Amazon Essentials
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Amazon's own-label clothing basics, activewear, underwear and kidswear.
In 2023, a Cambodian garment supplier illegally dismissed workers and withheld about US$1.1 million in severance owed to 456 of them.
Also worth knowing
Amazon Essentials hasn't put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 5 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 16/100 in 2026) and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it hasn't put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not 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 listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 5
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 16/100 (2026)
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 4 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Amazon.com's supplier list, which covers Amazon Essentials and its sister brands. Amazon Essentials publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Amazon Essentials is made by independent suppliers that Amazon lists on an interactive map covering all its own brands; the list is not broken down by country, but Amazon's own-brand apparel suppliers are mainly in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia. Amazon reports audit findings such as forced overtime and recruitment fees, but has not signed the International Accord on factory safety and has no published living wage commitment. Amazon scored 16/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, well below the 31.5 average.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Amazon scored 16 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 13 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Amazon scored 26% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, equal to the average. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Listed | Amazon scored 55.1 out of 100 in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (average 53.7). View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Amazon Commercial Services (Australia) signs Amazon's group modern slavery statement; it reports audit issue rates but no supplier countries or living wage plan. View |
| Open Supply Hub | Listed | Amazon publishes finished-product suppliers of its own-brand apparel and other goods on Open Supply Hub, last reviewed March 2026. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile records multiple supply chain labour allegations against Amazon, including Xinjiang forced labour and garment worker severance claims. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Worker Rights Consortium found that Hulu Garment in Cambodia, which names Amazon as a key buyer, illegally dismissed workers in 2020 and withheld about US$1.1 million in severance owed to 456 workers, still unpaid in 2023 (WRC, 2021 and 2023). Source · search the archive | NoAmazon said it saw no outstanding violations, citing an arbitration ruling for the employer; the WRC reported no corrective action as of 2023. |
| 2021 | Link through a supplierThe Tech Transparency Project found that two subsidiaries of textile maker Esquel stayed on Amazon's own-brand supplier list until at least December 2021, after a sister company was sanctioned by the United States in July 2020 over Xinjiang forced labour (CNBC and NBC News, 2022). Source · search the archive | Not knownAmazon declined to comment on why the two subsidiaries stayed listed; no source says when or whether it stopped using them. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Amazon Australia - Shop Ethical! (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 16/100 (avg 31.5); CHRB 2026 55.1; FTI 2023 26%; not an Accord signatory (CCC 2025)
- Hulu Garment Co. Ltd. (Worker Rights Consortium) · search the archive · Illegal dismissals 2020; ~US$1.1m owed to 456 workers; Amazon a key buyer; no corrective action as of 2023
- Amazon suppliers linked to forced labor in China (CNBC) · search the archive · Esquel subsidiaries remained on Amazon's own-brand supplier list after Changji Esquel was sanctioned in 2020
- Amazon suppliers linked to forced labor in China, watchdog group says (NBC News, read 18 October 2026) · search the archive · Changji Esquel sanctioned July 2020; two other Esquel subsidiaries stayed on Amazon's supplier list until December 2021; Amazon declined to comment on the delay.
- India, China dominating suppliers of apparel, home textiles to Amazon (Fibre2Fashion) · search the archive · Amazon apparel suppliers: India 109, China 83, Vietnam 83, Bangladesh 47, Sri Lanka 30, Indonesia 12, Turkey 7, Pakistan 5
Published by Amazon Essentials or its owner
- Amazon supply chain human rights page and supplier map · search the archive · Supplier list on Open Supply Hub covers own-brand apparel, electronics, food and home goods; reviewed March 2026
- Amazon Modern Slavery Statement (2025) · search the archive · Audit issue rates (mandatory overtime, recruitment fees); no living wage commitment; cotton due diligence via YESS
Company details
- Owned by
- Amazon.com, Inc.
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Amazon Essentials ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/amazon-essentials, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded basics
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Amazon Essentials.