Lindex
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Swedish fashion chain selling women's clothing, lingerie and kidswear.
There's no proof Lindex pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
Better-graded kids and baby
Graded higher than Lindex, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Lindex? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 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: the most serious problem on its record (unpaid or underpaid wages, 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. Lindex looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 3 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 Türkiye.
- 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 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
China has the largest share, 33%. Bangladesh is next, at 21%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 33% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 21% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| India | 11% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Vietnam | 6% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | 5% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Morocco | 5% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Sri Lanka | 4% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- 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.
Research notes Lindex owns no factories and buys from 90 tier 1 suppliers at 131 factories (2025), mostly in China, Bangladesh, Turkey and India, and publishes its factory list on Open Supply Hub. Nearly all factories had SMETA audits; it is an Ethical Trading Initiative member and Accord signatory in Bangladesh and Pakistan. It reports living wage gaps in Bangladesh, widespread overtime and few unions, but its living wage targets are not yet set. Cotton is to be traceable through certification by 2026, with no current shares given. Shares are counted from listed factories; one factory is in Pakistan.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Lists Lindex's 2019 response to a story on Myanmar labour activists charged over a garment factory strike. 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 | Lindex's 2025 human rights report says 19 worker complaints in Bangladesh and 9 in Turkey about wages and benefits, working conditions and harassment were substantiated, and its audits logged 40 critical non-compliances (Lindex, 2025). Source · archived copyFound 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. | PartlyLindex reports most substantiated complaints as remediated through the Bangladesh RSC and Turkey's MUDEM helplines; some Turkish cases were still open. |
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 2019 labour leaders in Myanmar were charged over a garment factory strike; Lindex told the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre that workers at a supplier had protested over poor conditions including water and sanitation and that the issue was resolved (BHRRC, 2019). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Lindex's response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 2019 response on Myanmar factory strike and worker protest over conditions
- Lindex company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · Lists Lindex in a Bangladesh Accord story on brands failing to complete required safety fixes, and a Myanmar garment strike story; 100% response rate
- Lindex, WaterAid support Bangladeshi workers (Ecotextile News) · May 2021: Lindex extends WaterAid water and sanitation work for mainly female garment workers from Mirpur to Gazipur, Dhaka
- ASOS Australia - Lindex lingerie thong · search the archive · Lindex products sold to Australia through ASOS Australia
Published by Lindex or its owner
- Lindex human rights report 2025 · archived copy · 90 tier 1 suppliers, 131 factories by country; SMETA audits at 128 sites; Accord; ETI; substantiated worker complaints; living wage gaps; cotton targets
- Lindex - Manufacturing factories · search the archive · No own factories; list of all active manufacturing factories published on Open Supply Hub and updated monthly
- Lindex - Our organisation · search the archive · About 4,300 employees; production offices in Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India and Turkey; wholly owned by Lindex Group plc
Company details
- Owned by
- Lindex Group plc
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Employees
- About 4,300
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lindex ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lindex, last researched 23 October 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 Lindex.