Akubra
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Australian maker of rabbit-fur felt hats at its own factory in Kempsey.
Akubra makes its rabbit-fur felt hats in its own factories in Australia and carries the Australian Made label.
Also worth knowing
Ethical Clothing Australia checks that every worker in its Australian supply chain is paid award wages and entitlements.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Akubra? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | Not earned | |
| Open supply chain | Not earned | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities | Not earned |
3 stars for the first way it goes above and beyond, and one more for each further way, up to 6. About stars
Good requirements 6 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: award wages independently checked (Ethical Clothing Australia)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton and leather
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 2
- Ethical Clothing AustraliaCounts as proof of a living wage for products made in Australia, because it checks workers get the legal pay rates for their job, and in Australia those are about a living wage.
- Australian MadeCounts as made in Australia for the final stage. For Good, the brand also needs to show where its materials and parts are made.
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Akubra's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Hats: Good, the same as Akubra overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
- A product made with cotton: On Track
- A product made with leather: On Track
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Akubra's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Uses cotton and leather in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where they come from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Akubra makes its hats in its own factory in Kempsey, NSW, with about 170 staff, and Ethical Clothing Australia lists all of its products as made in Australia under accreditation. The felt starts with rabbit fur bought in Europe: since 2015 Akubra has used only European skins and buys fur already processed overseas, and the fur suppliers are not named. Since 2023 it has been owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Tattarang, whose modern slavery statement covers Akubra and reports a supplier code and questionnaires but no completed independent audits of suppliers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Accredited brand, listed as 100% made in Australia; still listed as accredited in November 2026. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | Not a Certified B Corp. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not graded in the Ethical Fashion Report (2026 is the latest edition), which covers larger companies. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Akubra are recorded. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Akubra · search the archive · Accredited ethical hat manufacturer; 100% of products made in Australia; listing modified November 2026.
- Ethical.org.au: Akubra Hats · search the archive · Rated B-; most products made in Australia; rabbit fur sourced from factory farms in Europe since 2015; assessment updated July 2025.
- The New Daily: Akubra to use only European skins (2015) · search the archive · Akubra closed its rabbit fur processing in Kempsey and switched to buying processed fur made from European skins.
- Port News: Andrew and Nicola Forrest buy Kempsey-based Aussie icon Akubra (2023) · search the archive · Bought by the Forrests in November 2023 with a commitment to keep manufacturing in Kempsey.
- Fair Work Mate: Akubra Hats Pty Ltd Enterprise Agreement 2025 · search the archive · Enterprise agreement for Akubra employees approved September 2025, nominal expiry June 2027.
Published by Akubra or its owner
- Percy Street Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Covers Akubra; 170 Akubra staff; supplier code and questionnaires for key suppliers; no third-party supplier audits reported.
- Percy Street Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 · search the archive · Akubra management visited all Tier 1 fur suppliers in Europe; group inputs from over 25 countries.
Company details
- Owned by
- Tattarang (Percy Street Pty Ltd)
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 170
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Akubra ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/akubra, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Good means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Akubra.