Australian fashion brands have made some headway in improving supply chain transparency. About 35 per cent companies now publish full direct supplier lists. Just four cents from every dollar Australians spend on clothing makes it back to workers in garment factories. An increase of one per cent in the price of clothing would be enough to give garment workers a living wage. These are the results of a report by Baptist World Aid.

The report assesses a company’s labor rights management system against 33 criteria. The tests cover three stages of the supply chain: the raw materials, inputs production and final manufacturing; higher grades reflect companies with labor rights management systems that would reduce worker exploitation if properly implemented.

Of the 61 Australian fashion brands listed, eight scored an F rating, including Bras N Things, Decjuba, Ally Fashion and Wish Designs. A number of brands well-known in Australia received either a D or a D minus. Roger David performed poorly. It failed in marks on its policies, worker empowerment and raw materials. Betts, Boohoo, and Valleygirl all received D or D minus marks.

Other brands improved their performance considerably, including Cotton On, which received an A and topped the list for Australia-headquartered companies. Fast fashion brands such as Kmart, Jeanswest and Target all scored either a B or B plus.