Kmart Australia
Partly verifiedKmart Australia isn't doing enough to protect workers: workers in the countries clothing & footwear usually comes from, such as China and Bangladesh are very unlikely to earn a living wage, and unions and workers' rights are heavily restricted in the countries clothing & footwear usually comes from, such as China and Bangladesh. It does have some safeguards, as workers have a real say through committees or agreements.
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 3 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 1
- Does not pay a living wage
Where it's made: not disclosed
Showing where clothing & footwear products are usually made instead.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 30% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Vietnam 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India 10% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia 8% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cotton is linked to forced labour (Xinjiang, Turkmenistan) and child labour in several growing regions.
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
Kmart publishes a list of the final factories making its own-brand clothing and general merchandise, plus the yarn, fabric, dyeing and finishing sites behind its clothing, towels and bedding, and says every listed factory has had an independent audit in the past two years. It does not publish how much it makes in each country, though it names China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia among its higher-risk sourcing countries, and its 2025 audits found 164 serious breaches, mostly health and safety, excessive overtime, poor wage records and unauthorised subcontracting. It works on wages through the ACT collective bargaining initiative and admits workers in its sourcing countries do not yet earn a living wage, with no time-bound target.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Found | Scored 58 out of 100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, up from 56 in 2023. View ↗ |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Found | Scored 76% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, after ranking equal first in 2022. View ↗ |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Found | Parent company Wesfarmers scored 43.7 out of 100 on the World Benchmarking Alliance's 2026 human rights benchmark. View ↗ |
| KnowTheChain | Unclear | KnowTheChain lists Wesfarmers under Coles in its food benchmark; no separate Kmart score in the apparel benchmark was found. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Found | Covered by Wesfarmers' annual modern slavery statements, most recently for the year to June 2025. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Unclear | Kmart Australia has no known UK operations, and no UK registry entry was checked. View ↗ |
| Open Supply Hub | Found | Kmart says its factory list is published on Open Supply Hub. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Records the 2025 Federal Court action alleging Kmart's suppliers are linked to Uyghur forced labour. View ↗ |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Unclear | No US import ban naming Kmart Australia was found. 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.
- The Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association took Kmart to the Federal Court in August 2025, alleging that two clothing suppliers on its 2024 and 2025 factory lists have credible links to Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and that Kmart's ethical sourcing claims misled shoppers; Kmart denies the claims, and in February 2026 the case was at an early stage over access to documents (Choice, Ma Source ↗
Sources (12)
- Factory list – Kmart · archived copy · Lists all final factories for own-brand apparel and general merchandise plus processing facilities, updated every six months (latest November 2025); all listed final factories independently audited in
- Modern Slavery – Kmart · archived copy · Names Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand as higher-risk sourcing countries; approved audit required before onboarding plus random unannounced audits; tier 2
- Living wage & responsible purchasing – Kmart · archived copy · ACT member since 2015; acknowledges workers in Bangladesh, China, India and Indonesia do not currently earn a living wage; no time-bound target.
- Wesfarmers 2025 Modern Slavery Statement · archived copy · Kmart Group found 164 reportable breaches in 2025, mostly health and safety, excessive overtime, inaccurate wage records and unauthorised subcontracting; half in China; none assessed as modern slavery
- Kmart Group – Human rights and ethical sourcing FY2024 – Wesfarmers · archived copy · 1,146 tier 1 factories and 1,293 third-party audits; about 110,000 women in BSR HER programmes; May 2024 agreement with IndustriALL supporting collective bargaining in Cambodia.
- Kmart Group – Human rights and ethical sourcing FY2022 – Wesfarmers · archived copy · Equal first in the 2022 Fashion Transparency Index; open costing sheets and ACT purchasing practice commitments.
- Kmart Group continues to improve in Ethical Fashion Report – Wesfarmers · archived copy · Scored 56 and ranked equal 10th of 120 companies in the 2023 Ethical Fashion Report.
- Kmart Australia – Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · archived copy · Ethical Fashion Report 2024 score 58/100; Fashion Transparency Index 2023 score 76/100; Wesfarmers Human Rights Benchmark 2026 score 43.7/100.
- Kmart called out for links to forced labour – Choice · archived copy · AUTWA Federal Court action filed August 2025 over two Xinjiang-linked suppliers; Kmart denies the allegations.
- Kmart faces court over Australian Uyghur challenge – Maurice Blackburn · archived copy · February 2026 Federal Court hearing on AUTWA's application for documents from Kmart.
- Kmart defends ethical sourcing program amid Uyghur forced labour allegations – The Nightly · archived copy · Kmart's response to the August 2025 legal action.
- Australia: Lawsuit against Kmart alleges forced labour links – Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · archived copy · BHRRC records the 2025 lawsuit alleging forced labour links.
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.