Nudie Jeans
VerifiedNudie Jeans is working towards a living wage through its Fair Wear membership, which requires a living wage plan, with no serious warning signs. It just can't yet prove workers earn one.
Last researched 8 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 4 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 2 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia 59% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy 27% | Strong protections | Slightly below a living wage | Low |
| Portugal 6% | Strong protections | Below a living wage | Low |
| India 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
| Poland 2% | Some protections | Slightly below a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cotton is linked to forced labour (Xinjiang, Turkmenistan) and child labour in several growing regions. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Fair Wear member: Independent factory audits, worker complaints helpline and a living wage roadmap.
- GOTS organic: Organic textile standard with social criteria; audits are announced and living wage is not required.
- Publishes supplier list
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Public plan to pay a living wage within 5 years, or with measurable steps due within 5 years
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
Nudie Jeans has been a Fair Wear member since 2009 and was rated a Leader for 2024 and 2025, and it publishes its production sites. Most production by volume is in Tunisia and Italy, with smaller shares in Portugal, India, Poland and Türkiye. It pays a share of living wage costs on top of order prices at selected suppliers, including its main Indian suppliers, and aims to cover all priority suppliers by 2030, but wage gaps and some minimum wage and overtime problems remain open. Free repairs for its jeans and a second-hand Re-use range extend product life, though most sales are still new garments.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Wear | Found | Fair Wear member since 2009, rated Leader for 2024 and 2025 with a benchmark score of 91. View ↗ |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Found | Scored 53/100, in the top 20% of brands, in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report. View ↗ |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Unclear | No Fashion Transparency Index score is published for Nudie Jeans; the index covers only large brands. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Cotton from India and Türkiye, two of its sourcing countries, is listed for child labour. View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fair Wear's 2026 Brand Performance Check recorded nine legal minimum wage findings at Nudie Jeans suppliers in 2025, including incorrect minimum wage calculations at an Indian supplier and unpaid back wages for some contracted workers. | Partly Corrected wage calculations and checked wage records at the Indian supplier, but could not show that all workers owed money were back-paid. |
| 2025 | Fair Wear's 2026 Brand Performance Check recorded four excessive overtime findings in 2025, including security staff at an Indian supplier working over 60 hours a week without a weekly day off, with three still unresolved. | Partly An Indian supplier replaced its security contractor and introduced weekly rest days, but follow-up checks found excessive hours continued. |
Sources (9)
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Nudie Jeans Co 2026 · archived copy · Leader category, score 91; 2025 production volume by country (Tunisia 58.6%, Italy 26.8%, Portugal 5.9%, India 5.0%, Poland 1.8%, Türkiye 1.6%); living wage share paid at suppliers covering 86% of vol
- Fair Wear: Nudie Jeans brand page · archived copy · Member since 2009; Leader for financial years 2024 and 2025
- Nudie Jeans: Living wages and social impact · archived copy · Pays its share of living wages at suppliers in India and Türkiye, covering all main Indian suppliers since 2024, with Fair Wear verifying payments reach workers
- Good On You / Ethical.org.au: Nudie Jeans · archived copy · Scored 53/100 (top 20%) in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report; 100% organic cotton (GOTS); aligned with the Transparency Pledge on publishing manufacturing sites
- Nudie Jeans: Ethical Fashion Report 2022 · archived copy · Top ten in the 2022 Ethical Fashion Report; A- grade in 2021
- EU Transition Pathways: Nudie Jeans repair and reuse services · archived copy · Free repairs at 33 repair shops; 68,342 pairs repaired and 3,513 Re-use pairs sold in 2024
- Wikipedia: Nudie Jeans · archived copy · Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden; owned by Svenska Jeans Holding AB; 199 employees (2021)
- US Department of Labor: List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (2024) · archived copy · Cotton from India and Türkiye listed for child labour; hybrid cottonseed from India for child and forced labour
- Fair Wear factory guide: complaint reports · archived copy · Earlier complaints at Indian, Turkish and Bangladeshi suppliers handled through Fair Wear around 2016
Last researched 8 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.