Midas
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Australian women's footwear label selling leather shoes and boots.
Midas's parent, Munro Footwear Group, scored 19/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and we couldn't confirm where it makes most of its women's European-style fashion shoes.
Also worth knowing
Most clothes and shoes are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where pay is usually below a living wage and unions are heavily restricted.
Better-graded footwear
Graded higher than Midas, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Midas? Send a right of reply.
Compare Midas with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 19/100 in 2026, for the company it's rated with). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2021) 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. Midas looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2021, a labour rights breach in 2023 and unpaid or underpaid wages in 2024 and is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 clothes and shoes are usually 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
- 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 and leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 19/100 (2026, the company it's rated with)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Midas makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
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.
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Midas does not say where its shoes are made. Its owner, Munro Footwear Group, does not publish a supplier list; it names its main factory countries as Turkey, China, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Australia, without saying which make Midas. The group requires factory audits at onboarding and every two years, and its own statements report problems found at suppliers. It has no living wage commitment, and its Ethical Fashion Report score fell from 37/100 in 2024 to 19/100 in 2026 (average 31.5). Leather is its main material; 53% came from Leather Working Group-rated tanneries in 2025.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Owner Munro Footwear Group scored 19 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 37 in 2024. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Munro Footwear Group's annual modern slavery statement; the FY25 statement lists 55 manufacturing partners in 15 countries with 93 final assembly factories. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A site audit and an independent legal review found workers at an Indonesian supplier factory were underpaid, as reported in Munro Footwear Group's FY24 modern slavery statement (MFG, 2024). 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. | PartlyMFG hired a legal expert and set a fix plan; later audits found the underpayment resolved going forward, but no back pay to workers was reported. |
| 2023 | An audit found unregistered Syrian migrant workers at a Turkish supplier factory, as reported in Munro Footwear Group's FY23 modern slavery statement (MFG, 2023). 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. | PartlyA follow-up check found the workers were paid correctly; the registration problem was still being fixed at the end of the reporting year. |
| 2021 | Link through a supplierMunro Footwear Group's 2021 modern slavery statement reports that a supplier factory disclosed it had used slave labour; the country, timing and which labels it made were not stated (MFG, 2021). 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. | PartlyMFG kept working with the factory on corrective action while reducing its orders, and sent another supplier for a deep-dive review and site audit. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Munro Footwear Group - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Munro Footwear Group scored 19/100 (average 31.5); overall C-; Good On You 2/5
- About Midas · search the archive · European-inspired women's fashion footwear in leather; founded 1976 as Snobb; no country of manufacture given
Published by Midas or its owner
- Munro Footwear Group FY25 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · 55 partners, 93 factories in 15 countries; main factories in Turkey, China, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Australia; 53% leather from LWG tanneries
- Munro Footwear Group FY24 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · Underpayment found at an Indonesian factory and resolved going forward; 60 site audits; no living wage commitment
- Munro Footwear Group FY23 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · Unregistered Syrian migrant workers found at a Turkish factory; remediation in progress; no supplier list published
- Munro Footwear Group FY21 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · A supplier factory disclosed past use of slave labour; MFG worked on corrective action; overtime found at an exclusive factory
- Our heritage - Munro Footwear Group · search the archive · Munro acquired Midas, with Mollini, in 2010
Company details
- Owned by
- Munro Footwear Group
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Midas ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/midas, last researched 2 November 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 Midas.