Consumers and industry experts agree on the principle that there are higher-impact practices in sustainability that should be addressed by businesses as a priority over lower-impact initiatives. The Good On You methodology largely addresses this through the weighting of particular issues (see for fashion and beauty brands), which is dynamic within a vertical, depending on the brand size, the products they sell, and inputs used (see key factors in scoring).
Additionally, the methodology adopts the concept that minimum standards should be met for a brand to reach certain scores in its overall, People, Planet, and Animal ratings. In effect, that means that scores can be capped if a brand has not met those minimum standards. Regardless of whether the brand scores points for other positive sustainability practices or not, if it has not met those basic standards, the score and rating will be capped at a certain level.
Overall cap
If a brand scores less than 10 points in the Planet and People themes combined, and their Animal score is below 85 ("Great" rating), then the overall rating score is capped at 9.99, which makes the brand's overall rating "We avoid". The intention is that the score of brands performing very poorly on Planet and People issues is not dragged up by their performance on animals.
Applies to: Fashion ratings completed before December 13 2024
Major incidents cap
Brands that have had major incidents related to People, Planet, and Animals in the 3 years before rating, and took little action to remediate have their score capped at 64 ("It's A Start" rating) for that area or 44 ("Not Good Enough" rating) in the case of multiple instances. This cap applies only to large brands. This cap doesn't apply any limit to the overall score and rating.
Applies to: Fashion, beauty
COVID-19 cap
Brands that did not take any action to protect workers in their supply chain from the impact of COVID-19 have their People score capped at 64 ("It's A Start" rating).
Applies to: Fashion, beauty ratings completed before December 13 2024.
Animal product usage cap
If a brand uses animal products, the Animal rating is capped at 84 ("Good" rating). While the methodology recognises and scores positive practices related to the usage of animal materials, we also acknowledge that alternative non-animal-derived materials exist that are preferred for minimising risks of harm to animals. Rating "Great" in animals means seeking out alternatives to eliminate animal product usage. This cap doesn't limit the overall score and rating–a brand can still use animal products and score "Great" overall.
Applies to: Fashion
Extreme-risk animal products cap
Brands using products derived from the following extreme-risk animals have their Animal score capped at 44 ("Not Good Enough" rating). This cap doesn't apply any limit to the overall score and rating.
Angora
Crocodile skin
Fur
Karakul
Uncertified virgin mohair
Pashmina
Snakeskin
Decorative exotic feather
Other animal skin or product (excluding fish leather, horn, llama wool, shahtoosh, vicuna)
Applies to: Fashion