Country Road
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Melbourne fashion and lifestyle brand selling clothing and homewares.
There's no proof Country Road pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Better-graded basics
Graded higher than Country Road, selling the same kinds of things.
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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 (unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2025) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
- 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. Country Road looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unsafe conditions in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 rights96% 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 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 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
China has the largest share, 87%. Bangladesh is next, at 4%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 87% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 2% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Australia | 2% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| India | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Thailand | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- 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 Country Road is made by independent suppliers shared with its sister brands: in FY25 Country Road Group used 203 factories in 13 countries, with 87% of units made in China and small shares from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India and Thailand. The group has signed the International Accord, has published a factory list, but its score in the Ethical Fashion Report fell from 50/100 in 2024 to 30/100 in 2026; it endorses the Anker living wage method but has published no evidence that workers are paid a living wage. Some Country Road ranges use Australian cotton and wool traced to the farm with Oritain, but these are selected lines, not most products.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Ethical Fashion Report 2026: Country Road Group scored 30/100, down from 50/100 in 2024. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Country Road Group files a joint modern slavery statement on the Australian register (FY25 statement approved December 2025) covering Country Road and Witchery. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Country Road Group's FY25 modern slavery statement reports that a supplier secretly used an unapproved informal workshop to make group products, with hazardous casting and moulding work, poor fire protection and a childcare area too close to dangerous equipment; the statement does not say which label, including Country Road, the goods were for (Country Road Group, 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. | PartlyCountry Road Group issued the supplier a formal notice and moved production to an audited factory; no remedy for the workshop's workers was 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.
- In 2021 the United Workers Union said Country Road Group paid mostly female staff at its Truganina warehouse in Melbourne, which ships Country Road and Witchery goods, well below nearby male-dominated warehouses and kept about half on insecure contracts; after a strike of almost two weeks the workers won a 13.3% pay rise over four years and union recognition (The Conversation, 2021). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Shop Ethical: Witchery / Country Road Group · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Country Road Group 30/100; Oxfam tracker credits a published tier-one supplier list
- Country Road Group uncovers hidden subcontractor workshop · search the archive · Details of unapproved workshop found during a routine factory visit and the group's response
- Woolworths posts R84.5bn turnover and sharpens food focus · search the archive · September 2026: Woolworths Holdings still owns Country Road Group; strategic review of wider portfolio under way
Published by Country Road or its owner
- Country Road Group Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · FY25: 203 factories in 13 countries; units China 87%, Bangladesh 4%, Indonesia 3%, Vietnam 2%, Australia 2%, India 1%, Thailand 1%
- Country Road Group Modern Slavery Statement FY24 · search the archive · 218 factories in 14 countries; factory list published on website; 30 critical non-conformances
- Country Road: Supply chain · search the archive · Factory list link, Accord signatory, endorses Anker living wage methodology
- Country Road: Cotton · search the archive · Australian, organic and recycled cotton in selected ranges; Oritain-verified ranges; Better Cotton member
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 2,500
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Country Road ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/country-road, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Country Road.