Canterbury
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
New Zealand rugby and sportswear brand selling team kits and training wear.
Canterbury's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2025, which it has only partly acted on, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2025) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Canterbury looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: a forced labour link in 2025. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 1 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
- 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 3
- 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
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Pentland Brands' supplier list, which covers Canterbury and its sister brands. Canterbury 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 |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well 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 |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Canterbury products are made by independent suppliers in Pentland Brands' shared supply chain of 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations, including Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand; Pentland co-owns three factories (two in Sri Lanka, one in Vietnam). Pentland publishes a combined tier 1 factory list, is a founding member of ACT (living wage bargaining) and the Ethical Trading Initiative, and backed Cambodia's first brand-supported collective agreement, but it has no dated living wage target and no brand-level breakdown for Canterbury. Canterbury scored 39/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Canterbury of New Zealand scored 39 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), up from 32 in 2024. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by Pentland Brands' annual modern slavery report; the 2025 report lists 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations and 12 zero-tolerance audit findings, all reported resolved. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Pentland Brands profile (reviewed August 2026): global framework agreement with a union, Transparency Pledge aligned, no allegations listed, no public evidence of living wages paid by suppliers. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Link through a supplierAfter an NGO raised concerns, Pentland Brands confirmed that foreign workers at a nominated fabric mill group in Taiwan, with about 700 foreign contract workers, may have paid fees to get their jobs (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archive | PartlyPentland joined collective action with other brands; refunds of brokerage fees to workers are expected by December 2026. |
| 2025 | A Pentland-commissioned NGO investigation in late 2025 found that Myanmar migrant workers at several Thai supplier factories had paid substantial work permit fees (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyFactories were told to pay visa and work permit fees under an 'employer pays' rule; follow-up monitoring is ongoing. |
| 2025 | Two complaints lodged through the ACT grievance mechanism in 2025 concerned the unfair dismissal of union workers at Pentland supplier factories in Cambodia (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesWorkers who wished to return were rehired and a union organising election was later held. |
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.
- A 2012 Saturday Age investigation found Canterbury rugby balls being stitched by children in homes around Jalandhar, India, in breach of Canterbury's no-subcontracting rule; Canterbury promised an investigation (Canberra Times, 2012). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Canterbury NZ - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 score 39/100 (average 31.5); owned 100% by Pentland Group
- Pentland Brands - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · Global framework agreement; Transparency Pledge; no allegations listed; no public evidence of living wage payment (reviewed Aug 2026)
- Stitching up child workers (Canberra Times) · search the archive · 2012 report of children stitching Canterbury balls in Jalandhar, India
Published by Canterbury or its owner
- Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report 2025 · search the archive · 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations; co-owned factories in Sri Lanka (2) and Vietnam (1); Taiwan fee case; Thai permit fees; Cambodia dismissals
- Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report 2024 · search the archive · Canterbury covered; ETI and ACT founding member; IndustriALL Cambodia agreement; tier 1 list published and on Open Supply Hub
- Pentland Brands - Reports, Standards and Resources · search the archive · Publishes a combined tier 1 supplier factory list (December 2025)
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Canterbury ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/canterbury, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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