C&A

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

Last researched 23 October 2026 · 8 sources

European value fashion chain selling clothing for women, men and kids.

C&A can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

Also worth knowing

It has no full independent audit.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. 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 2 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect 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: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good:
Star	Awarded for
	Gives workers a real voice

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From C&A's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. 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
Cambodia	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Türkiye	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Indonesia	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Pakistan	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High
Egypt	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Italy	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
Serbia	Systematic violations	Not rated	Moderate
Sri Lanka	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate

Evidence

What we found

Publishes supplier list
Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
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 C&A's clothing is made by independent suppliers; it publishes its garment factories, printers, laundries, dye houses and fabric mills on Open Supply Hub, updated every six months. Its reports name 12 countries for wet-processing units, most in Bangladesh, China and Turkey, without volume shares. It has signed the Accord, including the Pakistan Accord, and a global framework agreement with IndustriALL, but has no dated living wage target. In 2025 about 36% of its cotton was organic, 59% Better Cotton and 3.5% recycled. Leather was phased out in July 2025.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Listed	Scored 169 out of 250 (68%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Profile records a global framework agreement with a trade union, alignment with the Transparency Pledge, and Fashion Checker finding no public evidence that suppliers pay a living wage. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not covered	Not rated in Baptist World Aid's 2024 Ethical Fashion Report; C&A does not trade in Australia. (2024 edition; latest is 2026) View

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.

In 2021 the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights filed a criminal complaint in Germany accusing C&A, Lidl, Hugo Boss and Aldi of benefiting from Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang; no charge or finding has been reported (Hong Kong Free Press, 2021). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 8

Show all 8 sources

C&A company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Fashion Transparency Index 2023: 169/250; global framework agreement signed with a trade union; Fashion Checker found no evidence of living wages
Accord Steering Committee member brands affirm their commitment to Pakistan Accord · search the archive · C&A, an Accord Steering Committee member brand, committed to the Pakistan Accord
Activists accuse C&A, Lidl, Aldi, Hugo Boss over Uyghur forced labour (Hong Kong Free Press) · search the archive · ECCHR criminal complaint in Germany, 2021; no outcome reported

Published by C&A or its owner

C&A Sustainability · search the archive · Public disclosure covers 100% of active cut and sew factories, printing and embroidery units, laundries and dye houses
C&A suppliers' factory list · search the archive · Factory list hosted on Open Supply Hub, covering garment factories, printers, laundries, dye houses and fabric mills, updated every six months
C&A Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · Wet-processing units in 12 named countries, most in Bangladesh, China and Turkey; cotton 36.1% organic, 59.2% Better Cotton, 3.5% recycled; leather phased out July 2025; no dated living wage target
C&A Sustainability Report 2024 · search the archive · Transparency Pledge signed 2016; legally binding agreement with IndustriALL on factory-level collective bargaining in Cambodia
C&A company · search the archive · About 1,300 stores and 25,000 employees; no Australian stores or delivery

Company details

Owned by: COFRA Holding (Brenninkmeijer family)
Employees: About 25,000
Last researched: 23 October 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is C&A ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/c-and-a, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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