Better Health for All

Urban Outfitters has demonstrated support for mental health initiatives through a second-year partnership with Active Minds, including a $50,000 donation with a goal of $100,000.

This partnership promotes mental health awareness and resources, reaching over 1,000 youth-centric communities. The company's core products (apparel, accessories, home goods) do not carry health risks requiring disclosure, resulting in a neutral score for risk transparency.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

As of July 2025, 40% of URBN's direct-sourced raw materials are responsibly sourced.

The company prohibits child and forced labor, stating immediate action to stop production if critical issues are identified. However, an article alleges URBN's complicity in Uyghur forced labor due to links to the region, where 20% of global apparel cotton is grown. URBN states it does not knowingly source products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Suppliers are required to provide full transparency of Tier 1 and 2 facilities at onboarding, and a Tier 3 mapping pilot commenced in Q2 FY23, extending to the top 10 vendors by year-end. Adherence to the vendor code of conduct, which includes ethical sourcing clauses based on ILO standards, is part of the terms of business with all suppliers. URBN uses the Walk Free 2018 Global Slavery Index to rate sourcing countries for modern slavery risk, and 0% of facilities were graded red for modern slavery in 2022, down from 0.30% in 2021. However, 4% of facilities were graded red high-risk, albeit not for modern slavery.

Kind to Animals

Urban Outfitters' supply chain is associated with severe animal welfare issues. Undercover investigations have revealed alleged abuse of animals, including sheep, alpacas, goats, cows, geese, and silkworms, in the wool, cashmere, mohair, leather, down, and silk industries.

Specific examples of abuse include hitting, kicking, mutilation, and lack of pain relief, with instances of pregnant alpacas being slammed, sheep being stomped, goats being dragged and mutilated, and cows being beaten and electroshocked.

No War, No Weapons

URBN conducts annual Social Compliance Audits, reviewing over 200 vendors, including those producing over 80% of its Ownbrand product volume.

The company's Responsible Sourcing Guidelines are based on International Labor Organization (ILO) principles and other international standards, and it exercises due diligence consistent with OECD guidance for conflict minerals. URBN has a zero-tolerance policy for priority violations such as child labor, forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, corporal punishment, or health and safety violations that could cause immediate loss of life or serious injury. The company does not source goods produced with conflict minerals and does not knowingly source products or materials from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). URBN employs a risk-based approach for identifying vendors subject to Workplace Compliance Assessments.

Planet-Friendly Business

As of 2023, the company has committed to setting science-based targets by 2025, but these targets are not yet validated by SBTi.

Currently, 10% of total direct-sourced raw material is responsibly sourced, with a target to increase this to 60% by 2027. Specifically, in 2022, 7% of direct-sourced cotton was recycled or sustainable virgin fiber, and 5% of direct-sourced polyester was recycled. The company has recirculated over 7 million garments to date, including 50,000+ pairs of secondhand denim, 66,000+ flannels, and 45,000+ sweaters in 2023. Additionally, 80,000+ upcycled deadstock styles were produced in 2023. All mailer bags and boxes are recycled or recyclable, and in-store shopping bags were 100% recycled by December 2022. Over 100,000 lbs of plastic and almost 7 million polybags were recycled in the last year. A 22-acre solar array at a distribution center generates 22 million kilowatt-hours per year, and a Bloom Box energy system has generated 26,666 MWh over its lifetime. The company eliminated approximately 8,000 garment samples per year. However, in April 2023, product testing by the Center for Environmental Health found lead and cadmium contamination in over half of 11 Urban Renewal fashion accessories, with levels up to 64% lead and 52% cadmium, leading to the removal of affected products from the website.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Urban Outfitters (URBN.US) reached a settlement with the Navajo Nation in 2015 concerning cultural appropriation.

No other specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles for other KPIs related to Respect for Cultures & Communities.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

As of December 2022, all in-store shopping bags were 100% recycled.

In 2022-2023, 100% of direct-to-consumer flat mailer bags for auto-bagging and bubble flat mailer bags were made from 50% post-consumer waste (PCW) material. Void-fill was reduced by 36% in FY2024, using 95% recycled material. The company eliminated 474 tons of virgin plastic globally. As of January 2023, 25% of direct-sourced fabrics were ZDHC compliant or Bluesign certified, and 22% of direct-sourced raw materials were responsibly sourced. Urban Outfitters EU had 54% of its stores designated as 'Zero Waste' as of February 2023. Nuuly repaired over 1.4 million garments. URBN has no waste disposal violations in the past three years. The company requires suppliers to use at least 50% pre-consumer waste recycled polybags. URBN provides basic disposal information through its How2Recycle program. The company mentions waste reduction targets but does not detail specific targets or timelines.