Kowtow
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Wellington label selling women's organic cotton clothing.
Kowtow makes its Fairtrade organic cotton womenswear in India and publishes its supplier list.
Also worth knowing
It's working towards a living wage through GOTS certification, which requires assessing and closing living wage gaps, but can't yet show workers are paid one.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 6 Good requirements.
- Working towards a living wage. That's enough for On Track, but Good needs proof that workers are paid one.
- Its red flag, no proof yet of a living wage, is allowed for On Track because it's working towards one.
Good requirements 5 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No proof yet that it pays a living wage (it's working towards one)
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 3
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Kowtow's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Dresses & skirts, Shirts, T-shirts, Pants & trousers, Knitwear, Jackets & coats, Sleepwear & loungewear: On Track, the same as Kowtow overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Kowtow's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Traces high-risk raw materials to the mine or farm and fixes problems found
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton.
Research notes Kowtow publishes its full supply chain: cotton grown by Fairtrade organic farmer groups in India, spun, dyed and woven at named Indian mills, and sewn by three Fairtrade-audited garment factories in India (Purecotz in Gujarat and two Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills sites); only trims come from elsewhere. Its clothing is Fairtrade and GOTS certified and the company is a B Corp. It publishes no wage data and no living wage commitment of its own, and the last listed Fairtrade audit dates for its factories are 2021-2022.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Certified B Corp since May 2022; latest B Impact Score 101.3 (2024), with Workers 19.0 and Community 38.5. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Fairtrade certified since 2006; paid $12,482 in Fairtrade Premium to Indian cotton farmer groups in 2024, and its garment makers carry Fairtrade audits. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded A+ in the 2019 Ethical Fashion Report; not included in the 2024 or 2026 reports. 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 December 2023 a worker at a Rajlakshmi garment factory in Greater Noida, India, died after alleged harassment by a supervisor, sparking a protest; police said she appeared to have had a heart attack and the company denied any link (The Mooknayak, 2023). Kowtow lists a Rajlakshmi factory in Noida, but it is not confirmed to be the same site. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Kowtow Clothing Ltd - B Corp directory · search the archive · Certified B Corp since May 2022; Workers 19.0, Community 38.5; HQ Wellington, New Zealand
- Kowtow - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · A+ in 2019 Ethical Fashion Report; B Impact Score 101.3 (2024); Fairtrade organic cotton; GOTS
- Indian sewing factory gets first Fairtrade certification (Just Style) · search the archive · Purecotz first sewing factory certified to Fairtrade Textile Standard (2020), committed to living wages within six years
- Kowtow supply chain map · search the archive · Names Indian cotton farms, mills and 3 garment factories (Purecotz, Rajlakshmi Kolkata and Noida) with worker numbers and last Fairtrade audit dates
- Female worker's death sparks outcry at garments company in Greater Noida (The Mooknayak) · search the archive · Dec 2023 worker death and protest at Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills, Greater Noida; company denied link to harassment
Published by Kowtow or its owner
- Kowtow - transparent manufacturing · search the archive · Fairtrade certified since 2006; GOTS certified; made in India with partner Purecotz; SA8000-accredited suppliers
- Growing better together: Kowtow and Fairtrade · search the archive · Cotton from Indian smallholder groups incl. Chetna Organic; $12,482 Fairtrade Premium paid in 2024
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kowtow ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kowtow, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded basics
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kowtow.