Auckland, New Zealand - 9 May 2023 – A milestone report released today by Oxfam Aotearoa reveals that some popular New Zealand clothing brands are failing
to provide basic information on where their clothes are made, despite this being increasingly standard in Australia and
in Europe.
Part of the ‘What She Makes’ campaign, the report reveals supply chain transparency ratings for six of New Zealand’s top fashion brands based on
public data available to consumers. While some brands performed extremely well, receiving a full five-star rating,
popular brands Glassons and Hallenstein Bros received a disappointing two-star rating.
“Well-known fashion brands have really stepped up for this milestone,” said Shalomi Daniel, Oxfam Aotearoa’s Campaign
Lead for Gender and Economic Justice.
“We’re thrilled to see New Zealand founded brands and household names Kathmandu and Macpac performing equally as well as
large multinational brands H and Lululemon all of whom received a full five-star rating. All four brands’ transparency extends to full lists of
their Tier 1 factories, where they are located, and data about the people who are working in them.
“It is disappointing that Glassons and Hallenstein Bros have chosen not to share the most updated transparency
information with their customers. Through not meeting all our basic criteria, unfortunately they received only a
two-star rating. We hope to see them improve this as soon as possible.
“More and more, customers are expecting their favourite brands to be upfront about where their clothes are made.
Transparency is the foundation of an ethical supply chain - it allows workers, unions, and groups of people like us to
scrutinise the working conditions of these factories and ensure that women who make our clothes are treated and paid
fairly.
"If a brand doesn’t share this data, that doesn’t mean the working conditions in their factories are bad – but it does
make it that much harder for anyone to find out.
“In some cases, brands themselves don’t even know where their garments are being made. After the Rana Plaza disaster in
2013, some top international fashion brands only learned their workers had been killed when their logos were found in
the rubble.
“We’re calling for improved transparency across the fashion industry. It’s clear the basic standards have shifted – and
they’ll only continue to. While we focused on Tier 1 suppliers in this report – the factories that directly supply the
brands – some of the brands we looked at are already looking into reporting on their Tier 2 suppliers, the ones that
supply their Tier 1 factories. This is commendable, and we see this sort of transparency being the future for the
industry.”
This transparency milestone is the second in the What She Makes campaign, where Oxfam Aotearoa is working alongside
brands on a journey to paying the women who make their clothes in countries like Bangladesh and China a living wage.
In late 2022, the first campaign milestone asked the brands to make a public commitment to paying workers in the supply
chain a living wage. The campaign’s next milestone will be next year, when brands will be asked to separate labour costs
in price setting and negotiation.
“The good news is this is not the end – we will continue this journey with the brands to ensure that they pay the women
who make our clothes a living wage. We welcome anyone wanting to support the campaign to help us demand better for the
women who make our clothes by pledging their commitment at oxfam.org.nz/what-she-makes.”
Full list of brand ratings from the What She Makes Brand Transparency Report:
· Hallenstein Bros – 2 stars
· Glassons – 2 stars
· Kathmandu – 5 stars
· Macpac – 5 stars
· H – 5 stars
· Lululemon – 5 stars