Oxfam Australia has today released its annual Naughty or Nice list, ranking Australian fashion brands on their transparency around their supply chain.
The organisation's list congratulates brands that have made commitments around living wages and calls out those that can do better.
This year, Oxfam Australia is calling on Myer, Lorna Jane and The Just Group (Just Jeans, Jay Jays etc) to publish information about where they manufacture their clothes.
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant, which is why transparency around issues of power, whether business or politics, is so important," Oxfam Australia CEO Lyn Morgain said.
"Three major clothing companies in Australia – Lorna Jane, Myer and The Just Group – have failed to take the basic step of publishing key information about where they manufacture their clothes.
"It’s particularly disappointing to see brands that promote the wellbeing of women, such as Lorna Jane, failing to be transparent about the factories in which their clothes are made.
"This supports a culture of secrecy that is harmful to the wellbeing of all women, including those who make our clothes, and entrenches the massive power disparity between brands and garment workers," she said.
While those businesses found themselves on the Naughty list this year, other Australian retailers have landed on the Nice list.
Those on the Nice list this year are Best & Less, Big W Bonds, City Chic, Cotton On, Country Road, Dangerfield, David Jones, Forever New, Gorman, H&M, Kmart, Mosaic brands (including Rivers, Noni B, Katies and Millers), and Target.
The list of Nice retailers has been boosted by action taken by the brands following Oxfam's report, Shopping for a Bargain.
The report revealed that poor business practices – including aggressive price negotiation, inaccurate forecasting of orders, short lead times and last-minute changes to order – are having a profound impact on the lives of workers.
"To help combat this, last year we asked brands to commit to separating out labour costs to ensure there was clarity between factories and brands about the expectations of payment to garment workers," Morgain said.
"It’s been so heartening to see so many brands step up to the plate," she said.
Meanwhile, Oxfam lists Jeanswest and Zara as brands that have made some progress but still have work to do to catch up to those on the Nice list.
"What is at the heart of this issue is the garment workers – mainly women in low-income countries – who makes our clothes.
"These women aren’t paid enough to build a better future for their children, because their low wages keep them in poverty.
"It’s time for Australian brands to acknowledge and use the power they have to ensure these women are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty through the payment of a living wage.
"This Christmas, we want shoppers to demand better from the brands they love so that our celebrations don’t come at the expense of the women who make our clothes and their families," she said.
Oxfam's 2021 Naughty or Nice list is available to view on its website.