Labour Lens

boohoo

Harm on record

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Manchester online fast-fashion retailer selling low-priced clothing.

Linked to Unpaid or underpaid wages

In 2023, BBC Panorama filmed a Leicester supplier making workers do overtime on boohoo's order, though its code says overtime is voluntary.

Also worth knowing

Boohoo has only partly put this right.

Better-graded everyday fashion

Graded higher than boohoo, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

3 resale and rental platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: SWOP Clothing Exchange, AirRobe and Grailed · See them allGoodThe Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsMiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsThe Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice3 stars

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 Harm on record

  • Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and failing or very low ratings (Shop Ethical in 2026; Tailored Wages in 2019). 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: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2023.

How grades are decided

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 rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2023
  • 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 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Failing or very low scores on independent ratings: Shop Ethical (2026) and Tailored Wages (2019)

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, 51%. Pakistan is next, at 12%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China51%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Pakistan12%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh
India11%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Türkiye10%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
United Kingdom6%Regular violationsClose to a living wageLow
Bangladesh3%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Morocco3%Regular violationsWell below a living wageLow
Italy2%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Egypt1%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Vietnam1%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Publishes supplier list
  • Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
  • 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 boohoo is the main brand of boohoo group plc, which trades as Debenhams Group and publishes a factory list covering boohoo, boohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen and Debenhams. Of 525 Tier 1 factories in 2025, 51% were in China, with the rest mainly in Pakistan, India, Turkey and the UK. It signs the International Accord and requires annual third-party audits plus unannounced spot checks, but it has no living wage commitment (a fair wages policy is still in development) and scored 29/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, below the 31.5 average.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportListedScored 29 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 26 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)ListedScored 24% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedDebenhams Group's 2025 UK modern slavery statement lists 525 Tier 1 factories, about half in China, and says all must have annual third-party audits. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedRecords the 2020 independent Levitt review of boohoo's Leicester supply chain, which found pay and conditions allegations substantially true. View
News reporting and NGO investigationsListedThe Clean Clothes Campaign's 2019 Tailored Wages report gave boohoo the lowest possible grade for its efforts to pay a living wage; Shop Ethical cites it in rating boohoo F (checked October 2026). View
KnowTheChainListedScored 21 out of 100 in the KnowTheChain 2023 apparel and footwear benchmark, the latest edition. View

Confirmed issues 2

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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2023A 2023 BBC Panorama investigation filmed workers at Leicester supplier MM Leicester Clothing being made to work overtime on a boohoo order, despite boohoo's code requiring overtime to be voluntary (Just Style, 2024). Source · archived copyPartlyboohoo said it made a 'responsible exit' from the supplier and removed it from its published factory list.
2020An independent review by Alison Levitt QC in 2020 found reports of very low pay and poor conditions at Leicester factories making boohoo clothes 'substantially true', and that senior directors knew of serious problems by December 2019 (BHRRC, 2020). Source · search the archivePartlyAccepted the review's recommendations, launched its 'Agenda for Change' programme and dropped 64 Leicester factories; no compensation for underpaid workers 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.

  • The 2023 BBC Panorama investigation also reported boohoo buyers pushing suppliers for price cuts on orders already agreed and shortening lead times, which raises the risk of low pay and excessive hours; boohoo said these were standard industry practices (FashionUnited, 2023). Source
  • In 2025 UK suppliers told Drapers that boohoo was months behind on paying invoices and had cut up to 30% from agreed prices, pressures that raise the risk of low pay at supplier factories; the company did not comment (Retail Gazette, 2025). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Independent review into the boohoo Group plc's Leicester supply chain (BHRRC) · search the archive · Levitt review (Sept 2020) found low pay allegations substantially true; directors aware by Dec 2019
  2. BooHoo - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: 29/100 (average 31.5); rated F citing Tailored Wages' lowest grade (2019); FTI 2023 24%; Accord signatory
  3. Boohoo axes UK supplier relationship amid forced labour controversy (Just Style) · search the archive · Panorama filmed forced overtime at a UK supplier; boohoo exited it and removed it from its list
  4. New investigation claims Boohoo breaks past promises of fair production (FashionUnited) · archived copy · Panorama 2023: price cuts on agreed orders; overtime at MM Leicester Clothing
  5. Suppliers slam Boohoo over unpaid invoices and sudden price cuts (Retail Gazette) · search the archive · Aug 2025: suppliers report months-late payments and up to 30% invoice deductions; also PrettyLittleThing and Jigsaw
  6. Boohoo exits 64 Leicester factories over code of conduct breaches (City AM) · search the archive · boohoo dropped 64 Leicester factories after the 2020 scandal

Published by boohoo or its owner

  1. Debenhams Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · 525 Tier 1 factories: China 269, Pakistan 63, India 58, Turkey 52, UK 30; annual audits; fair wages policy in development

Company details

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is boohoo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/boohoo, 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?

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