River Island

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Family-controlled British high-street fashion retailer.

River Island 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.

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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 2024) has been put right.
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.

How grades are decided

Checks its own supply chain. River Island looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced and child labour in 2024 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 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 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

Stars it would earn as Good:
Star	Awarded for
	Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From River Island'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.

Where it's made, and conditions there
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
India	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
Türkiye	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Morocco	Regular violations	Well below a living wage	Low
VietnamUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
CambodiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PakistanUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Publishes supplier list
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 River Island uses 215 independent suppliers running 395 factories in 25 countries; China, Turkey, Bangladesh, India and Morocco make 78.6% of the range, but no shares by country are given. It publishes its factory list twice a year (also on Open Supply Hub), is a long-standing Ethical Trading Initiative member, and works with GoodWeave on subcontracting in Bangladesh. It reports and fixes cases found by its own audits, but makes no living wage commitment and discloses little on cotton or leather sourcing.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Listed	Scored 28 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), from public information only; River Island did not complete the survey. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	Files annual UK modern slavery statements; the 2024 statement covers 215 suppliers and 395 factories in 25 countries and reports forced labour indicators remedied, including repaid recruitment fees. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Company profile lists Bangladesh and Türkiye factory closure and unpaid-wage stories with five response requests, all answered; River Island denied links to some of the factories. View

Confirmed issues 2

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	River Island's own 2024 modern slavery statement reports a 15-year-old, the son of a factory manager, found working in the office of a Chinese supplier factory in summer 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.	YesThe boy was removed from work at once, placed in summer school with an allowance and followed up in September (River Island 2024 statement).
2024	River Island's 2024 modern slavery statement reports that a small number of piece-rate workers at a Chinese supplier were paid below the minimum wage in late 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.	YesUnderpaid workers were repaid and factory management trained on pay calculation checks (River Island 2024 statement).

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

River Island company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Factory closure and unpaid wage stories in Bangladesh and Türkiye; 100% response rate
Ethical Fashion Guide 2026 (Baptist World Aid) · search the archive · River Island scored 28/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, from public information only
River Island's response re Jeans Manufacturing (BHRRC) · search the archive · 2021 Bangladesh backpay protest; River Island said it had no record of business with the factory
River Island - ASOS Australia · search the archive · River Island clothing sold online to Australia through ASOS

Published by River Island or its owner

River Island Modern Slavery Statement 2024 · search the archive · 215 suppliers, 395 factories in 25 countries; top 5 make 78.6%; factory list; ETI member; 2024 child labour and wage cases fixed
River Island modern slavery statement summary (UK registry, 2025) · search the archive · Forced labour indicators found; remediation incl. recruitment fee repayment; GoodWeave Bangladesh tier 2 work

Company details

Owned by: Lewis Trust Group (Lewis family)
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is River Island ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/river-island, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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None of the everyday fashion brands we know to make shoes is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. The Social Studio, Middlemost and The Social Outfit 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.

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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent River Island.

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