Thunderpants
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 9 October 2026 · 7 sources
Small NZ family company making cotton underwear.
Thunderpants has evidence that workers at its main factories are paid a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It makes its cotton underwear in New Zealand and publishes its supplier list.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Thunderpants? Send a right of reply.
Compare Thunderpants with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: proven (wage evidence from its main factories)
- 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 listPublishes its supplier list
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and natural rubber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton. Only in a few products: natural rubber
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Thunderpants's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies all of its cotton.
- Publishes supplier list
- Living wage commitment with evidence
- Traces all of its cotton to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of it certified
- "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.
- Uses natural rubber in only a few products and traces or certifies most of it. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Thunderpants is a small family-owned underwear company in Martinborough, New Zealand, founded in 1995, that ships to Australia from its NZ online store. Most garments are sewn by SS Clothing in Carterton, a small workroom that has sewn only for Thunderpants for over 20 years, and the brand publishes a detailed supply chain page naming its fabric knitter (ABMT Textiles in Melbourne), printers, trim suppliers and makers. It says it is a Living Wage accredited employer and that staff, contractors, the sewing crew and fabric printers are paid at least a living wage, though the sewing workroom is paid per garment and no wage figures or independent audits are published; some trims use yarn and rubber from Thailand, Malaysia and India with little labour information.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is claimed by the brand or shown in search results. View |
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not relevant as garments are made in New Zealand; ECA accredits Australian supply chains. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations against Thunderpants or its suppliers appear in news or NGO reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Martinborough Star: Thunderpants hits the big 3-oh (2025) · archived copy · Still trading in 2025 under sisters Josie and Sophie Bidwill; manufacturing in Carterton, previously Palmerston North and Levin.
- Our Way of Life: The enterprising Martinborough sisters behind Thunderpants (2018) · archived copy · Five full-time equivalent staff paid a living wage; garments sewn by a team of women in Carterton.
- Peppermint: Meet the undies brand keeping bums happy (2023) · archived copy · Long-serving team members; cotton now sourced from Australia via Good Earth Cotton.
Published by Thunderpants or its owner
- Thunderpants: Supply Chain · archived copy · Names suppliers: Australian cotton knitted and dyed by ABMT Textiles (Melton, Vic, unionised); garments sewn by SS Clothing, Carterton (4 FTE, sews only for Thunderpants, 23 years); swimwear cut by St
- Thunderpants: Core Values / Code of Conduct · archived copy · Living Wage accredited and committed to paying above the going rate; prefers local NZ manufacturers.
- Thunderpants: About · archived copy · Founded 1995; small, family-owned company in Martinborough; nearly 50,000 garments a year.
- Thunderpants: Shipping policy · archived copy · Ships to Australia (flat rate $18, free over $200).
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Employees
- About 5
- Last researched
- 9 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Thunderpants ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/thunderpants, last researched 9 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded underwear and sleepwear
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Thunderpants.