Fast-Fashion Giant Shein Outperforms Several Australian Retailers in Ethical Fashion Report

Online fast-fashion giant Shein is outperforming many Australian high street retailers on ethical standards, according to an industry review. The findings come from the 11th Baptist World Aid ethical fashion report, released on Tuesday, which assessed the ethical practices of 138 Australian and international companies representing 543 fashion brands.

Overall, the report revealed that only 13% of the surveyed fashion companies could show evidence of paying a living wage to any workers in their supply chain. Organizations are surveyed across five broad supply chain topics, including worker empowerment and environmental sustainability, to score brands out of 100.

Insights from the Ethical Fashion Report

The ultra-fast fashion website Shein received a score of 28 in the latest evaluation. While this figure sits below the overall industry average of 31.5, Shein managed to outperform several well-known retail companies, including Myer, Windsor Smith, Ghanda, and Quiksilver owner Boardriders. The Chinese e-commerce company has previously faced criticism regarding its environmental impact and accusations of facilitating overconsumption through low prices.

Australia itself ranks as the world’s highest consumer of textiles per person, with more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing ending up in landfill annually. Researchers noted that overproduction remains a growing challenge to sustainability within the industry.

Low Scores and Non-Participation

Ghanda and Windsor Smith were among the lowest-rated companies, earning scores of zero alongside competitor e-commerce website Temu. Other low scorers included swimwear label Seafolly with a score of one, activewear maker 2XU with two, and Boardriders alongside formal wear brand Bec and Bridge with three. Myer scored 20 for its retail arm and apparel business.

The report highlighted that Shein supplied Baptist World Aid with additional information, whereas companies like Myer, Seafolly, Ghanda, Windsor Smith, Boardriders, 2XU, and Bec and Bridge did not. Businesses that chose not to participate were assessed solely on publicly available information, which typically results in a lower ranking.

Baptist World Aid stated that researchers undertook a rigorous engagement process over a 13-month period to ensure all companies were aware of their inclusion and had the opportunity to participate. Overall, 58% of analyzed businesses were assessed solely on publicly available information, while 42% provided additional data.

Katherine Halliday, the ethical fashion lead at Baptist World Aid, defended the methodology and noted she was heartened that Shein’s score had improved from previous years due to increased public scrutiny and resulting changes in practices. Meanwhile, the report emphasizes that broader systemic changes and government action are still required to improve working conditions across the global fashion sector.

Source: Fast-fashion giant Shein outperforms several Australian retailers on ethics, report says (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-21T02:36:15+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.