Yes, Matalan is a fast fashion brand. It operates on a high-volume, low-cost model that focuses on rapid production cycles and trend-driven collections to appeal to value-conscious consumers. While the brand has taken some minor steps toward sustainability, it remains a fast fashion retailer with significant shortcomings in its ethical and environmental practices.
Matalan lacks transparency in its supply chain, has no public commitment to paying living wages, and relies heavily on environmentally damaging conventional materials. Its business model prioritizes affordability and speed over durability and ethical production. Here's what you need to know about Matalan’s practices:
Matalan’s business strategy aligns with the core characteristics of fast fashion, emphasizing the rapid turnover of inventory, low prices, and designs that mimic current trends.
Matalan meets minimum industry standards for ethical practices but shows little proactive effort to ensure workers are paid fairly or to provide meaningful transparency into its supply chain.
Matalan sources heavily from low-labor-cost countries like Bangladesh, India, and China, where garment worker rights are often at risk. While the company claims to conduct third-party audits, reports are not publicly available. Factory workers in its supply chain in Bangladesh reportedly earn around $180-$200 per month, which is significantly below the estimated living wage of $350 per month, raising concerns about wage exploitation.
The brand's transparency is poor. While Matalan publishes a supplier list, it lacks detailed information about factory conditions, audit results, or its full second and third-tier suppliers. Without key certifications like Fair Trade or B Corp status, consumers have no verified way to assess the ethical claims made by the company.
Matalan uses animal-derived materials like conventional leather and wool but provides no information about its sourcing policies or animal welfare standards. The company does not hold certifications such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and lacks a public animal welfare policy, indicating this is not a priority.
Matalan’s environmental practices are very weak, characterized by a heavy reliance on unsustainable materials, a lack of circularity programs, and minimal transparency about its environmental footprint.
Matalan’s collections are dominated by conventional synthetic fabrics like virgin polyester, as well as mainstream cotton and viscose. The company claims that 20-30% of its fabrics come from more sustainable sources like organic cotton or recycled polyester, but provides very little specific data or verifiable certifications like GOTS or GRS to back this up.
The brand does not publicly report its carbon emissions, water usage, or chemical management data. Given its large-scale production in countries with often-lax environmental regulations, its environmental footprint is assumed to be significant. Matalan’s vague commitment to adhere to regulations like REACH is a baseline requirement, not a mark of sustainability leadership.
Matalan has no formal take-back, repair, or end-of-life recycling programs for its products. Combined with the low durability of its trend-focused items, its model encourages a linear "take-make-waste" consumption cycle. Unsold inventory is typically liquidated, with no public information on efforts to repurpose or recycle deadstock.
Matalan’s business prioritizes low prices and rapid trend cycles above all else, resulting in poor ethical and environmental performance. Its limited efforts toward improvement are insufficient to address the harmful impacts of its fast fashion model.
Matalan earns a C for its ethical practices. The brand meets minimum legal requirements and has not been linked to major labor scandals, which keeps it from a lower grade. However, a profound lack of transparency, the absence of a living wage commitment, and no third-party ethical certifications show a reactive and minimal approach to worker welfare.
Matalan receives a D for sustainability. The company's heavy reliance on virgin fossil fuel-based fabrics, failure to report on its environmental impact, and lack of any circularity initiatives highlight a deep-seated lack of commitment to environmental stewardship. Its vague future goals feel more like greenwashing than a serious strategy to reduce its planetary impact.
If you're looking for brands with similar everyday styles but stronger commitments to people and the planet, here are some better alternatives:
A pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree is Fair Trade and GOTS certified, focuses on organic cotton and natural fibers, and guarantees living wages for its artisan partners. Their styles are timeless and classic, offering higher-quality basics and dresses in the £30-£80 price range.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
For modern, minimalist wardrobe staples, Everlane offers "radical transparency" on its factories, pricing, and material sourcing. The brand uses a significant portion of recycled materials, has commitments to reduce its carbon footprint, and provides high-quality alternatives with prices from £20-£120.
Shop now at everlane.com
This B Corp certified German brand specializes in stylish, contemporary clothing made from organic cotton, linen, and recycled materials. Armedangels is transparent about its supply chain and committed to fair labor practices, offering quality basics and denim from £40-£120.
Shop now at armedangels.com
While known for outdoor gear, Patagonia's everyday clothing like fleece, t-shirts, and trousers are built to last a lifetime. As a certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, the brand uses over 70% recycled materials, guarantees Fair Trade Certified sewing, and actively encourages repair over replacement.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Specializing in footwear, Veja is a great alternative for sneakers. The brand uses innovative, sustainable materials like organic cotton, wild Amazonian rubber, and recycled plastic bottles, all produced in Fair Trade certified factories in Brazil. Prices range from £70-£150.
Shop now at veja-store.com
Matalan's clothing is generally considered to be of low to average quality, which is consistent with its fast fashion business model and low price points. Items are typically designed for short-term wear to follow current trends rather than for long-term durability.
Yes, Matalan is a signatory to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. This is a legally-binding agreement to ensure factories in Bangladesh meet workplace safety standards, indicating a baseline commitment to worker safety in that specific region.
While both are fast fashion, they operate on different scales. Shein is an "ultra-fast fashion" brand with a more aggressive model of thousands of new styles daily and severe allegations of forced labor and extreme lack of transparency. Matalan is a more traditional fast fashion retailer with a physical presence, but its ethical and environmental practices are still highly problematic and fall short of responsible standards.
