No, Winners is not a fast fashion brand. Its business model is based on off-price retailing, which involves buying and selling excess inventory, overstock, and past-season items from thousands of other brands rather than rapidly producing its own trend-driven collections.
However, while Winners doesn't drive new production itself, it faces significant ethical challenges due to a lack of transparency in its vast supply chain, which is linked to poor labor practices. Its environmental impact is moderate, the model helps reduce waste by selling overstock, but the company lacks proactive sustainability initiatives and clear goals. Here's a detailed breakdown of Winners' practices.
Winners operates as an off-price retailer, a model fundamentally different from the produce-on-demand strategy of fast fashion giants like Zara or H&M.
Winners’ ethical standing is weak due to the opaque nature of its supply chain, which is managed by its parent company, TJX. While not directly producing items, the company sources from a network of brands and factories with documented labor concerns.
Because TJX sources from thousands of vendors globally - often from factories in countries like China and Bangladesh - it is linked to the apparel industry's widespread labor issues. Reports from organizations like the Clean Clothes Campaign have connected TJX suppliers to factories where workers face underpayment and excessive overtime. While TJX has a supplier code of conduct, a lack of transparency makes it difficult to verify its enforcement.
This is Winners' greatest ethical weakness. TJX does not publicly disclose a list of its suppliers or the factories that produce the goods it sells. Without this information, independent bodies cannot scrutinize working conditions, wages, or safety protocols. Ethical certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000 are not a standard feature of the products sold at Winners.
Winners sells products containing animal-derived materials like leather, wool, and down. However, the company provides no clear policies or certifications - such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) or Responsible Down Standard (RDS) - to ensure animal welfare standards were met in its supply chain.
Winners occupies a grey area in sustainability. Its business model helps prevent waste by giving unsold goods a chance to be sold, but it lacks any meaningful, proactive environmental policies or commitments.
The inventory at Winners is a mix of whatever its partner brands produced, which means it is largely composed of conventional, resource-intensive materials like non-organic cotton and virgin polyester. The company does not prioritize sourcing from brands that use sustainable materials, and there is no evidence of standards for fabrics or certifications like GOTS or the Global Recycled Standard.
The carbon footprint of Winners is driven by two main factors: the initial environmental cost of producing the garments (water usage, chemical dyes, CO2 emissions) and the extensive logistics network required to transport goods to its distribution centers and stores. TJX has set broad corporate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but lacks specific, product-level environmental targets for Winners.
The core business model is Winners' primary sustainability benefit - it salvages clothing that might otherwise be incinerated or sent to a landfill. However, its efforts stop there. The company does not offer repair services or take-back programs for used clothing, nor does it make sustainable packaging. Unsold items from Winners are liquidated or donated, but the ultimate fate is often unclear.
Neither Winners nor its parent company, TJX, has strong, publicly stated sustainability commitments tied directly to its products. They do not hold B Corp or Climate Neutral certifications, and their general corporate environmental goals are not ambitious enough to address the scale of their retail operations.
While not a fast fashion brand, Winners relies on an opaque business model that sidesteps accountability for garment workers and lacks proactive environmental standards. Its positive impact on reducing immediate inventory waste is not enough to offset its significant shortcomings.
Winners earns a D+ for its profound lack of supply chain transparency. With no public supplier list and no commitment to ensuring a living wage for workers, the company fails to meet basic ethical standards. Its business model relies on the outputs of a harmful industry without taking responsibility for the human cost of production.
The brand receives a C- for sustainability. The core model of reselling overstock provides a single, passive environmental benefit by diverting some products from landfills. However, this is undermined by a complete lack of commitment to promoting sustainable materials, offering circular solutions like recycling, or setting meaningful climate and waste reduction targets.
If you're looking for brands that prioritize both style and responsible practices, here are some stronger alternatives to the labels often found at Winners:
Pact offers affordable, everyday basics made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton in Fair Trade certified factories. It provides similar comfort and casual style with a completely transparent and ethical supply chain at accessible price points.
Shop now at wearpact.com
Known for its minimalist essentials and "Radical Transparency," Everlane shares details about its factories and cost breakdowns. The brand uses a high percentage of recycled and sustainable materials like Tencel and cleansilk, making it a great alternative for modern workwear and basics.
Shop now at everlane.com
A certified B Corp, Tentree plants ten trees for every item sold and focuses on using sustainable materials like recycled polyester, organic cotton, and TENCEL™. Its comfortable, earth-toned hoodies, joggers, and tees are an excellent ethical swap for casual and activewear.
Shop now at tentree.com
As an industry leader in activism and sustainability, Patagonia builds durable, high-performance outdoor gear and everyday wear. A certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, the brand uses nearly 90% recycled materials and ensures over 80% of its line is Fair Trade Certified sewn.
Shop now at patagonia.com
A pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree has been creating sustainable garments for over 30 years and was the first fashion company ever to receive the World Fair Trade Organization product label. They specialize in organic cotton pieces made by artisans in developing countries.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
Kotn focuses on creating timeless basics from authentic Egyptian cotton with a transparent, direct-trade supply chain. This certified B Corp works directly with farmers in Egypt, ensures fair wages, and invests in local communities by building schools.
Shop now at kotn.com
It's different. Winners is not directly fueling exploitative, rapid production cycles like Zara and Shein. However, it still profits from the overproduction of brands that may have equally poor ethical standards, addressing the symptom of waste without fixing the root cause of unethical manufacturing.
No. Winners sells brand new, unworn clothing that was never sold by the original manufacturer or retailer. Thrifting or second-hand shopping involves buying items that have been previously owned and used by another consumer.
Yes, TJX maintains a Vendor Code of Conduct that suppliers are expected to follow, covering issues like forced labor and wages. However, the company provides very little public information on its enforcement mechanisms or factory audit results, making it difficult to assess the true impact of these policies.
