Sustainability in the fashion industry is not a new trend. But with retail facing its biggest challenge yet, perhaps now is the time for the industry to evaluate changing consumer attitudes, consider the environmental and social impact of high-churn, fast fashion and review how resilient and ethical supply chains really are. 

But this article presumes that the fashion industry is a mess, that all big brands are socially and environmentally irresponsible and the whole sector needs a rebuild. 

Undoubtedly there are brands that this article applies to, however, equally there are large multinationals that are leading the charge in ethical labour, responsible sourcing and who share a common vision around resusing, recycling and an acute awareness of their environmental and social impact. 

Step forward the brands that are topping the Fashion Transparency Index, which reviews over 250 brands in terms of how much they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts. These brands are not perfect but they have made a tangible  commitment to do more, and strive for better. 

Big brands are not always the bad guys but more of them need to follow in the steps of H&M Group, Nike and others so that, once we're back on the high street, we can put our money where our ethics are.