Speedo
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Australian-founded swimwear brand owned by Pentland.
Speedo's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2025, which it has only partly acted on, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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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 forced or child labour. 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 2025) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Speedo looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: a forced labour link in 2025. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not 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 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: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Pentland Brands' supplier list, which covers Speedo and its sister brands. Speedo 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 |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to 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
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
Research notes Speedo is made by independent suppliers in Pentland Brands' shared supply chain of 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations, including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Pakistan; Pentland publishes a combined tier 1 factory list but no Speedo-only breakdown. Pentland is an Ethical Trading Initiative member and founding member of the ACT living wage initiative, but has no dated living wage target. Speedo scored 32/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report and shows no 2026 score.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Speedo International (Pentland Group) scored 32 out of 100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.3); its company page shows no 2026 score. Sister brand Canterbury scored 39 in 2026. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Speedo International scored 47% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by Pentland Brands' annual modern slavery report; the 2025 report lists 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations and 12 zero-tolerance audit findings, all reported resolved. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile records no allegations or response requests; notes Fashion Checker found no evidence suppliers pay a living wage. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Link through a supplierAfter an NGO raised concerns, Pentland Brands confirmed that foreign workers at a nominated fabric mill group in Taiwan, with about 700 foreign contract workers, may have paid fees to get their jobs (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archive | PartlyPentland joined collective action with other brands; refunds of brokerage fees to workers are expected by December 2026. |
| 2025 | A Pentland-commissioned NGO investigation in late 2025 found that Myanmar migrant workers at several Thai supplier factories had paid substantial work permit fees (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). 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. | PartlyFactories were told to pay visa and work permit fees under an 'employer pays' rule; follow-up monitoring is ongoing. |
| 2025 | Two complaints lodged through the ACT grievance mechanism in 2025 concerned the unfair dismissal of union workers at Pentland supplier factories in Cambodia (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesWorkers who wished to return were rehired and a union organising election was later held. |
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.
- In 2020 Norway's Council on Ethics found a pattern of labour rights abuses, including verbal abuse and intimidation, at a Bengaluru factory of Page Industries, which makes Speedo products under licence in India; Page denied the claims and Speedo said it would investigate (Reuters via The Wire, 2020). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Speedo - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Speedo International: 2024 Ethical Fashion Report 32/100 (no 2026 score shown); FTI 2023 47%
- Pentland Group - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Pentland Group owns Speedo; ETI full member; ACT participant; Transparency Pledge aligned
- Speedo - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · No allegations recorded; Fashion Checker found no evidence of living wages
- US watchdog probes Jockey's India partner over rights abuse allegations (The Wire/Reuters) · search the archive · 2020 Norway Council on Ethics concerns at Page Industries, which makes some Speedo apparel; Speedo to investigate
Published by Speedo or its owner
- Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report 2025 · search the archive · 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations; no dated living wage target; Taiwan fee case; Thai permit fees; Cambodia dismissals
- Pentland CR Direct Sourcing Manual 2021 · search the archive · Code requires living wages; factories need semi-announced or unannounced third-party audits every 12-24 months
- Pentland Group Modern Slavery Statement page · search the archive · Founding member of ACT; UN Global Compact signatory
Company details
- Owned by
- Pentland Brands (Pentland Group)
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Speedo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/speedo, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Speedo.