Bonds
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Australian underwear and basics label selling undies, socks and babywear.
Bonds can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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.
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 Bangladesh, China and Indonesia.
- 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 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 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Hanes Australasia's supplier list, which covers Bonds and its sister brands. Bonds publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Denmark | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Portugal | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Publishes supplier list
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- 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 Bonds is made mostly by contract factories, plus one owned factory in Indonesia: in 2025 about 81 facilities in 12 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam) supplied Hanes Australasia, with no split by country. Finished-goods factories are independently audited before production and every year after, and Hanes Australasia scored 61/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, but its statements give no evidence that workers earn a living wage. Gildan sold the business to Brett Blundy's BBFIT Investments in October 2026, so its labour policies may change.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Listed under HanesBrands Australia (Hanes Australasia), whose then-owner Hanesbrands Inc scored 61 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 64 in 2024. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Shop Ethical: Hanes Australasia (Bonds) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Hanes Australasia (Bonds, Berlei and others) 61/100; average 31.5
- Billionaire Brett Blundy buys Bonds, Bras N Things in $700 million deal · search the archive · BB FIT Investments to buy Bonds, Bras N Things, Berlei and Sheridan from Gildan; completion expected second half of 2026
- Gildan Completes Sale of HanesBrands Australia (BNN Bloomberg) · search the archive · 26 Oct 2026: Gildan completed the sale of HanesBrands Australia to BBFIT Investments for about A$700 million
- Oxfam Australia: Hanes Brands (formerly Pacific Brands) · search the archive · Earlier Oxfam criticism of supplier secrecy; signed Bangladesh Accord in December 2013
Published by Bonds or its owner
- Hanes Australasia Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · FY2025: goods from 12 named countries; about 81 facilities incl. one owned factory in Indonesia; 109 audits; no living wage data
- Hanes Australasia Modern Slavery Statement 2024 · search the archive · 98% of goods from eight named countries; about 106 facilities; one owned factory in Indonesia; audit counts; no living wage data
- Hanes Australasia Modern Slavery Statement 2021 · search the archive · 2021: annual independent audits of all finished-goods facilities; global facility map covers owned and supplier facilities
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bonds ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bonds, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded underwear and sleepwear
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Bonds.