Uniqlo
Partly verifiedUniqlo raises serious concerns: there are reports of forced or child labour in its supply chain, and workers in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh are very unlikely to earn a living wage. US Customs and Border Protection blocked a shipment of Uniqlo men's cotton shirts at the Port of Los Angeles in January 2021 under its forced labour import ban on goods from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and rejected the company's appeal in May 2021 because it had not shown the shirts were made without forced labour (Business of Fashion, Ecotextile News, 2021).
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 2 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 0 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 3
- Does not pay a living wage
- Instances of forced, slave or child labour
- Failing or very low scores on independent ratings
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 71% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh 9% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cotton is linked to forced labour (Xinjiang, Turkmenistan) and child labour in several growing regions.
- Fair Labor Association: Brand-level accreditation with unannounced factory assessments.
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Low or failing score on an independent rating
Uniqlo's owner Fast Retailing publishes a list of its garment factories, outsourced processing sites, fabric mills and trim suppliers, and has its factories checked through unannounced third-party audits under a Fair Labor Association-accredited programme. About half of its roughly 400 garment factories are in China, with Vietnam and Bangladesh next, and the rest spread across Indonesia, Cambodia, India and other countries. It says it supports a living wage but sets no time-bound target and gives no evidence that most workers earn one, and independent benchmarks rate its human rights performance as middling.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Found | Scored 50 out of 100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report. View ↗ |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Found | Scored 50% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View ↗ |
| KnowTheChain | Found | Fast Retailing scored 49 out of 100 in the 2023 KnowTheChain apparel and footwear benchmark, well above the average of 21. View ↗ |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Found | Fast Retailing scored 41.3 out of 100 in the 2023 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, with weak results on living wages and remedy. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Found | Uniqlo Australia lodges modern slavery statements, most recently through Fast Retailing's group statement for 2023-24. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Unclear | Fast Retailing's group modern slavery statement covers UNIQLO Europe Ltd, but its UK registry entry was not checked. View ↗ |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Found | US Customs blocked a shipment of Uniqlo cotton shirts in 2021 under the Withhold Release Order on Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps cotton. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Company page records 13 response requests, all answered, including supplier layoffs, wage theft in India and unpaid wages in Bangladesh. View ↗ |
| Open Supply Hub | Unclear | Fast Retailing publishes its own production partner list; its Open Supply Hub entries were not checked. View ↗ |
| Fair Wear | Unclear | No Fair Wear membership mentioned in its disclosures; it uses the Fair Labor Association instead. View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | About 2,000 mostly female workers at Uniqlo supplier PT Jaba Garmindo in Indonesia were left without US$5.5 million in legally owed severance when the factory went bankrupt in 2015 after Uniqlo withdrew its orders; the Fair Labor Association recommended financial relief in 2021, but Uniqlo had still not paid as of 2023 (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2023). | No Severance still unpaid as of 2023. |
| 2021 | US Customs and Border Protection blocked a shipment of Uniqlo men's cotton shirts at the Port of Los Angeles in January 2021 under its forced labour import ban on goods from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and rejected the company's appeal in May 2021 because it had not shown the shirts were made without forced labour (Business of Fashion, Ecotextile News, 2021). | Not known |
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.
- Rights groups including Sherpa and the European Uyghur Institute filed a complaint in France in May 2023 accusing Uniqlo, Inditex, SMCP and Skechers of profiting from Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang cotton, after an earlier French probe was dropped in April 2023 for lack of jurisdiction; the companies deny wrongdoing (JusticeInfo, 2023). Source ↗
- In November 2024 Fast Retailing chief executive Tadashi Yanai said Uniqlo does not use Xinjiang cotton, a claim criticised by a leading forced labour expert (Ecotextile News, 2024). Source ↗
Sources (12)
- Công ty mẹ của Uniqlo không theo xu hướng chuyển dịch khỏi Trung Quốc – Tuoi Tre · archived copy · As of September 2024, 211 of 397 garment partner factories were in China, 61 in Vietnam and 26 in Bangladesh; production shares are approximated from these factory counts.
- Fast Retailing Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 · archived copy · Covers UNIQLO Australia and UNIQLO Europe; tier 1 and 2 partners in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam; 500 garment factories and 155 fabric mi
- UNIQLO Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2020 · archived copy · Uniqlo Australia lodges statements under the Australian Modern Slavery Act; names China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Turkey and India as manufacturing locations.
- Fast Retailing – Production Partners List · archived copy · Publishes all garment factories, outsourced processing factories, core fabric mills and auxiliary material factories, updated twice a year.
- Fast Retailing – Monitoring and Evaluation of Production Partners · archived copy · Unannounced third-party audits of all garment factories and core fabric and spinning mills; 28 sewing factories rated E (critical human rights risk) in FY2025, with three relationships ended.
- FLA Accreditation Report – Fast Retailing · archived copy · Fast Retailing's social compliance programme was accredited by the Fair Labor Association in February 2019.
- Fast Retailing latest signatory to Pakistan Accord – Just Style · archived copy · Fast Retailing was an early signatory to the Pakistan Accord on garment factory safety in May 2023.
- US blocked Uniqlo shirts on Xinjiang forced labour concerns – Business of Fashion · archived copy · CBP blocked Uniqlo cotton shirts in January 2021 under the XPCC forced labour order and denied the appeal in May 2021.
- Uniqlo shirts blocked on forced labour fears – Ecotextile News · archived copy · Confirms the CBP action under the XPCC Withhold Release Order and Fast Retailing's objection.
- Jaba Garmindo – Clean Clothes Campaign · archived copy · 2,000 workers owed US$5.5 million severance since 2015; FLA recommended financial relief in 2021; Uniqlo had not paid as of 2023.
- Fashion groups face new Uyghur forced labour complaint in France – JusticeInfo · archived copy · New complaint filed May 2023 against Uniqlo, Inditex, SMCP and Skechers after the earlier probe was dropped.
- Uniqlo owner criticised over Xinjiang claim – Ecotextile News · archived copy · Yanai's November 2024 claim that Uniqlo does not use Xinjiang cotton was criticised by a forced labour expert.
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.