Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
British retailer selling own-brand clothing and homeware.
Next can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded kids and baby
Graded higher than Next, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Nothing new in kids and baby that we know makes shoes is better than Lacks transparency yet. Paisley's Patterns and Imagewear are Good, but we don't know that they make shoes. 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 Next? Send a right of reply.
Compare Next 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 unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced and child labour, 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. Next looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced and child labour in 2025, forced and child labour in 2022, forced labour in 2025 and unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 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 rights91% of its products are made in countries such as Bangladesh and China, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not 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 child and forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Next'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.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 34% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 29% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 13% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Pakistan | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Sri Lanka | 4% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 4% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Myanmar | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Very high |
| United Kingdom | 1% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- 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 Next's products are made by independent suppliers, mainly in Bangladesh, China and India, and it publishes its factory list. Its 2026 statement reports 728 Tier 1 suppliers in 33 countries and 2,708 audits by its own team, almost all unannounced, and openly lists the abuses found, including child labour, recruitment fees and wage retention. It signs the International Accord and takes part in ACT, the industry living wage initiative, but has published no living wage target or evidence that wages meet one. It still sources from 14 factories in Myanmar.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Scored 49 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above the 31.5 average (46 in 2024). View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 36% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Publishes an annual UK modern slavery statement; the 2026 statement covers 728 Tier 1 suppliers in 33 countries and 2,708 audits, 99% unannounced. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists 22 response requests with a 91% response rate, covering stories in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Turkey. View |
Confirmed issues 4
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 | Next's own audits found a case of child labour at a factory in China; the supplier would not remediate it (Next Modern Slavery Transparency Statement, 2026). 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. | PartlyThe supplier refused to take part in remediation and Next removed the factory from its supply base (2026 statement). |
| 2025 | Nepali migrant workers at a supplier factory in Turkey had paid recruitment fees to agents (Next Modern Slavery Transparency Statement, 2026). 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. | YesThe factory reimbursed 34 workers, and Next's audit team checked the repayments (2026 statement). |
| 2025 | Next's audits in 2025-26 found 42 modern slavery risk cases, including wages being held back from workers at 11 factories, plus four cases in India of restricted movement or toilet use (Next statement, 2026). 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. | PartlyOf 42 modern slavery risk cases, 9 factories were remediated, 12 have plans and 21 were dropped, 11 of them over wage retention (2026 statement). |
| 2022 | Next reports a historic case of child labour at a supplier factory in Myanmar, which it has been remediating since 2022 (Next Modern Slavery Transparency Statement, 2026). 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. | YesThe consultancy Impactt has supported remediation of the case since 2022 (Next 2026 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.
- After Next closed its own unionised factory in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, in May 2025, cutting 1,416 jobs, the union said it broke its collective agreement and stopped pay to 16 workers contesting the closure; a Labour Commissioner found a case to answer (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2025). Source
- The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has repeatedly asked Next to respond to reported abuses of workers at Myanmar garment factories since the 2021 military coup; Next continues to source from 14 factories there (BHRRC, 2023-2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Next - Shop Ethical! (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 score 49/100 (average 31.5); FTI 2023 36%; Accord and Pakistan Accord signatory; still sourcing from Myanmar
- NEXT escalates union activity in Sri Lanka following closure of own factory (Clean Clothes Campaign) · search the archive · Katunayake factory closed May 2025, 1,416 jobs lost; pay stopped to 16 workers; Labour Commissioner found a prima facie case
- Next - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · 22 response requests, 91% response rate; Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Turkey stories
- Next's response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories, Nov 2023 update (BHRRC) · search the archive · BHRRC sought Next's responses to reported abuses at Myanmar garment factories in 2023-2024
- NEXT PLC modern slavery statement summary 2026 (UK registry) · search the archive · Priority risks: unauthorised subcontracting in India, forced labour in China, child labour in China and Myanmar; recruitment fee repayment
Published by Next or its owner
- NEXT plc Modern Slavery Transparency Statement 2026 · search the archive · 728 Tier 1 suppliers, 33 countries, shares by country; child labour, recruitment fee and wage retention cases; Myanmar, Accord, ACT
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Next ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/next, 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 Next.