Rubi Shoes
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Cotton On's brand of low-priced women's shoes and accessories.
Rubi Shoes can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Rubi Shoes? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 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 labour link, last recorded in 2019) was a link through a supplier, which the company has acted on.
- 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 3 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, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: 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
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Cotton On Group's supplier list, which covers Rubi Shoes and its sister brands. Rubi Shoes publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. 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 |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
Evidence
What we found
- Uses cotton in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its cotton comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Rubi's shoes and accessories are made by outside suppliers under Cotton On Group's sourcing programme; the group says most suppliers are in China and Bangladesh, with India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Australia also used, but gives no country split and no footwear-specific detail. The group publishes a tier-one supplier list, signed the International Accord and reported 528 audits in FY2025. It ran a living wage gap analysis but sets no target or deadline. The group scored 40/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, down from 45 in 2024.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner Cotton On Group scored 40 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 45 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Cotton On Group scored 22% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Cotton On Group's annual modern slavery statements; the FY2025 statement names this brand among the group's eight brands. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Cotton On Group's profile covers the 2019 Xinjiang cotton exit and a forced labour story on Uyghur workers, with one response request answered. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierCotton On Group, which owns this brand, stopped buying cotton from Xinjiang in October 2019 after an internal investigation that followed ABC Four Corners reporting linking its cotton to the region's forced labour system (ABC and Channel News, 2019). Source · search the archiveActed on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesCotton On Group stopped buying cotton from Xinjiang in 2019. |
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.
- Oxfam Australia's 2019 'Made in Poverty' report named Cotton On among Australian brands whose supply chains in Bangladesh and Vietnam rely on workers paid too little to meet basic needs; Cotton On said it takes workers' rights seriously and pointed to its ACT living wage membership (Oxfam, 2019). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Cotton On - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Cotton On Group scored 40/100 (average 31.5); Accord signatory; publishes tier-one supplier list
- Cotton On, Target stop buying from Xinjiang, China - Channel News · search the archive · October 2019: Cotton On stopped sourcing Xinjiang cotton after internal investigation following ABC Four Corners report
- New report claims Australian apparel is made in poverty - Just Style · search the archive · Oxfam 2019 report naming Cotton On and its response
Published by Rubi Shoes or its owner
- Cotton On Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Rubi and Cotton On Body among 8 group brands; most suppliers in China and Bangladesh; 528 audits, 285 non-critical findings
- Cotton On Group Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 · search the archive · 100% of Tier 1 factories traced; 506 audits in FY24; living wage gap analysis across all factories; works with the Bangladesh Accord
- Cotton On Group Commitment to Living Wages 2024 · search the archive · 2023 living wage gap analysis of 308 factories in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam; no living wage target or deadline
Company details
- Owned by
- Cotton On Group
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Rubi Shoes ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/rubi, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded footwear
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 Rubi Shoes.