Cider is a brand based in China it was founded in 2020, but since then it gained 4.3 million TikTok likes and 4.4 million Instagram followers. Their rapid rise to social media fame has meant that they’ve been widely compared to SHEIN in which is by the way just never a good sign when it comes to sustainability and ethics.
Both SHEIN and Cider have a very similar model of releasing hundreds of new designs every single week in very small batches. Cider’s tagline is “We make everyday statement pieces for everyone everywhere,” and they claim to be a “social-first” fashion brand. whatever that means, I have to admit the clothes are really cute, they’re very like hashtag instagramable.
In terms of brand rating the cider has only one out of five on “Good On You”. Now you may be wondering why they have that low rating, there are bunch of reasons why they got such a low score, lets discuss about these reasons.
Production Model
Cider uses something they call Smart Fashion, which is apparently using customer data to be able to tell what customers are going to want. That way they don’t over produce and avoid waste. But there’s actually very little information about how all of this works. Also there is no information about how much waste they are able to save by doing this.
Let’s be clear: Smart fashion is not made to order, which is slow fashion. Made-to-order means someone makes the clothes just for you, usually using your measurements. Smart Fashion is different. They are releasing hundreds of different designs every single week which is encouraging people buy more than they need.
Some people say they not really make all these clothes themselves but instead, get them from Ali express and sell them. For example, this “13 Going on 30” dress is available on cider’s official site and Ali express, but it’s not true they just steal others design.
Their website has mode. which show you products filter by the mood that you’re in. I don’t know about you but shopping based on your mood does not seem like the best way to find pieces that you’re going to love and wear for decades.
Sustainability Claims: Materials & Transparency
Sustainability is becoming more and more important to customers. Every brand is talking about it. But some of them might just be pretending, and we call that “greenwashing. Cider do have their sustainability page linked in their menu on their website, which gives them one extra bonus point, however they don’t really use it to educate their customers at all. They don’t really talk about their materials. Most of the time, they use polyester, which comes from oil (fossil fuels) and doesn’t break down in the environment.
Transparency Missing: Many brands claim to be sustainable, but we need proof. They should get certified by a trusted organization like OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Cider doesn’t have such certifications, making their sustainability claims questionable.
Limited Efforts: Unlike some sustainable brands, Cider don’t have certifications like GOTS, carbon neutrality, or fair wage employer status. They focus more on making fashion affordable than on being truly sustainable.
Late to the Game: They’ve only just released their first sustainable collection in 2022. Two years after the launch of the brand.
Vague Material Claims: They say they are using recycled materials, but it’s unclear what kind of recycled materials they mean. It could also mean recycled cotton it could also mean recycled wool and those materials are not the same in terms of sustainability. They should be clear about using sustainable materials like recycled cotton.
No Circular Plan: They don’t talk about what to do with their products when they’re no longer usable. Many brands are now focusing on recycling and reusing old products.
Animal Welfare Unclear: They don’t use leather or any other animal derived materials like fur but they do use wool and they don’t disclose the manufacturing process behind that which can be Rife with Animal Welfare violations
Surprising Transparency: Despite their shortcomings, they have started disclosing information about their manufacturers, which is unusual for fast fashion brands. They list their conditions and factory details on their website.
Despite everything I’ve said about cider up, I did not expect from them at all. It’s not something that fast fashion brands are very good at all. Now in 2k23 They have made some improvements in transparency, but there are still many questions about their sustainability efforts.
Packaging
If we go to cider’s sustainability page, they claim their bags are biodegradable. Which they started using after December 2022. These bags use a technology called d2w, which makes regular plastic change into a material that can break down in the environment more quickly. Bacteria and fungi can break it down.
I was not aware of this before I read it, but it did not take a lot of research to find out that this technology is actually incredibly contentious. A 2011 research study said that apparently these bags will biodegrade when buried in soil in two years. But since then a lot of other researchers have come out and said that this is literally just wildly inaccurate. When the EU commission examined this packaging in 2018 they found no evidence of these biodegradability claims leading to the EU government.
Conclusion
So these are the reasons why cider has only one out of five on “Good On You”. But in terms of quality cider offer something that all cheap brands lack in. So if you are just a quality lover then you are good to go but if you care about sustainability I suggest do not give them your money go elsewhere buy a pint of thatchers. If you have further question don’t hesitate to ask in comments section, I will try to answer all of your quires.
