Labour Lens

Free People

Lacks transparency

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

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources

Philadelphia womenswear label selling bohemian-style clothing.

Free People can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 2 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, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
  • 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 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 or links
  • Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
  • Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) 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

Where it's made

These are its parent group's countries across all its brands; Free People doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
BangladeshUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
VietnamSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
CambodiaNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
TürkiyeNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
IndonesiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PakistanNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh
EgyptNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Sri LankaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
PhilippinesNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
United StatesSystematic violationsBelow a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • 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.
  • Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Free People's clothing is made by independent suppliers under URBN's sourcing programme. URBN names India, Vietnam, China, Turkey, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, Pakistan, Egypt and Sri Lanka among its key sourcing countries but gives no shares and publishes no factory list, so no country shares are shown. URBN reviews annual third-party social audits for vendors making over 85% of own-brand volume and bans Xinjiang sourcing, but reports no audit findings, no wage data and no living wage commitment. Free People reports some certified viscose and a jean with 40% responsible cotton, but no brand-level supplier data.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)ListedURBN scored 32.5 out of 250 (13%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, down from 50.5 in 2020. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedURBN's modern slavery statement (May 2026, FY2026) names some key sourcing countries and says audited vendors make over 85% of own-brand volume, but gives no shares, factory list or wage data. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedURBN profile records two response requests (Xinjiang forced labour commitments; Mauritius factory layoffs) with a 0% response rate. View
US Department of Labor goods listsListedGarments from China, India and Vietnam, all key URBN sourcing countries, are on the US Department of Labor list of goods made with child or forced labour. View

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 late January 2025 about 240 workers at a Star Knitwear Group garment factory in Mauritius, which the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre linked to URBN, were laid off without warning amid worries over severance pay; URBN did not respond to a request for comment (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Urban Outfitters - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI scores 2019-2023 (32.5/250 in 2023); two response requests, 0% response rate; no evidence of living wages
  2. URBN's non-response to layoffs at Star Knitwear Group factory (BHRRC) · search the archive · March 2025: URBN did not respond about sudden layoffs of about 240 workers in Mauritius

Published by Free People or its owner

  1. URBN Modern Slavery Statement FY2026 (May 2026) · search the archive · Some key sourcing countries named without shares; audits of 200+ vendors covering 85%+ of own-brand volume; Xinjiang ban; no living wage
  2. 2025 URBN Impact Scorecard · search the archive · Group: 60% of direct-sourced cotton responsibly sourced; Free People: Lenzing/Birla viscose, 40%+ responsible cotton jean; no leather data

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Free People ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/free-people, 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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