Adidas Tops Fashion Sector in Global Sustainability Ranking

Adidas has emerged as the highest-ranked fashion and sportswear brand in the inaugural Sustainability Consumer-led Brand Ranking released by Kantar in June 2026, securing third place overall among more than 2,160 brands assessed worldwide. The German sportswear giant was joined in the global top 20 by The North Face, Veja, Nike and Dove, while eco-friendly cleaning brand Ecover claimed the top position. The ranking was based on responses from over 18,000 consumers across 12 countries and measured how credible brands are perceived on sustainability and how those perceptions influence brand strength.

According to the report, consumers in the clothing, footwear and fashion sector identified child labour, sweatshops and worker exploitation as their biggest sustainability concerns, followed by the use of harmful dyes and chemicals and the issue of overproduction. Kantar highlighted several brands as examples of effective sustainability strategies, including Adidas for producing more than 30 million pairs of shoes made with Parley Ocean Plastic, The North Face for its performance-tested recycled-material Futurelight fabric, and Veja for investing heavily in its supply chain instead of advertising.

The study also underscored the growing business value of sustainability, with Kantar stating that sustainability perceptions can contribute up to 10 percent of a brand’s value and have become 25 percent more influential in driving consumer demand over the past five years. However, consumer scepticism remains a challenge, with 57 percent of respondents reporting exposure to misleading sustainability claims and only 15 percent saying they have strong knowledge of brands’ actual environmental efforts. Kantar advised companies to tailor sustainability messaging to local market priorities rather than relying on a single global approach.

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