Best & Less

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

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources

Australian budget retailer selling babywear, kidswear and basics.

Best & Less scored 20/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.

Better-graded kids and baby

Graded higher than Best & Less, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

RetykleClothing & footwearOnline resale of designer kidswearSells second-hand or refurbished goods, so it creates no new factory work.GoodGraded by rule Paisley's PatternsClothing & footwearKids, family and maternity clothingIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerified ImagewearClothing & footwearSchool and corporate uniforms, necktiesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerified Bosun (Compuknit)Missing: traced raw materials · Clothing & footwearAustralian-made school socksPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackVerified

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 3 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 20/100 in 2026). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (child labour, last recorded in 2019) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
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

Checks its own supply chain. Best & Less looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found child labour in 2019 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.

Good requirements 3 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 India.
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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found child labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 20/100 (2026)

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, 83%. Bangladesh is next, at 10%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
China	83%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Bangladesh	10%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
India	6%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
Pakistan	1%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Publishes supplier list
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.

Research notes Best & Less publishes a list of its own-brand factories; its FY2025 statement says about 123 suppliers in 272 audited factories make its own-brand clothing, 83% in China, 10% Bangladesh, 6% India and 1% Pakistan, with all tier 1 suppliers audited every two years (QIMA, BSCI, SMETA). It has not signed the International Accord on factory safety, despite sourcing from Bangladesh. It promised a living wage in all own-brand factories by 2025, but its FY2025 statement no longer mentions that target and gives no evidence it was met. It scored 20/100 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	Scored 20 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 20 in 2024. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	FY2025 statement: about 123 own-brand suppliers in 272 audited factories, 83% in China, 10% Bangladesh, 6% India, 1% Pakistan. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Records ActionAid's 2023 criticism of Best & Less for refusing to sign the International Accord on factory safety. View

Confirmed issues 1

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?
2019	Best & Less staff found children, possibly under the legal working age, loading its cartons at a Chittagong freight station in 2019, confirmed by an unannounced audit (company statement, 2020).Found and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself.	PartlyMoved its goods to a new, audited freight station; no steps for the children themselves were reported.

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources

Best & Less – Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Best & Less scored 20/100 (average 31.5); not an Accord signatory; owned by BB Retail Capital
Australian fashion brand Best&Less refuses to sign worker safety Accord – Dhaka Tribune · search the archive · April 2023: ActionAid criticised refusal to sign the Accord; 20 Bangladesh factories, 25% of sourcing

Published by Best & Less or its owner

Best & Less Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · 123 suppliers, 272 factories: China 83%, Bangladesh 10%, India 6%, Pakistan 1%; biennial QIMA/BSCI/SMETA audits; factory list published
Best & Less Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2020 · search the archive · 2019 children loading cartons at Chittagong freight station; facility dropped; living wage by 2025 commitment
Best & Less Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2023 · search the archive · Living wage by 2025 reported 'on track'; most China factories (42% of production) said to pay a living wage

Company details

Owned by: BB Retail Capital
Headquarters: Australia
Employees: About 4,000
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Best & Less ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/best-and-less, 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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