Boden
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
London fashion retailer selling women's, men's and children's clothing.
In 2022, migrant workers at a Mauritian garment maker supplying Boden paid high recruitment fees and faced deception and threats.
Also worth knowing
Boden has only partly put this right.
Better-graded kids and baby
Graded higher than Boden, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Boden? Send a right of reply.
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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 has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2022.
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, India and Türkiye.
- 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, 27%. India is next, at 20%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 27% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Türkiye | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Cambodia | 14% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 7% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Morocco | 6% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Spain | 5% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Philippines | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | 2% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| United Kingdom | 2% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
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 Boden's clothing is made by 74 independent suppliers in 149 first-tier factories, led by China (40), India (30), Türkiye (23) and Cambodia (21); it publishes a first-tier factory list. A member of the Ethical Trading Initiative since 2008, it requires annual unannounced SMETA audits and runs a worker voice survey (&Wider) and women's health programmes, but has no living wage commitment and only plans to measure the gap to a living wage. A buyer from a Mauritius factory where migrant workers paid high recruitment fees, it left the supplier in 2022.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Not in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; scored 32 out of 100 in the 2024 edition (average 31.3). View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | JP Boden (Holdings) files UK modern slavery statements; the FY2025 statement lists 149 first-tier factories in 10 countries and names debt bondage in Türkiye and child labour in India as priority risks. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile records stories on migrant worker abuse in Mauritius and unpaid wages at a closed Portuguese factory, with 2 response requests, both answered. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Transparentem's 2023 Mauritius investigation names Boden as a buyer from Firemount and part of the buyer group working on remediation there. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | A completed Transparentem investigation (2023) found migrant workers at Firemount, a Mauritius garment maker supplying Boden, paid high recruitment fees and faced deceptive recruitment, threats and other forced labour indicators. Source · archived copy | PartlyBoden left the supplier in June 2022 and joined a buyer working group on remediation at Firemount; no recruitment fee repayment by Boden has been reported. |
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.
- Portuguese garment factory Bipol Fashion, which made Boden clothing indirectly for ten years, closed in 2024 with workers reported to be owed wages and benefits; Boden says the factory told it workers were paid in full up to closure (BHRRC, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- I Came Here with So Many Dreams: Mauritius apparel factories (Transparentem) · archived copy · Recruitment fees, deceptive recruitment and forced labour indicators at Firemount; Boden named in remediation buyer group
- Boden response re remediation to migrant workers in Mauritius (BHRRC) · search the archive · Boden stopped sourcing from the supplier in June 2022 and joined a remediation working group
- Boden's response to Bipol Fashion closure, unpaid wages (BHRRC) · search the archive · Portuguese factory closed 2024; Boden says workers were paid up to closure
- Boden - Shop Ethical! (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2024 score 32/100, no 2026 score; ETI member; Better Cotton member
- Boden First Tier Factory List 2026 · search the archive · Published first-tier factory list with addresses, worker numbers and Open Supply Hub IDs
Published by Boden or its owner
- Boden Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · 149 first-tier factories: CN 40, IN 30, TR 23, KH 21, VN 10, MA 9, ES 7, PH 3, LK 3, UK 3; annual unannounced SMETA; no living wage target
- Who makes our clothes? (Boden) · search the archive · ETI Base Code programme; &Wider worker voice at 27 sites; RISE women's health and equality programme in India
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Employees
- About 884
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Boden ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/boden, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 Boden.