For denim brands, being sustainable is only half the battle. Educating consumers and providing transparency into the entire supply chain process has become just as important. To meet these demands, Guess has joined a slew of other brands publishing in-depth sustainability reports—and it was recently recognized for its clear and effective presentation.
The CR Reporting Awards (CRRA) by Corporate Register, an organization that identifies “the best in corporate non-financial reporting,” honored Guess with the award for “Innovation in Reporting” for its “FY18-19 Sustainability Report: Evolution! Change for Good.” Guess also earned first runner up for CRRA’s “Credibility through Assurance” honor.
Guess was chosen for its dedication to clear and engaging messaging within the report. With bold graphics and brand imagery included throughout, the report communicates complicated subject matter—which spans three years—in an organized manner.
It’s also written in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and was rigorously reviewed by accounting firm KPMG for external assurance. Further, the brand offers the report in a number of different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian and Korean, and created an abridged version.
“At Guess, we take sustainability reporting very seriously, as it is the basis on which we can set goals, benchmark and communicate our progress to our stakeholders,” Carlos Alberini, Guess CEO, said in a statement. “We strongly believe that integrity and transparency in reporting is key to moving the industry forward, and we are thrilled to be recognized by the Corporate Register for this important work.”
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In a recent interview with Rivet, Alberini said Guess is preparing for a marketplace where customers are more rapidly adopting and expecting sustainability marketing. “Ultimately, we want our customers to know that while we are rapidly transforming our practices to be more sustainable, we also value consistent and reliable reporting and marketing associated with our sustainability progress,” he said.
For this year’s awards, Corporate Register received more than 150 entries from 80 organizations to consider for recognition. Over 65,000 industry members vote for winners, who are selected across 11 categories based on the quality of reporting content, communication and credibility. H&M also received accolades for its 2018 Sustainability Report, receiving first place for “Relevance & Materiality” and “Creativity in Communications.”
Reporting is increasingly becoming a part of companies’ CSR strategies. Also publishing in-depth sustainability reports are denim players such as Isko, Nudie and Mud Jeans.
Reports, however, are not the only method for peeling back the layers of the denim supply chain. Outland Denim, which recently introduced its first sustainability report, launched its own sustainability standard as a guideline for other brands to follow. Boyish Jeans also recently added supply-chain tracing company Retraced GmbH’s blockchain-based transparency plugin to its e-commerce website, clearly mapping out production methods and certification information for select products.