Standard Issue
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
NZ label making knitwear in its own Auckland workroom.
Standard Issue makes its natural-fibre knitwear in its own factories in New Zealand, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in New Zealand are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
- 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 listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Standard Issue'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.
Knitwear: On Track, the same as Standard Issue 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
From Standard Issue's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Owns or runs its own production
- "Made in New Zealand" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good. Source
- 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.
- Uses silk and cashmere in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Standard Issue has made knitwear since the early 1980s and makes every garment, including its men's range, in its own Auckland workroom on Japanese whole-garment knitting machines, with in-house knitters, seamstresses and pattern cutters. Yarns and some fabrics are imported (for example cotton broadcloth woven in South Korea), but cutting, knitting and sewing are done in New Zealand under New Zealand employment law. It is part of a family-owned knitwear company led by CEO Emma Ensor; it publishes no headcount, audit or wage figures and holds no labour certification. It ships to Australia (free over $100).
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not in Ethical Clothing Australia's directory, which covers Australian-made supply chains only. View |
| Fair Wear | Not listed | No Fair Wear membership found. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification found in searches. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations against Standard Issue found in searches. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Fashion Journal: Standard Issue · search the archive · 2022: label sits within a family-owned knitwear company led by CEO Emma Ensor; made in-house in Auckland.
- Newmarket: Standard Issue · search the archive · Emma Ensor named as owner; garments made in the brand's Auckland workroom on its own Shima Seiki knitting machines.
- Meet the makers behind fashion label Standard Issue · search the archive · Knitting technicians and machinists work under one roof in the onsite Auckland workroom, producing 100% New Zealand-made garments.
Published by Standard Issue or its owner
- Standard Issue: Our story · search the archive · Made in Aotearoa from natural fibres since 1981; in-house seamstresses.
- Standard Issue: Delivery and returns · search the archive · Ships to Australia; free standard shipping over $100, $25 under; buyer pays any import duties.
- Standard Issue: Cotton Broadcloth Universal Trouser · search the archive · Cotton broadcloth woven in South Korea, cut and sewn by hand in the brand's Auckland workroom.
- Standard Issue: Hilda Ereaut merino cardigan · search the archive · Current product produced in the brand's Auckland workroom from fine merino described as fully traceable.
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Standard Issue ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/standard-issue, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded basics
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 Standard Issue.