"Australian fashion brands fail to pay garment workers a living wage", 17 October 2024

Almost all major Australian fashion brands are failing to pay garment workers a living wage, with school formal favourites Bec & Bridge and streetwear retailer General Pants Co scoring in the bottom 20 per cent of a new industry review.

The annual Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report, released on Thursday, found 89 per cent of the 120 companies who earn more than $50 million in Australia (representing 460 brands) are not paying a fair wage at any stage of their supply chains.

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This year, Inditex, parent company of Zara, was the fourth-highest scoring brand, while H&M and Kmart scored in the top 20 per cent. All but one of the companies who scored in the bottom 20 per cent – including Jeanswest, Seafolly and shoe retailers Wittner and Nine West – did not respond to the survey.

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The report did include some success stories, including luxury label Zimmermann, which was one of the most improved, raising its score by 13.5 points to 51.