Ottie Merino
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources
Small Melbourne brand selling merino tees and thermals.
Ottie Merino makes its merino tees and thermals in Australia, and carries the Australian Made label.
Also worth knowing
Ethical Clothing Australia checks that every worker in its Australian supply chain is paid award wages and entitlements.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Ottie Merino? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | Not earned | |
| Open supply chain | Not earned | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities | Not earned |
3 stars for the first way it goes above and beyond, and one more for each further way, up to 6. About stars
Good requirements 6 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: award wages independently checked (Ethical Clothing Australia)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 listFully certified by Ethical Clothing Australia, which holds and audits the list of workshops. Ottie Merino doesn't publish its own.
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 2
- Ethical Clothing AustraliaCounts as proof of a living wage for products made in Australia, because it checks workers get the legal pay rates for their job, and in Australia those are about a living wage.
- Australian MadeCounts as made in Australia for the final stage. For Good, the brand also needs to show where its materials and parts are made.
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Ottie Merino's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
T-shirts, Underwear, Knitwear: Good, the same as Ottie Merino overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Ottie Merino is fully certified by Ethical Clothing Australia, which holds and audits its list of workshops.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
Research notes Ottie says every garment is knitted, dyed, cut and sewn in Melbourne, and Ethical Clothing Australia lists 100% of its products as Australian made and accredited, meaning its local makers are checked for award wages and entitlements. Its range is almost all merino wool, and its socks are made in Melbourne by Humphrey Law, itself an ECA-accredited maker. The Australian merino wool is spun into yarn overseas in an undisclosed country, and the brand does not name its Melbourne garment manufacturer.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Listed in the current Ethical Clothing Australia directory, with 100% of products made in Australia and accredited. View |
| Fair Wear | Not covered | No indication of Fair Wear membership; not expected for an Australian-made brand. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No indication of B Corp certification. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Ottie Merino were found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Ottie Merino · search the archive · Listed in ECA's current directory; 100% of products made in Australia and accredited; tees, underwear, thermals and socks.
- Farm Weekly: Merino suits market to a T · search the archive · Co-founders Paul Goodsell and Richard Dobek; launched July 2020; wool processed and spun overseas, then dyed and knitted in Melbourne.
Published by Ottie Merino or its owner
- Ottie Merino: Australian Made · search the archive · Knitted on circular machines, dyed, cut and sewn in Melbourne; no named factory; ECA accredited; Australian Made licence; RWS-certified wool.
- Ottie Merino home page · search the archive · Merino tees (100% superfine Australian merino), thermals, leggings and socks; socks made in Melbourne by Humphrey Law.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ottie Merino ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ottie-merino, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Good 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 Ottie Merino.