Next plc is a UK-based fashion retailer founded in 1982, headquartered in Leicester.
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Next plc reports comprehensively on climate but relies on intensity-based Scope 3 targets that mask absolute emissions growth. Scope 1 increased in recent years. Nature and water impacts remain largely unquantified and unverified. No net-zero pathway published despite SBTi validation.
Next plc scores 36/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places Next plc joint 459th of 847 companies scored, and joint 30th of 41 in Apparel (Durable / Outdoor).
Where Next plc sits among apparel (durable / outdoor) peers.
Among the 41 major apparel (durable / outdoor) brands we've scored, Next plc is tied =30th of 41, with 1 other.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
FSC-aligned timber policy, Canopy partnership for viscose, ZDHC membership, no-Xinjiang cotton.
Scope 3 target is intensity-based (40% per £1m sales by 2030), not absolute.
No verified year-on-year operational reduction programme.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Energy Source (6/10, 6/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Emissions Trajectory (3/10, 4/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Next plc.
Vivobarefoot demonstrates strong transparency and circularity ambition—ReVivo resales hit 15% of revenue, B Corp certified, publishes radical failure disclosure.
See the breakdown →Berluti publishes sustainability commitments but withholds the numbers that matter.
See the breakdown →Lucy & Yak publishes materials and circularity data but fails on emissions.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 9 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale9 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
“47% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions against a 2016/17 baseline”
“directly used 345,032m3 (2023: 295,837m3) in our UK and Eire operations”
“11% of wool (2022/23: 4%) was RWS sourced”
“In July 2021 our scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon reduction targets were approved by the SBTi”
“supporter of Canopy's Next Generation Vision for Viscose which supports the end of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests”
“There is no net zero target recorded in our database”
“it did not adequately explain how it had cut emissions or planned to in the future”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Next plc is a UK-based fashion retailer founded in 1982, headquartered in Leicester. Operating retail stores and online channels globally, it sources apparel, footwear, and homeware from 35+ countries. A mid-sized player in fast fashion, competing with Inditex and H&M on volume and price.
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