Billabong

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

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources

Gold Coast surf brand selling boardshorts, swimwear and wetsuits.

Billabong's parent, Authentic Brands Group, scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 3/100 in 2026, for the company it's rated with). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
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 1 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
Not 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
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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 3

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 3/100 (2026, the company it's rated with)

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Where it's made

These are Authentic Brands Group's countries across all its brands; Billabong 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
Bangladesh	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
Pakistan	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High
CambodiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
TürkiyeUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate

Evidence

What we found

Modern slavery statement
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 Billabong has been owned by Authentic Brands Group since 2023; since May 2025 its Australian and New Zealand range has been run under licence by Caprice Australia through its BR South Pacific division. No factory list or country breakdown is published for Billabong; Caprice says most of its 182 supplier factories are in China, with a small number in India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh, but does not say which make Billabong. Owner Boardriders scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, has no living wage commitment and was criticised in 2025 for not signing the International Accord.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Problem found	Owner Boardriders Inc scored 3 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 5 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Listed	Boardriders Inc scored 6% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, showing very little public supply chain information. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Quiksilver Australia Pty Ltd (Billabong's former Australian operator) filed a statement for Nov 2023 to Dec 2024; it names no sourcing countries or factories. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Caprice Australia, Australian licensee since May 2025, had 182 supplier factories (454 across its group), mostly in China; its FY2025 statement does not mention the Boardriders brands. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Billabong - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Owned by Boardriders/Authentic Brands; Boardriders scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (avg 31.5); FTI 2023 6%
Boardriders Inc - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Boardriders owned 100% by Authentic Brands since 2023; overall rating F; no evidence of COVID Fashion Commitments action
Caprice Australia - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Caprice licensee since May 2025 for Billabong, Quiksilver, Roxy, RVCA and others; its products made in China
New Quiksilver, Billabong licensee in Australia details go-forward plan (Shop Eat Surf) · search the archive · Caprice Australia named ANZ licensee April 2025, running the brands as BR South Pacific after Liberated Brands' bankruptcy

Published by Billabong or its owner

Caprice Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · FY2025: 182 Caprice supplier factories, majority in China, a small number in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh; no living wage commitment
Quiksilver Australia Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2023-24 · search the archive · No sourcing countries or factory list disclosed; no modern slavery cases reported in the period

Company details

Owned by: Authentic Brands Group (Australian licensee: Caprice Australia)
Headquarters: United States
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Billabong ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/billabong, 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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No swimwear and surf brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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