NATIONAL: Oxfam has called on fashion companies to disclose their sourcing arrangements, following a damning report implicating leading brands.
The report, released recently by the human rights charity, claimed goods from Just Jeans, Pacific Brands and Myer could be manufactured unethically.
It further alleged offshore manufacturer Li & Fung, which had contracts with all three Australian apparel companies, could not account for the basic rights of its workers.
The report researched 26 major Hong Kong-based suppliers and rated them on how open and clear they were in reporting on the wages and conditions of workers producing their goods.
It said Li & Fung refused to release information about the way its monitoring was done, whether any labour violations had been found and whether steps had been taken to correct problems.
"Li & Fung keeps secret the names and addresses of its supplier factories, which makes it impossible for an external company to verify workers conditions."
Oxfam urged domestic companies to publish the names and addresses of its factory suppliers and monitor labour conditions.
A spokesperson for Pacific Brands said the company was among the first to join anti-sweatshop alliance Ethical Trading Initiative and audited its suppliers independently. It also said employees based in Asia ensured standards were being met.
"We have sacked numerous suppliers for failure to comply with out standards or failure to work towards attaining them."
Pacific Brands alleged Oxfam had made an "uniformed statement" by including the group in its media statement.