Anthropologie

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

US retailer selling womenswear, accessories, wedding wear and homewares.

Anthropologie can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

Better-graded everyday fashion

Graded higher than Anthropologie, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

3 resale and rental platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: SWOP Clothing Exchange, AirRobe and Grailed · See them allGood The Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond MiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond The Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond

Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

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 rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 1

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

These are its parent group's countries across all its brands; Anthropologie doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
China	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
BangladeshUsual for the industry	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
Türkiye	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Indonesia	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Pakistan	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High
Egypt	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Sri Lanka	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Philippines	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
United States	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Low

Evidence

What we found

Modern slavery statement
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.
Uses leather and cashmere in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Anthropologie's own-brand products are made by independent suppliers. URBN names India, Vietnam, China, Turkey, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, Pakistan, Egypt and Sri Lanka among its key sourcing countries but gives no shares and publishes no factory list, so no country shares are shown. URBN reviews annual third-party social audits for vendors making over 85% of own-brand volume and bans Xinjiang sourcing, but reports no audit findings, no wage data and no living wage commitment. Its transparency score is low.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Listed	URBN scored 32.5 out of 250 (13%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, down from 50.5 in 2020. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	URBN's modern slavery statement (May 2026, FY2026) names some key sourcing countries and says audited vendors make over 85% of own-brand volume, but gives no shares, factory list or wage data. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	URBN profile records two response requests (Xinjiang forced labour commitments; Mauritius factory layoffs) with a 0% response rate. View
US Department of Labor goods lists	Listed	Garments from China, India and Vietnam, all key URBN sourcing countries, are on the US Department of Labor list of goods made with child or forced labour. View

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.

In late January 2025 about 240 workers at a Star Knitwear Group garment factory in Mauritius, which the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre linked to URBN, were laid off without warning amid worries over severance pay; URBN did not respond to a request for comment (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source
A 2021 Sheffield Hallam University report, 'Laundering Cotton', named Anthropologie among brands whose supply chains may use Xinjiang cotton made with Uyghur forced labour routed through other countries; URBN says it bans Xinjiang sourcing (Uyghur Human Rights Project, 2021). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Urban Outfitters - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI scores 2019-2023 (32.5/250 in 2023); two response requests, 0% response rate; no evidence of living wages
Anthropologie (part of Urban Outfitters) - BHRRC · search the archive · FTI scores 2019-2023 (32.5/250 in 2023); no allegations or response requests on the brand profile
URBN's non-response to layoffs at Star Knitwear Group factory (BHRRC, 2025) · search the archive · March 2025: 240 Mauritius garment workers laid off suddenly; URBN did not respond
Explosive report exposes Uyghur forced labour connections in global retail brands' supply chains (UHRP, 2021) · search the archive · Sheffield Hallam 'Laundering Cotton' (Nov 2021) names Anthropologie (owned by Urban Outfitters)
12 Fall Fashion Finds from Anthropologie (PureWow) · search the archive · Leather and cashmere, minor: suede riding boots and a cashmere cardigan among mostly viscose/cotton lines; no sourcing disclosed

Published by Anthropologie or its owner

URBN Modern Slavery Statement FY2026 (May 2026) · search the archive · Some key sourcing countries named without shares; audits of 200+ vendors covering 85%+ of own-brand volume; Xinjiang ban; no living wage
Urban Outfitters Inc 2024 Impact Report · search the archive · Cotton, major, not traced: Anthropologie regenerative cotton work mentioned without figures or origin data

Company details

Owned by: URBN (Urban Outfitters, Inc.), owner of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People and Nuuly
Headquarters: United States
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Anthropologie ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/anthropologie, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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