Cotton On Body

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

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Cotton On's brand of underwear, bras, sleepwear and activewear.

Cotton On Body 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: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) 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.

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 child or forced labour findings, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts against 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

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From Cotton On Group's supplier list, which covers Cotton On Body and its sister brands. Cotton On Body 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.

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
Indonesia	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Pakistan	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High
Australia	Strong protections	About 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
Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
Modern slavery statement
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 Cotton On Body's range is made by outside suppliers under Cotton On Group's sourcing programme; the group says most suppliers are in China and Bangladesh, with India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Australia also used, but gives no brand-level or country split. The group publishes a tier-one supplier list, signed the International Accord and reported 528 audits in FY2025, some of them SMETA. It ran a living wage gap analysis but sets no target or deadline. The group scored 40/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, down from 45 in 2024.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Listed	Owner Cotton On Group scored 40 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 45 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Listed	Cotton On Group scored 22% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Covered by Cotton On Group's annual modern slavery statements; the FY2025 statement names this brand among the group's eight brands. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Cotton On Group's profile covers the 2019 Xinjiang cotton exit and a forced labour story on Uyghur workers, with one response request answered. View

Confirmed issues 1

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?
2019	Link through a supplierCotton On Group, which owns this brand, stopped buying cotton from Xinjiang in October 2019 after an internal investigation that followed ABC Four Corners reporting linking its cotton to the region's forced labour system (ABC and Channel News, 2019). Source · search the archiveActed on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade.	YesCotton On Group stopped buying cotton from Xinjiang in 2019.

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.

Oxfam Australia's 2019 'Made in Poverty' report named Cotton On among Australian brands whose supply chains in Bangladesh and Vietnam rely on workers paid too little to meet basic needs; Cotton On said it takes workers' rights seriously and pointed to its ACT living wage membership (Oxfam, 2019). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Cotton On - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Cotton On Group scored 40/100 (average 31.5); Accord signatory; publishes tier-one supplier list
Cotton On, Target stop buying from Xinjiang, China - Channel News · search the archive · October 2019: Cotton On stopped sourcing Xinjiang cotton after internal investigation following ABC Four Corners report
New report claims Australian apparel is made in poverty - Just Style · search the archive · Oxfam 2019 report naming Cotton On and its response

Published by Cotton On Body or its owner

Cotton On Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Rubi and Cotton On Body among 8 group brands; most suppliers in China and Bangladesh; 528 audits, 285 non-critical findings
Cotton On Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 · search the archive · 100% of Tier 1 factories traced; 506 audits in FY24; living wage gap analysis across all factories; works with the Bangladesh Accord
Cotton On Group Commitment to Living Wages 2024 · search the archive · 2023 living wage gap analysis of 308 factories in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam; no living wage target or deadline
Cotton On Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Most suppliers in China and Bangladesh; also Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Australia; Tier 1 factories 100% traced

Company details

Owned by: Cotton On Group
Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Cotton On Body ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cotton-on-body, 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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