Quiksilver
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Torquay-founded surf brand selling boardshorts and wetsuits.
Quiksilver's parent, Authentic Brands Group, scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Quiksilver? Send a right of reply.
Compare Quiksilver with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 3/100 in 2026, for the company it's rated with). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, 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.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- 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
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 3/100 (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
These are Authentic Brands Group's countries across all its brands; Quiksilver doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Quiksilver has been owned by Authentic Brands Group since 2023; since May 2025 its Australian and New Zealand range has been run under licence by Caprice Australia through its BR South Pacific division. No factory list or country breakdown is published for Quiksilver; Caprice says most of its 182 supplier factories are in China, with a few in India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh, but does not say which make Quiksilver. Boardriders scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, has no living wage commitment and was criticised in 2025 for not signing the International Accord.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Boardriders Inc, the Authentic Brands company Quiksilver is listed under, scored 3 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 5 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Boardriders Inc scored 6% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, showing very little public supply chain information. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Quiksilver Australia Pty Ltd filed a statement for Nov 2023 to Dec 2024; it names no sourcing countries or factories and reports no modern slavery cases. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Caprice Australia, Australian licensee since May 2025, had 182 supplier factories, mostly in China, in its FY2026 statement (approved Oct 2026); it does not name Quiksilver or say which factories make it. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records a 2023 worker report from a Myanmar backpack factory said to make Quiksilver and Roxy products. View |
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 CLOTHO Yangon, a Myanmar backpack factory said to supply Quiksilver and Roxy, reported pay docked for approved leave, denial of permanent contracts and statutory holidays, and harsh supervision; no brand response was published (Myanmar Labour News via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023). Source
- A 2012 SOMO and ICN report on South Indian textile mills found bonded-labour-like schemes for young women workers; Shop Ethical records that the company sourced from one of the four factories studied and did not respond (SOMO, 2012). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Boardriders Inc - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Formerly Quiksilver Inc; owned by Authentic since 2023; EFR 2024 5/100; FTI 2023 6%; SOMO 2012 India finding; CCC 2025 Accord criticism
- Billabong - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Boardriders Inc scored 3/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5, highest 94)
- Myanmar: workers at factory allegedly supplying Roxy, Quiksilver and Herschel report violations (BHRRC) · search the archive · April 2023 worker report on CLOTHO Yangon: pay deductions, daily-wage recall, no statutory holidays; no brand response shown
- Ethical Fashion Guide 2026 (Baptist World Aid) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Quiksilver listed under Boardriders with 3/100, from public information only
- New Quiksilver, Billabong licensee in Australia details go-forward plan (Shop Eat Surf) · search the archive · Caprice Australia named ANZ licensee April 2025, running the brands as BR South Pacific after Liberated Brands' bankruptcy
Published by Quiksilver or its owner
- Caprice Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2026 · search the archive · FY2026: 182 supplier factories, mostly China, a few in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh; 99.1% audited; no living wage commitment
- Quiksilver Australia Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2023-24 · search the archive · No sourcing countries or factory list disclosed; no modern slavery cases reported in the period
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Quiksilver ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/quiksilver, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded swimwear and surf
No swimwear and surf brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Quiksilver.