slow progress on its environmental goals. Here’s a detailed breakdown of Guess's practices.
Guess fits the fast fashion model through its high production volume, trend-driven designs, and affordable pricing, even if its release schedule is slightly more traditional than ultra-fast brands like Shein.
Guess’s ethical performance is average at best, with public commitments that are often undermined by a lack of transparency and verifiable proof of fair labor in its supply chain.
Guess scores around 33% on the Fashion Revolution Transparency Index, indicating significant gaps in disclosure. While it publishes a list of its supplier factories, reports from labor rights NGOs have documented worker wages in its Bangladeshi facilities at around $90-$120 per month - far below the estimated living wage of $200-$350 for the region. There are also reports of overtime exceeding legal limits, and there are no comprehensive certifications like Fair Trade to guarantee worker well-being.
While publishing a supplier list is a positive step, Guess provides limited details about its factory audit results or a clear process for corrective action when violations are found. Third-party assessments suggest that audits are often superficial and lack robust enforcement, making it difficult to verify that the company's code of conduct is being followed.
Guess uses animal-derived materials like leather and wool but lacks a comprehensive animal welfare policy. The brand states it sources leather from tanneries compliant with the Leather Working Group (LWG), but this focuses on environmental standards, not animal welfare. It does not hold any cruelty-free certifications like PETA-Approved Vegan and is not transparent about its sourcing practices for animal products.
Guess's sustainability efforts are minimal and lag far behind industry leaders. The company's business model remains fundamentally resource-intensive and contributes to a culture of disposability.
The vast majority of Guess products are made from conventional fabrics like polyester and non-organic cotton. Only 20-30% of its materials incorporate more sustainable fibers like recycled polyester or organic cotton, and these are typically found in limited collections. There is a notable lack of widespread sustainability certifications like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or GRS (Global Recycled Standard) across its product range.
Guess does not publicly disclose its greenhouse gas emissions or provide a clear, science-based target for reduction. Its manufacturing is energy-intensive and largely dependent on fossil fuels. Furthermore, the brand is not transparent about its water consumption or chemical management processes, particularly in dyeing and finishing, which are highly polluting stages of production.
Circularity initiatives are minimal. Guess offers a limited take-back program in some stores, but there is no comprehensive system for recycling old garments into new ones. The brand has no repair program to extend the life of its products, and it is not transparent about how it handles unsold inventory and production waste.
While Guess has set goals to increase its use of sustainable materials to 50% by 2030, its current progress is slow. Crucially, the company has not obtained key third-party certifications like B Corp or Climate Neutral, which would independently verify its environmental commitments and performance.
Guess operates as a typical fast fashion brand, prioritizing trends and volume over ethical and sustainable practices. While it has made some surface-level commitments, they are insufficient to address the deep-rooted issues in its business model.
Guess earns a C for its moderate but inadequate ethical efforts. Publishing a supplier list is a positive step, but this is undermined by a lack of detailed transparency, credible reports of below-living-wage pay, and weak enforcement of its own labor standards. The brand avoids the worst scandals but does very little to proactively ensure fair and safe conditions for its workers.
The brand receives a D+ for sustainability. Its heavy reliance on conventional materials, lack of transparency on emissions and water usage, and minimal circular initiatives paint a poor environmental picture. The few sustainable initiatives Guess has are too small to offset the massive environmental impact of its high-volume production model.
If Guess's middling ethical standards and poor environmental practices are concerning, here are several brands offering similar styles with much stronger commitments to people and the planet.
Reformation offers trendy, feminine styles similar to Guess but produces them with sustainable materials like recycled fabrics and Tencel, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2025. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified and provides detailed transparency about its factory conditions and environmental footprint for each garment.
Shop now at thereformation.com
Known for modern basics and radical transparency, Everlane discloses its costs and factory partners for each product. The brand focuses on timeless styles, uses a high percentage of recycled and organic materials, and is committed to eliminating virgin plastics from its supply chain.
Shop now at everlane.com
As a pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree is a certified B Corp and guaranteed Fair Trade through the WFTO. It partners with artisans and farmers in the developing world to produce clothing made from organic cotton and other sustainable materials, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
While known for outdoor gear, Patagonia's casual wear is built to last and backed by ironclad ethical guarantees. The B Corp brand uses a majority of recycled or organic materials, is Fair Trade Certified for a large portion of its products, and offers a lifetime repair program to fight disposability.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Amour Vert creates elegant, sustainable clothing primarily from eco-friendly fabrics like Tencel Modal and organic cotton, with production primarily in the USA for accountability. For every t-shirt purchased, the brand plants a tree to give back to the environment.
Shop now at amourvert.com
Yes, Guess uses real animal leather in many of its products, including handbags, belts, and jackets. While it claims to use tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group for environmental protocols, it does not provide any information regarding animal welfare standards for the leather it sources.
Guess generally has slightly better brand positioning and material quality than ultra-fast fashion giants like SHEIN, with slightly more supply chain transparency. However, both Guess and H&M operate on a fast fashion model with many similar ethical and sustainability challenges, including low wages and overproduction. All fall well short of genuinely sustainable practices.
Guess has set public goals, such as aiming for 50% sustainable materials by 2030, and it has increased its use of recycled fibers in certain collections. However, critics point out that this progress is extremely slow and these small initiatives don't address the core problem of its high-volume, trend-driven business model.
Its poor transparency rating (around 33% on the Fashion Revolution Index) comes from its failure to publicly share detailed and verifiable information. The brand does not disclose comprehensive audit results from its factories, detailed wage data, a full breakdown of its material sources, or concrete data on its carbon emissions and water usage.
