Assembled Threads
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Melbourne social enterprise making hi-vis vests and workwear.
Assembled Threads makes its safety uniforms 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 Assembled Threads? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
- Met: Earns 3 stars for going above and beyond.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice | Earned | |
| Pays above a living wage | 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton
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 Assembled Threads'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.
Workwear: Good, the same as Assembled Threads overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
- A product made with cotton: On Track
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Assembled Threads'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 in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its cotton comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
Research notes Assembled Threads makes its garments at its own hub in North Melbourne, and Ethical Clothing Australia states that 100% of its products are made in Australia and accredited, so its whole range is checked for award wages and entitlements. It employs mainly migrant and refugee workers facing long-term unemployment and trains them through apprenticeships. It reports paying over $1.2 million in 'ethical wages' but publishes no wage rates or comparison with a living wage benchmark. A Social Traders logo appears on its website and it won Social Traders' 2023 national social procurement trailblazer award, but no Social Traders certification appears in a public registry, so it is not counted here.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Listed in the current Ethical Clothing Australia directory; 100% of products made in Australia and accredited. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is claimed. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations about Assembled Threads appear in news or NGO reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Assembled Threads (brand) · search the archive · Listed in ECA's current directory (Nov 2026); 100% of products made in Australia and accredited by ECA.
- Buy Circular directory: Assembled Threads Pty Ltd · search the archive · Recycled fibre hi-vis vest with 50-60% recycled content; 90 Melrose St, North Melbourne.
- BDO Ready for Growth: Assembled Threads case study · search the archive · Edwina Walsh is CEO; manufacturing hub in North Melbourne; permanent employment.
- Social Traders: Assembled Threads and Icon 2023 national social procurement trailblazers · search the archive · Won 2023 award; employs people facing disadvantage, especially women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Published by Assembled Threads or its owner
- Assembled Threads: Our Story · search the archive · Founded February 2021 as a pilot with Moonee Valley City Council; North Melbourne premises from March 2022; Holmesglen apprenticeships.
- Assembled Threads: Impact · search the archive · 100% ECA accredited; 86% of team migrants and refugees; $1.2m+ in 'ethical wages' with no rates given; made in Melbourne; Social Traders logo shown.
- Assembled Threads: home page · search the archive · Uniforms, hi-vis vests, scrubs and PPE; repair, take-back and recycling; local manufacturing; clients include Yarra Trams and John Holland.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Assembled Threads ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/assembled-threads, 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 Assembled Threads.