Wacoal
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 1 November 2026 · 9 sources
Japanese lingerie maker selling bras, briefs and shapewear.
In 2022, a Japanese sewing subcontractor left eleven Vietnamese trainees owed about 27 million yen in unpaid overtime.
Also worth knowing
Wacoal has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- 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.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2022.
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 China and Indonesia, 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 its parent group's countries across all its brands; Wacoal doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Myanmar | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Very high |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South Korea | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Wacoal Holdings makes much of its lingerie in group factories: wholly owned plants in Vietnam, Guangdong and Dalian (China), Myanmar and the Dominican Republic, part-owned makers in Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea, and a long-running Sri Lankan partner factory for Wacoal Europe. It does not say which plants make the range sold in Australia or give shares, and also uses outside sewing subcontractors in Japan. A 2023 human rights risk assessment named the supply chain as a priority, but no factory list, audit results or wage data are published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records Wacoal's 2022 pledge to help pay Vietnamese trainees' unpaid overtime at its Ehime sewing subcontractor, with a company comment. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Wacoal EMEA Ltd, which sells Wacoal, Freya, Fantasie and Elomi, publishes a UK modern slavery statement. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Eleven Vietnamese technical intern trainees at Koshimizu Clothing Industry, a Japanese sewing subcontractor that made pyjamas for Wacoal Corp. from 2019 to 2022, were owed about 27 million yen in unpaid overtime (Asahi Shimbun via BHRRC, 2022). Source · search the archive | PartlyWacoal said it would help cover the trainees' unpaid overtime under its CSR procurement guidelines and review how the guidelines are enforced; full payment is not reported. |
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.
- Human Rights Now reported in 2017 that safety conditions at a Myanmar sewing factory supplying Wacoal subsidiary Lecien fell below legal minimums and workers alleged pay below the minimum wage; Lecien said some safety problems were later fixed (Human Rights Now, 2017). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- Japan: Wacoal Holdings to help its supplier in Ehime pay Vietnamese technical trainees for unpaid overtime wages (BHRRC) · search the archive · 11 Vietnamese trainees owed about 27 million yen at Koshimizu Clothing Industry, which made pyjamas for Wacoal Corp.; Wacoal to help cover the pay (2022)
- Japan: Wacoal Holdings to help its supplier pay technical trainees for unpaid overtime wages (BHRRC, English) · search the archive · Asahi Shimbun, Nov 2022: Wacoal will help cover unpaid overtime and review its CSR procurement guidelines
- Human Rights Now statement on Myanmar apparel suppliers (2017) · search the archive · Safety below legal minimum and alleged sub-minimum wages at a Myanmar factory supplying Wacoal subsidiary Lecien
- Wacoal Europe - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Wacoal EMEA Ltd owned by Wacoal Holdings; brands Wacoal, Freya, Fantasie, Elomi; publishes a modern slavery statement
- Wacoal Holdings annual securities report, FY ending March 2024 (EDINET) · search the archive · Owned or part-owned makers in Vietnam, China, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea; Myanmar and Sri Lanka factories; 17,408 staff; 2023 human rights risk assessment
- Wacoal reiterates Sri Lanka commitment, expands production (Just Style, 2022) · search the archive · Wacoal Europe has produced in Sri Lanka since 2005 through a partnership with a Sri Lankan manufacturer
- Underwear maker Wacoal probing foreign trainees' labor conditions (Japan Today) · search the archive · Wacoal surveyed about 540 foreign trainees at 40 outsourcing plants in Japan and found problems at several
- Wacoal collection (The Foundation Lingerie) · search the archive · Wacoal bras sold by an Australian lingerie retailer with stores in Bowral, Rozelle and Neutral Bay
Published by Wacoal or its owner
- Our values (Wacoal America) · search the archive · Wacoal makes much of its product in factories it owns and operates
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Employees
- About 17,408
- Last researched
- 1 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Wacoal ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/wacoal, last researched 1 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 Wacoal.