Labour Lens

ASOS

Harm on record

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

London online fashion retailer selling its own labels and other brands.

In 2023, Bangladeshi migrant workers at a Mauritian factory ASOS used faced recruitment fees, deception and threats, signs of forced labour.

Also worth knowing

ASOS hasn't put this right.

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Why it's graded Harm on record

  • Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and forced or child labour. 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: forced labour, last recorded in 2023.

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, Türkiye and India.
  • 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 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Where it's made

China has the largest share, 28%. Türkiye is next, at 26%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China28%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Türkiye26%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
India22%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Bangladesh7%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Morocco5%Regular violationsWell below a living wageLow
Romania3%Regular violationsBelow a living wageModerate
United Kingdom2%Regular violationsClose to a living wageLow
Italy2%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Sri Lanka1%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Vietnam1%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Spain1%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Cambodia1%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Tunisia1%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • Publishes supplier list
  • Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Independent social audits of all its main factories
  • Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
  • 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 ASOS publishes a factory list, updated every three months; the April 2026 list has roughly 470 entries, mostly in China, Turkey and India, with smaller numbers in Bangladesh, Morocco, Romania and others (shares are approximate factory counts). It signs the International Accord, is an ETI member, has a global agreement with the IndustriALL union and runs unannounced audits. It joined the ACT living wage initiative but has no time-bound living wage target, and scored 40/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report. Partner brands sold on ASOS make up about 60% of sales and are not covered here.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportListedScored 40 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (11th edition), from public information only; 34 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)ListedScored 50% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, well above the 26% average. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedOctober 2025 UK modern slavery statement: 441 active Tier 1 and 2 factories in 21 countries employing about 236,750 workers; 33 whistleblowing cases received, 26 resolved. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedResponded in 2024 to questions about forced labour indicators at a former Mauritius supplier, confirming it used the factory until the end of 2022. 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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2023A two-year Transparentem investigation into Mauritius garment factories found forced labour indicators, including recruitment fees, deception and threats, among Bangladeshi migrant workers at DDI, a factory ASOS used until 2022 (Transparentem/BHRRC, 2024). Source · archived copyNoASOS says it stopped using DDI at the end of 2022 and offered to support remediation, but it was not among the brands that compensated workers (BHRRC, 2024).
2020During the 2020 Leicester garment scandal, ASOS said its own audit had rated one of its Leicester suppliers 'red critical' and that conditions needed urgent improvement (Fashion Network, 2020). Source · search the archivePartlyASOS put the factory on an improvement plan with follow-up checks and has since joined a union-backed worker support agreement for Leicester factories.

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.

  • A leaked 2018 ASOS internal report rated seven UK factories high risk and recorded 10 breaches on freely chosen employment, covering issues such as forced overtime and restricted movement; ASOS said the report was out of date (Yahoo News, 2020). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. ASOS - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2024 34/100; FTI 2023 50%; Accord signatory; ETI member; ACT participant
  2. BHRRC: In Mauritius, investigation spurs buyer compensation (Transparentem) · archived copy · Forced labour indicators at DDI and other factories; ASOS among brands that did not join remediation
  3. ASOS response re remediation to migrant workers in Mauritius (BHRRC) · search the archive · ASOS ended its relationship with DDI at the end of 2022 and offered to support remediation
  4. Ethical Fashion Guide 2026 (Baptist World Aid) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: ASOS brands 40/100, from public information only
  5. Asos mulls action against Leicester-based supplier (Fashion Network) · search the archive · ASOS audit rated a Leicester supplier 'red critical' in July 2020

Published by ASOS or its owner

  1. ASOS factory list (April 2026) · search the archive · Factory list updated 1 April 2026; roughly 470 rows, led by China, Turkey and India
  2. ASOS Modern Slavery Statement (October 2025) · search the archive · 441 Tier 1-2 factories, 21 countries; Accord, ACT, IndustriALL GFA, unannounced audits; partner brands c.60% of business

Company details

Owned by
ASOS plc
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is ASOS ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/asos, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means

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