Is Free People Ethical?

Free People was started in the 1970’s by Dick Hayne. He wanted to sell bohemian clothes to young people that wanted freedom in their wardrobe. As their website expresses, they like images that evoke femininity, courage, and spirit.

Today, Free People is owned by URBN, which has brands such as Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. The demographic they advertise to is young females who are smart, creative and confident.

As of today, they have over 1,400 specialty stores worldwide. With that many stores, that means a lot of clothes being made and a lot of workers making them. It’s important to know if this company is operating in an ethical manner.

What Free People says

In Free People’s our sustainable brands section, they discuss all of the practices they’ve started in response to people’s demands for accountability. The practices they mentioned include:

Using eco-conscious materials
Using upcycled materials
Implementing sustainable processes
Making EWG certified products
Ethical production

Here’s what the company states with regards to ethical products: “These unique, traceable styles are small-batch made by 501(c)3 nonprofits who support artisanal and small businesses, both overseas and in our own backyard. There’s a lot of love embedded in these products.”

Some of their sustainable processes include plant based dyes, denim developed through waterless processes, and facilities running on renewable energies. The company also mentions they reduce textile waste through traceable designs and create clean beauty products that are vegan and cruelty-free.

How ethical is Free People?

To Free People’s credit, they’ve created over 600 products that follow the practices listed above. They also source these 600 products from fair trade certified organizations.

That means the products were made by workers who are involved in how funds are allocated and are given training on their rights. Other standards upheld through this certification includes women given equal pay and prevention of harassment.

They mention that GOTS certified linen is a part of some of the eco-conscious materials they use. GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. They work with companies to ensure less water and energy is being used to make textiles.

One thing we couldn’t find Free People mention is a code of conduct or code of ethics. We didn’t see any mention of inspections internally or through third party audits. Knowing a company holds themselves accountable in this way is an important part of being ethical.

Additionally, Free People is following guidelines that URBN has implemented across all it’s brands as a part of their Making An Impact strategy. Some of those guidelines include:

LED Lighting
Using sustainably sourcing viscose
Using responsibly sourced cotton
Making Denim from reycled cotton
Using organic sustainably sourced linen

The company also details other initiatives their pursuing such as community empowerment and reuse and renewal. You can read more about it on their Making An Impact section.

What Free People can do better

Free People can improve by eventually making all of their products with 100% renewable and recyclable materials. The renewable materials they do use are also not 100% sourced from sustainable sources.

It would also be helpful for Free People to provide more details on how they’re reducing hazardous chemicals in their supply chain. Additionally, more information needs to be provided on reducing wastewater and managing water usage.

Overall, most critics want to see more transparency from Free People. There needs to be more information provided on the treatment of their workers and whether they’re being paid fair wages.

Free People controversies

In the past, there have been a few controversies that have drawn criticism toward Free People. In 2015, they were criticized for using untrained dancers in an ad featuring ballet.

In 2016, Free People advertised clothing towards music festival attendees. They were criticized for culture appropriation because they used Native American styled clothing on Caucasian models.

Final thoughts on Free People

While they mention a lot of good things, we encourage the company to create a code of conduct or code of ethics for more accountability. For now, the efforts they’ve made since committing to more sustainable and ethical practices in 2019 are a step in the right direction.

Be sure to do your own research on any company that you’re considering shopping from. Our choice to support companies that choose to be ethical will encourage more companies to implement ethical practices.