Labour Lens

Matalan

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 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

British value retailer selling clothing and homewares.

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

See better basics options

Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Matalan? Send a right of reply.

Compare Matalan with another brand

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, 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

  • Checks its own supply chain. Matalan looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unsafe conditions in 2021 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 Vietnam.
  • Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
  • Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
  • 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 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

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

From Matalan's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. 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
BangladeshNo 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
PakistanNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh
Sri LankaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
United KingdomRegular violationsClose to a living wageLow
MyanmarNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageVery high
EgyptNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
MoroccoRegular violationsWell below a living wageLow
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Publishes supplier list
  • 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 Matalan publishes a list of over 400 Tier 1 and Tier 2 sites (July 2026) covering China, Bangladesh, India and other countries; the list includes homeware and packaging suppliers and gives no split of output. Factories hold SMETA or amfori BSCI audits, and independent auditors must visit at least every 12 months. It is a Better Cotton member and links to a Bangladesh Accord document, but has no living wage commitment, is not an ETI member and still sources from Myanmar.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedPublishes an annual UK modern slavery statement; the 2022 statement reports a Turkish fire safety case and a falsified audit report at a Turkish factory. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedCompany profile lists 12 response requests with an 84% response rate, covering factory closures and wage problems in Bangladesh and overtime and abuse reports in Myanmar. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)UnclearScored 11-20% in the 2021 Fashion Transparency Index; no score in the 2023 index is shown. 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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2021A 2021 audit of a Matalan supplier in Turkey found a new production building did not meet fire safety standards (Matalan modern slavery statement, 2022). 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.YesMatalan paused production until the fire safety problems were fixed and set a re-audit (2022 statement).

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.

  • Workers at Kseng Apparel in Myanmar, a factory linked to Matalan, reported forced daily overtime, sometimes until dawn, and wage cuts in 2024; Matalan responded to BHRRC (BHRRC, 2025). Source
  • Over 1,000 workers at Modiste CEPZ in Bangladesh staged sit-ins over unpaid wages in 2025; Matalan said its supplier used the factory until August 2024 and it was not told of the sit-in (BHRRC, 2025). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Matalan - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · 12 response requests, 84% response rate; Bangladesh and Myanmar stories
  2. Matalan Manufacturing Sites, July 2026 · search the archive · Factory list of Tier 1, 1P and 2 sites with country, SMETA or BSCI audit type; includes leather goods factories
  3. Matalan ethics rating (Good Shopping Guide) · search the archive · Better Cotton Initiative member; not an Ethical Trading Initiative member
  4. Matalan international delivery (Forward2Me) · search the archive · Matalan offers no international shipping; delivery is limited to UK addresses
  5. Revealed: Matalan lost over £100m as lenders took control (City AM) · search the archive · Lenders took control of Matalan from founder John Hargreaves in 2023

Published by Matalan or its owner

  1. Matalan: Ethical Supply Chain · search the archive · Audits based on the ETI Base Code; third-party auditors visit at least every 12 months; Sedex member; 12 critical issues in 800+ audits in 2021-22
  2. MATALAN RETAIL LTD. modern slavery statement summary (2022) · search the archive · 2021 Turkish fire safety finding, production paused; falsified audit report found in Turkey

Company details

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Matalan ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/matalan, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Better-graded basics

JoyyaClothing & footwearFair trade organic tees and bagsIts own factories in India hold WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Open supply chain; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities5 starsCitizen WolfClothing & footwearMade-to-measure tees and polosIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsPaisley's PatternsClothing & footwearKids, family and maternity clothingIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerified

See every basics brand

Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Matalan.

Send evidenceSend a right of reply