In addition to regularly updating the rating methodology, from time to time Good On You has reviewed the distribution of rating labels to ensure that they still reflect industry best practices and inform consumer choices.
In the review carried out in 2024, it became clear that almost 50% of brands were rated "Not Good Enough" (2 out of 5) or lower, and less than 15% achieved a "Good" rating (4 out of 5), which meant that there was not enough meaningful distinction made in the ratings for a huge portion of the industry. This is not useful for consumers trying to make better decisions, for Good On You retail partners who want to empower those decisions, or for brands that want to see progress as they make significant improvements.
All brands rated by Good On You receive a score out of 100. This score is then translated into one of five rating labels, according to a set of rules. These rules were updated to represent a distribution that better enabled distinction between higher and lower performers.
On 2/10/2024, the rules were updated as follows:
As a result, of the 6000+ brand ratings in our database, 678 brands saw their label change from “Not Good Enough” (2 out of 5) to “It’s a Start” (3 out of 5), 284 from “It’s A Start” (3 out of 5) to “Good” (4 out of 5), and 83 from “Good” (4 out of 5) to “Great” (5 out of 5).
Additionally, all brands that do not disclose sufficient information on how they address people, planet and animal issues will receive a rating label of "We Avoid" (1 out of 5), including small brands.
For more information on our rating methodology, including the meaning of our labels, please head to our Ratings System Guide.