& Other Stories
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
H&M Group womenswear label selling clothing, shoes and accessories.
In 2023, a rights group documented 20 cases of abuse at H&M Group suppliers in Myanmar, including wage theft and forced overtime. & Other Stories has only partly put this right.
Better-graded bags and accessories
Graded higher than & Other Stories, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
None of the bags and accessories brands we know to make shoes is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Joyya, The Social Studio and 7 more are Good, but we don't know that they make shoes. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent & Other Stories? Send a right of reply.
Compare & Other Stories with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, forced or child labour 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 has only partly put right: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023
- 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 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- 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 3 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 its parent group's supplier list, which covers & Other Stories and its sister brands. & Other Stories publishes no breakdown of its own, so these are group-wide shares. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 28% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 17% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 11% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| India | 11% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Portugal | Not given | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Morocco | Not given | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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 & Other Stories is an H&M Group label made by the group's independent suppliers. H&M Group's February 2026 supplier list names nearly 800 apparel factories in 23 countries: China about 230, Bangladesh 127, Türkiye 115 and India 92, with Portugal and Morocco also in the top ten; it gives no breakdown for & Other Stories. Group policies apply: union agreements with IndustriALL, the ACT living wage initiative, the International Accord and third-party verified factory assessments, but no time-bound living wage target. No issues specific to this label have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner H&M Group scored 48 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 57 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | H&M Group brands scored 71% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by the H&M Group 2025 modern slavery statement, which includes its Australian entity. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by the H&M Group 2025 modern slavery statement for its UK entities. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records 20 cases of abuse at H&M Group suppliers in Myanmar (2022-23) and the group's responses. View |
Confirmed issues 4
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | H&M Group's 2025 modern slavery statement reports 10 cases of workers paying recruitment fees at suppliers in 2025 and 8 in 2024, mostly small fees for medical checks or notary costs.Found by the company, fix not shown The company found and published this itself but hasn't shown it is fixing it, so it counts against the grade. | Not known |
| 2023 | The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre documented 20 cases of abuse at H&M Group suppliers in Myanmar in 2022-23, including wage theft, unfair dismissal and forced overtime (Al Jazeera, 2023; BHRRC, 2024). Source · search the archive | PartlyH&M Group investigated, said all but one case was resolved and announced a phase-out of sourcing from Myanmar in 2023. |
| 2021 | In 2021 Jeyasre Kathiravel, a worker at H&M Group supplier Natchi Apparel in Dindigul, India, was murdered after reported sexual harassment by her supervisor (British Safety Council India, 2022). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesH&M Group signed the binding Dindigul Agreement on gender-based violence with unions and the supplier in 2022. |
| 2019 | H&M Group's 2013 pledge of a fair living wage for 850,000 supply chain workers by 2018 was not met, and the Clean Clothes Campaign found no evidence any worker was paid one (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2019). Source · archived copy | NoNo living wage has been shown across the group's supply chain, and it has no new time-bound target. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- The Clean Clothes Campaign reported wage theft, higher production targets and harassment at H&M Group suppliers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia during the pandemic; H&M said workers were paid according to local law (BHRRC, 2021). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- H&M (Good Shopping Guide Australia) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: H&M Group scored 48/100 (average 31.5); Lists & Other Stories as an H&M Group brand; FTI 2023 71%
- H&M's response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories, Feb 2024 update (BHRRC) · search the archive · 20 cases at Myanmar suppliers; all but one reported resolved; Myanmar phase-out
- Not a single worker is making a living wage yet H&M claims to have done an amazing job (Clean Clothes Campaign) · archived copy · H&M Group's 2018 living wage commitment was not met
- Supply chain (H&M Group) · search the archive · Quarterly group supplier list with factory names, addresses, workers and union presence
- H&M Group and Indian clothing company pledge to prevent sexual harassment (British Safety Council India) · search the archive · Jeyasre Kathiravel case at Natchi Apparel and the 2022 Dindigul Agreement
- Sourcing Journal: H&M's evolving sourcing map (analysis of H&M Group factory list, Feb 2026) · search the archive · Feb 2026 H&M list: nearly 800 apparel factories in 23 countries; China 230+ (29.5%), Bangladesh 127, Türkiye 115, India 92, Indonesia 26, Pakistan 18
Published by & Other Stories or its owner
- H&M Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Covers UK and Australian entities; third-party verified factory assessments; recruitment fee cases in 2024 and 2025
Company details
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is & Other Stories ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/and-other-stories, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 & Other Stories.