Stanley/Stella
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Brussels company making blank organic cotton tees.
Stanley/Stella makes about 99% of its organic cotton blank tees and sweats in Bangladesh and 1% in China, and publishes its supplier list.
Also worth knowing
It's working towards a living wage through its Fair Wear membership, which requires a living wage plan, but can't yet show workers are paid one.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 6 Good requirements.
- Working towards a living wage. That's enough for On Track, but Good needs proof that workers are paid one.
- Met: No red flags.
- Independently checked. Stanley/Stella belongs to Fair Wear, which checks its factories. Fair Wear found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2024 and a labour rights breach in 2024, and Stanley/Stella is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 5 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 rightForced labour was found in its supply chain in 2019, which it has since put right. 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 rangeTraced or certified: cotton
Red flags 0
None counted. Problems Fair Wear found, which it is fixing, are listed below, and the others have been put right.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 2
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Stanley/Stella'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.
T-shirts, Hoodies & sweatshirts, Shirts, Jackets & coats, Pants & trousers, Kids' clothes, Bags & backpacks, Hats: On Track, the same as Stanley/Stella 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
Bangladesh has the largest share, 99%. China is next, at 1%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 99% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton.
- Publishes supplier list
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Stanley/Stella makes its blank tees and sweats almost entirely in Bangladesh (99% in 2024), with 1% in China, and discloses all 15 production locations on Fair Wear's transparency portal. It has been a Fair Wear member since 2011 and was rated Leader (score 84) in its latest Brand Performance Check, but workers are paid the legal minimum wage rather than a living wage: it has not yet contributed to higher wages at any factory and has only a living wage pilot at one Bangladeshi supplier. It has not signed the International Accord. It sells through printers, dealers and print-on-demand platforms such as Printful, and has no dedicated Australian distributor.
What independent sources say
Confirmed issues 4
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 | All three Fair Wear factory assessments reviewed in Stanley/Stella's 2025 Brand Performance Check found workers not paid the legal minimum wage, a repeat of 2022 when all five assessments found legally required wage elements unpaid (Fair Wear Brand Performance Checks, 2023 and 2026). Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyFair Wear reports most findings were addressed and resolved, with some still open; the brand followed up on 92% of outstanding corrective actions. |
| 2024 | Every Fair Wear assessment of Stanley/Stella's factories in Bangladesh and China found excessive overtime, in 2022 (five of five) and again in the latest check (three of three) (Fair Wear Brand Performance Checks, 2023 and 2026). Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyFair Wear says most resolved corrective actions relate to health and safety and overtime, but does not show overtime has fallen across suppliers. |
| 2024 | Workers at Stanley/Stella supplier factories filed four complaints through Fair Wear's helpline in 2024 about living wages, working hours, employment contracts and discrimination (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2026). Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | YesFair Wear reports all four complaints were resolved and published on its website. |
| 2019 | A female worker at Dird Composite Textiles in Bangladesh, then Stanley/Stella's largest supplier, was beaten and threatened by security, HR and compliance staff; Stanley/Stella confirmed the incident (The Guardian via BHRRC, 2019). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesStanley/Stella said it had the factory fire the HR manager responsible and pay the worker her legal compensation; she was reported satisfied. |
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.
- The Guardian reported in March 2019 that more than 100 workers at Dird Composite Textiles, a Stanley/Stella supplier, said they were sacked after striking over low wages, some earning as little as 42p an hour; Fair Wear investigated and the factory denied targeting worker representatives. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Stanley and Stella S.A. 2025 · search the archive · Covers 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2024; Leader, benchmarking score 84 (170 of 202 points); Bangladesh 13 locations 99%, China 2 locations 1%; 100% of production locations disclosed on Fair Wear transparency portal; 0% of volume where the brand pays its share of a living wage; living wage pilot with one Banglad
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Stanley and Stella S.A. 2023 · search the archive · Covers 2022; Leader, score 77; Bangladesh 97%, China 3%; all five Fair Wear audits found excessive overtime and non-payment of legally required wage elements; Fair-priced Grocery Shops in four Bangladeshi factories used by almost 10,000 workers; member of GOTS.
- Fair Wear: Stanley and Stella brand page · search the archive · Member since 2011; total benchmarking score 84; latest Brand Performance Check published 31 March 2026.
- BHRRC: Bangladesh factory forced to compensate female worker after beating (2019) · archived copy · Guardian, Jan 2019: worker beaten at Dird Composite Textiles, Stanley/Stella's largest supplier; it confirmed the incident, HR manager fired, worker paid legal dues.
- COSH!: Stanley/Stella · search the archive · Bangladesh factory workers receive the legal minimum wage, which the brand acknowledges is below the GLWC living wage; mobile hospital project in Bangladesh.
- Printful: Stanley/Stella Creator 2.0 T-Shirt · search the archive · Stanley/Stella blanks sold through global print-on-demand platforms.
Published by Stanley/Stella or its owner
- Stanley/Stella: Our journey · search the archive · Founded 2012 by Jean Chabert; 200th employee in 2024; sells through a dealer network and print-on-demand partners; organic cotton tees and sweats since 2017; Direct-to-Farm cotton programme with Remei in Tanzania; US office opened 2025.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Belgium
- Employees
- About 200
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Stanley/Stella ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/stanley-stella, 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 Stanley/Stella.