Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
H&M Group label selling minimalist women's and men's clothing.
In 2023, a rights group tracked 20 cases of abuse at H&M Group suppliers in Myanmar, including wage theft and forced overtime.
Also worth knowing
COS has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, forced or child labour and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. 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: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023.
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 rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023
- 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 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
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, 33%. Türkiye is next, at 21%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 33% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 21% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Portugal | 14% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Vietnam | 6% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | 4% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Romania | 3% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Poland | 1% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Spain | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Morocco | 1% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Tunisia | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- 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 COS publishes its own supplier list (February 2026): 124 production units in 12 countries, led by China (42), Türkiye (26) and Portugal (17); about 40% of suppliers are in Europe. Over 85,000 people work for its manufacturing suppliers. COS asks suppliers for statutory wages, not a living wage, and Good On You rates its labour record 'Not Good Enough', citing no verified wage progress and almost no labour certification. H&M Group policies apply: IndustriALL union agreements, the International Accord and third-party verified factory assessments. The problems listed are H&M Group cases; none of the reports names COS itself.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner H&M Group scored 48 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 57 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | COS scored 71-80% in the Fashion Transparency Index, according to Good On You's 2023 rating. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by the H&M Group 2025 modern slavery statement, which includes its Australian entity. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by the H&M Group 2025 modern slavery statement for its UK entities. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records 20 cases of abuse at H&M Group suppliers in Myanmar (2022-23) and the group's responses. View |
Confirmed issues 4
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 | H&M Group's 2025 modern slavery statement reports 10 cases of workers paying recruitment fees at suppliers in 2025 and 8 in 2024, mostly small fees for medical checks or notary costs.Found by the company, fix not shown The company found and published this itself but hasn't shown it is fixing it, so it counts against the grade. | Not known |
| 2023 | Of 156 cases of abuse at Myanmar garment factories tracked by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre in 2022-23, 20 were at H&M Group suppliers, including wage theft, unfair dismissal and forced overtime (Al Jazeera, 2023; BHRRC, 2024). Source · search the archive | PartlyH&M Group investigated, said all but one case was resolved and announced a phase-out of sourcing from Myanmar in 2023. |
| 2021 | In 2021 Jeyasre Kathiravel, a worker at H&M Group supplier Natchi Apparel in Dindigul, India, was murdered after reported sexual harassment by her supervisor (British Safety Council India, 2022). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesH&M Group signed the binding Dindigul Agreement on gender-based violence with unions and the supplier in 2022. |
| 2019 | H&M Group's 2013 pledge of a fair living wage for 850,000 supply chain workers by 2018 was not met, and the Clean Clothes Campaign found no evidence any worker was paid one (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2019). Source · archived copy | NoNo living wage has been shown across the group's supply chain, and COS asks suppliers only for statutory wages. |
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 Clean Clothes Campaign reported wage theft, higher production targets and harassment at H&M Group suppliers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia during the pandemic; H&M said workers were paid according to local law (BHRRC, 2021). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- How ethical is COS? (Good On You) · search the archive · Labour rated 'Not Good Enough' (Dec 2023); FTI 71-80%; almost no labour certification; no evidence of wage progress
- H&M (Good Shopping Guide Australia) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: H&M Group scored 48/100 (average 31.5)
- H&M's response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories, Feb 2024 update (BHRRC) · search the archive · 20 cases at Myanmar suppliers; all but one reported resolved; Myanmar phase-out
- Not a single worker is making a living wage yet H&M claims to have done an amazing job (Clean Clothes Campaign) · archived copy · H&M Group's 2018 living wage commitment was not met
- H&M Group and Indian clothing company pledge to prevent sexual harassment (British Safety Council India) · search the archive · Jeyasre Kathiravel case at Natchi Apparel and the 2022 Dindigul Agreement
Published by COS or its owner
- Our suppliers (COS) · search the archive · Supplier list Feb 2026: 124 production units, CN 42, TR 26, PT 17, IN 11, VN 8, BD 7, IT 5, RO 4; 85,000+ workers; statutory wages
- H&M Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Covers UK and Australian entities; third-party verified factory assessments; recruitment fee cases in 2024 and 2025
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is COS ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cos, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent COS.