Calvin Klein
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
US fashion brand known for jeans, underwear and fragrance.
Calvin Klein 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.
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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: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2023) was a link through a supplier, which the company has acted on.
- 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 China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
- 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, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2023, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade. An 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 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
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Calvin Klein's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Jeans, Underwear, T-shirts, Hoodies & sweatshirts, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Dresses & skirts, Jackets & coats, Sleepwear & loungewear, Swimwear, Sneakers, Bags & backpacks: Lacks transparency, the same as Calvin Klein overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From PVH's supplier list, which covers Calvin Klein and its sister brands. Calvin Klein publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| 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 |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nicaragua | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | 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
- 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 Calvin Klein is owned by PVH, whose products are made by independent suppliers in about 1,000 factories across about 40 countries, including China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua and Ethiopia. PVH publishes its factory list, left the Fair Labor Association at the end of 2019, signed the International Accord and audits its main factories, but gives no country shares. In 2023 an investigation found forced labour risks for migrant workers at a PVH supplier in Mauritius. Fashion Checker found no public evidence that workers are paid a living wage.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner PVH Corp scored 47 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above the 31.5 average; PVH Brands Australia scored 43 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | PVH scored 48% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by PVH Corp's consolidated modern slavery statement for fiscal 2024 (including Australian distributor Sunshine A), which reports about 1,000 factories in about 40 countries but no country breakdown. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | PVH profile records stories including a 2023 Transparentem investigation of migrant worker abuse at Mauritius suppliers, where PVH committed to remediation. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Link through a supplierA 2023 Transparentem investigation found forced labour indicators, including recruitment fees and deception, among Bangladeshi migrant workers at Mauritius garment factories, one of which (R.E.A.L. Garments) supplied PVH; the brands made there are not stated (BHRRC, 2023-2024). Source · archived copyActed on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesIn February 2025 PVH, Barbour and Second Clothing repaid nearly US$390,000 in recruitment fees to R.E.A.L. Garments workers, checked by IndustriALL (Transparentem). |
| 2022 | Workers at the Val d'Or factory in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which made clothes for PVH, were let go without legally owed severance when it closed in 2022 (Guardian via Black Enterprise, 2023). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesAfter Worker Rights Consortium involvement, PVH agreed in 2023 to cover missed severance and pension, about US$1 million shared by some 1,100 workers. |
| 2019 | A 2019 Worker Rights Consortium report found verbal abuse, pay as low as 12 cents an hour, unpaid overtime and pregnancy checks on job applicants at PVH supplier factories in Ethiopia, including Hawassa Industrial Park (Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2019). Source · archived copy | PartlyPVH said it would investigate immediately and act on any violations, noting some interviews were two years old; no remedy for 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 Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report named Calvin Klein among 83 brands potentially benefiting from Uyghur workers transferred out of Xinjiang to factories elsewhere in China; no specific Calvin Klein factory was identified (ASPI, 2020). Source
- PVH signed a binding agreement on gender-based violence in 2022 covering Eastman Exports in Dindigul, India, after the Worker Rights Consortium found pervasive harassment at its Natchi Apparel factory following a worker's murder in 2021; which PVH brands were made there is not stated (WRC, 2022). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Tommy Hilfiger / PVH Corporation - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: PVH scored 47/100 (average 31.5)
- PVH company profile (BHRRC) · search the archive · Fashion Checker found no public evidence of living wages; KnowTheChain 39/100 (2023); Mauritius migrant worker story
- Mauritius: Transparentem investigation prompts buyer remediation (BHRRC) · archived copy · Forced labour indicators at Mauritius garment suppliers incl. R.E.A.L. Garments (PVH); PVH committed to repay fees
- Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein owner to investigate labour abuse (Globe and Mail / Reuters) · archived copy · WRC found abuse, 12-cent hourly pay, unpaid overtime and pregnancy checks at PVH suppliers in Ethiopia; PVH to investigate
- PVH Corp. statement on forced labor and modern slavery, fiscal 2025 · search the archive · Fiscal 2025 (to Feb 2026): about 1,000 factories in about 40 countries; audits of all Level 1 and key Level 2 factories
- PVH Living Wage Strategy · search the archive · Targets key suppliers in two countries (2025) and four countries (2030) supporting collective bargaining for living wages
- Garment workers in Haiti compensated by Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein (Black Enterprise, 2023) · archived copy · Val d'Or, Haiti closed without severance; PVH paid about US$1 million to 1,100 workers after WRC involvement
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Calvin Klein ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/calvin-klein, 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 Calvin Klein.