Stubbies

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

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources

Australian label known for work shorts.

Stubbies can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Indonesia 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 1 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, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
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

Good requirements 1 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 Bangladesh and China, 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 or links
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that 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

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

These are Workwear Group's countries across all its brands; Stubbies doesn't say where its own products are made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Australia	Strong protections	About a living wage	Low
Bangladesh	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
China	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Indonesia	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
India	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
Vietnam	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Fiji	We don't have labour ratings for this country yet.

Evidence

What we found

Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
Modern slavery statement
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 Stubbies is a smaller Workwear Group label owned by Wesfarmers (part of Bunnings Group since July 2026) and publishes no sourcing information of its own. Wesfarmers names Australia, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia and Vietnam as Workwear Group sourcing countries, but gives no shares or factory list. The group signs the International Accord, uses Sedex audits, checks for unauthorised subcontracting and runs a worker helpline. It scored 62/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, well above average, but has no public living wage commitment.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Listed	Owner Workwear Group scored 62 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 49 in 2024. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Covered by Wesfarmers' FY2026 Modern Slavery Statement: Workwear Group factories get Accord safety inspections and 'Trust and Verify' checks for unauthorised subcontracting; its worker helpline reached 74 sites and 39,823 workers. View
Ethical Clothing Australia	Certified	Workwear Group is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia for specific Australian-made product lines only, not its overseas-made range. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Workwear Group Pty Ltd - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: Workwear Group scored 62/100 (average 31.5); brands incl. Stubbies; made in AU, CN, ID, BD, FJ; Better Cotton member
Ethical Clothing Australia - The Workwear Group · search the archive · Specific product lines made in Australia are ECA accredited
Stubbies - the long and short of it (Ragtrader, 2005) · search the archive · Stubbies range of shorts, cargos, polos and hi-vis workwear
Wesfarmers: Acquisition of Workwear Group · search the archive · Wesfarmers announced in August 2014 it would buy Workwear Group (Hard Yakka, KingGee, Stubbies) from Pacific Brands for $180 million

Published by Stubbies or its owner

Wesfarmers 2026 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · FY2026: Accord inspections of WWG factories; subcontracting checks; helpline at 74 sites, 39,823 workers; WWG in Bunnings from July 2026
Wesfarmers 2025 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · WWG sources from Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, China; 833 audits; Accord participant; Your Voice helpline

Company details

Owned by: Workwear Group (Wesfarmers)
Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Stubbies ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/stubbies, 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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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?

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