Communicating clearly about sustainability is becoming more complex as consumer, industry and regulatory expectations develop and become more sophisticated. The quality and extent of disclosure remains highly variable, warranting a robust means to assess claims on their materiality.
Good On You's methodology provides a consistent, transparent framework for assessing brand sustainability performance. It draws on credible international standards, third-party certifications, and brands' public reporting to produce comparable ratings across thousands of brands.
Good On You’s team of expert analysts frequently engages with brands and relevant stakeholders to stay at the forefront of industry initiatives. This process of continual review is reflected in updates across the methodology to incorporate emerging issues, initiatives, and leading indicators of industry best practice.
Methodology principles
Every version of the methodology that Good On You develops is in accordance with the following principles:
Transparency comes first
Brands should publish information about their supply chains to increase accountability and drive improved outcomes for people, planet, and animals. They should report the extent to which they adopt known good practices designed to address critical sustainability issues. Consumers have a right to know how a brand impacts the issues they care about.
Consider lifecycle impacts and circularity
Companies should be held responsible for their impact on the environment, workers, and animals at each stage of the value chain, from how products are produced and distributed to how they are used, and then reused, repaired, reinvested in regenerative and circular systems and ultimately, disposed of.
Be comprehensive
The ratings system should consider a broad range of sustainability issues to give a comprehensive view of a brand’s overall impact on the environment, workers, and animals. We should be able to apply it to all brands in the market.
Be consumer-centric
The ratings system should provide consumers with data that is accessible, comparable, and easy to use. It should inform consumer shopping decisions, provide useful feedback to brands, and enable retailers to assess, source, and market sustainable brands.
Consider issues in proportion to their materiality
Ratings should place appropriate weight on each issue according to how much impact it has on the environment, workers, and animals
Ensure an evidence-based approach
The rating system and its application should be transparent, based on robust research, and underpinned by good governance processes.
Engage and collaborate widely
Good On You is part of a global movement for change and should work collaboratively with civil society, consumer organisations, and sustainability-focused industry leaders to understand, reflect, and drive industry best practices and leadership.
How the methodology is developed and consulted on
Good On You develops new iterations of the methodology for different verticals and conducts material revisions through a structured process:
Scoping
Relevant sustainability issues are identified for the industry vertical, drawing on recognised international frameworks, sector-specific standards, scientific literature, and known data availability.
Drafting
A draft methodology is prepared, including proposed criteria, question sets, weightings, and scoring logic.
Expert review
The draft is reviewed by individuals and organisations with relevant expertise before broader consultation opens.
Public consultation
The draft is published for a 45-day public comment period. Any person or organisation may submit comments.
Revision
The methodology is revised in light of consultation feedback. All substantive changes are documented, with reasons recorded for each decision.
Pilot testing and publication
Before a new or materially revised methodology is applied to live ratings, it is tested against a representative sample of brands. The finalised methodology is published with a version number, effective date, and change log.
Who is invited to comment
Consultation has two components. First, Good On You identifies and invites organisations and individuals with relevant expertise to review and comment on the draft methodology. Second, the draft is published for a 45-day public comment period during which any person or organisation may submit comments — no invitation is required. Comment on the methodology is also welcome at any time outside formal consultation rounds and is considered when received.
Independent expert reviewers are selected based on their technical track record, knowledge of the relevant industry vertical, and independence from commercial interests in that sector. We also consult experts in the relevant industry. Expertise areas may include environmental science, labour rights, animal welfare, certification and standard-setting, supply chain practice, and consumer policy.
Past consultation partners have included WWF, Fairtrade, Fashion Revolution, Fashion for Good, Four Paws, the Roundtable on Responsible Palm Oil, and the Global Shea Alliance, among others.
The consultation record
Every consultation round produces a documented record covering who was invited to comment, who submitted comments, and how each substantive point was addressed — including the reasons where input was not accepted. A summary of this record is published alongside the finalised methodology. The full record is available to the scheme's independent monitoring body as part of its governance oversight role.
Methodology updates
Each methodology is reviewed at least every three years, and more frequently if required by advances in scientific consensus, material regulatory developments, or complaints that identify ambiguities or gaps in the methodology.
Significant changes — including revisions to scoring logic, changes to weighting, or introduction or removal of criteria — go through the full expert and public consultation process described above, including the 45-day public comment period. Significant changes carry a transition period of 90 days before they take effect for live ratings. Minor clarifications that do not alter scope, criteria, or scoring follow a streamlined process with a shorter documented review.
Prior methodology versions are archived and publicly accessible. See the Methodology changelog for a full version history.
Independent oversight of the methodology process
Good On You's independent monitoring body — Odonata Certification Services — reviews the documented consultation record each year to confirm that the required process was followed: that the defined consultation was carried out, that the public comment period was open for the required duration, and that all substantive submissions were logged and addressed with reasons. Its role is to confirm process integrity, not to assess whether the methodology reaches the right conclusions — that is Good On You's responsibility, informed by expert and public input. The monitoring body's written confirmation is included in its published annual monitoring statement.