Breaching advertising codes

This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2014 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about an internet ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified.

Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2014)

Workers rights in Australia

In Nov 2021 the United Workers' Union (UWU) launched a campaign and petition against Country Road Group, claiming the workers in its warehouse had been left feeling "disrespected, mistreated and underpaid." According to the UWU, workers faced rampant insecure work, low pay, and pressure and intimidation from managers when they speak out and take action. Almost half the workers on site were employed as labour hire casuals, and Country Road's predominantly female warehouse workforce makes $10 less per hour than male-dominated warehouse workers in the area. After almost two weeks on strike, workers at Country Road Group returned to work after securing an agreement that includes a substantial pay rise and 20 new permanent positions.

Source: UWU (2021)

APCO member

Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice). This company received a packaging performance level of 1 (Getting Started) in its 2024 APCO Annual Report.

Source: APCO (2024)

CitySwitch signatory

This company is a signatory to CitySwitch Green Office, a national tenant energy efficiency program run in partnership between business and local government. The program works with office tenants to improve their energy efficiency, thereby reducing carbon pollution.

Source: CitySwitch (2018)

Renewable energy use

Greenpeace's Reenergise campaign ranks Australia's biggest electricity using companies on their commitments and actions regarding renewable energy use. This company has committed to powering their operations by 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and invested in on-site solar. However they have not signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy power from a wind or solar project.

Source: Greenpeace (2021)

Retail Sustainability Award winner

In 2023 this company won an award for Best In-Store Sustainability Innovation at the NORA Retail Sustainability Awards.

Source: NORA (2023)

Use of non-mulesed wool

Brands owned by this company are listed in Human Society International Australia's Better Wool Guide as using 100% non-mulesed wool from a robust certification scheme, or has a time-bound commitment to do so. Mulesing is the controversial practice of removing strips of the skin of a lamb's rear and is often done without pain relief. In Australia, the only country where mulesing still occurs, an estimated 10 million merino lambs are subjected to mulesing each year - equivalent to 19 lambs per minute.

Source: HSI Australia (2024)

Fur free retailer

This retailer has committed to being a fur free retailer, as recognised by the International Fur Free Retailer Program.

Source: Fur Free Retailer (2019)

PETA-Approved Vegan

Bags from Mimco's 'Gala Collection' are made from apple leather and use the "PETA-Approved Vegan" logo.

Source: PETA (2020)

Social responsibility claims

This company has a number of corporate responsibility claims on its website covering the areas of ethical trade, animal welfare, environmental code of practice, waste reduction, and charitable giving.

Source: company website (2020)

Leather Working Group member

This company is a member of the Leather Working Group, a multi-stakeholder group who's objective is to develop and maintain a protocol that assesses the compliance and environmental performance of tanners and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry.

Source: Leather Working Group (2022)

Textile Exchange member

This company is a member of the Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that works closely with its members to drive textile industry transformation in preferred fibres, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks. They identify and share best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry's impact on the world's water, soil and air, and the human population.

Source: Textile Exchange (2019)

Banksia Sustainability Award 2017

This company won the Large Business Sustainability Leadership Award at the 2017 Banksia Sustainability Awards.

Source: Banksia Foundation (2017)

50/100 in Ethical Fashion Report

Baptist World Aid Australia's '2024 Ethical Fashion Report' assessed 120 companies on their efforts to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation in their supply chains, as well as protect the environment from the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. Assessment criteria fall into five main categories: policy & governance, tracing & risk, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability. This company received a score of 50/100. The average score was 31.3 and the highest score was 90.

Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2024)

Misleading conduct

In May 2011 Country Road payed former CEO John Cheston $1.1m to settle a lawsuit. Cheston was suing the company for $6.5m for misleading conduct in his hiring and breach of contract when dismissing him without notice.

Source: news article (2011)

Controversies

Wikipedia lists a number of controversies for this company: In October 2010, Woolworths came under fire as they opted to remove Christian magazines from their shelves and discontinue their sale; In 2012 the South African Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Woolworths' vintage cold drink range was an imitation of a rival soft drinks range; In September 2012 Woolworths was accused of racism by some groups for allegedly discriminating against white job applicants and staff; In October 2013 rumours of plagiarism surfaced when Euodia Roets, a South African artist, accused Woolworths of using her designs that were kept as sample after contract negations which failed.

Source: Wikipedia (2015)

Underpaying workers in Australia

In 2020 this company announced that more than 7000 staff members across David Jones and Country Road have been underpaid $3.7 million over the last six years. The company has pledged to pay all money owing.

Source: Inside Retail (2020)

Partnership with WWF in South Africa

In Nov 2012 the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) and Woolworths announced a broad-based, multifaceted partnership to drive greater sustainability through selected Woolworths products and operations. The three year partnership "recognises the growing congruence between WWF-SA and Woolworths interests in, among others: the conservation of energy; freshwater ecosystems; the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices; and the protection of fish stocks."

Source: WWF-SA (2012)

Climate action commitments

As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target; report climate change information in mainstream reports as a fiduciary duty; commit to smart energy use.

Source: We Mean Business (2021)

Uzbek Cotton Pledge signatory

This company signed the Uzbek Cotton Pledge with the Responsible Sourcing Network, signifying a public commitment to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton for the manufacturing of any of their products until the Government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced labor in its cotton sector. However the Pledge was lifted in March 2022 after the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, who monitored the annual cotton harvest since 2010, found no state-imposed forced labor in the 2021 harvest.

Source: Cotton Campaign (2022)

Good Egg Award 2014 (South Africa)

Compassion in World Farming is a UK-based organisation which works with the European food industry to encourage and reward commitment, transparency, performance and innovation in the field of animal welfare. This company won their Good Egg Award in 2014 for their work with free-range eggs.

Source: Compassion in World Farming (2014)

Fur free retailer

This retailer has committed to being a fur free retailer, as recognised by the International Fur Free Retailer Program.

Source: Fur Free Retailer (2019)

Sustainability reporting

Follow link to see this company's latest sustainability reports.

Source: company website (2015)

Responsible Retailer Award

In 2012 Woolworths Holdings won the International Responsible Retailer of the Year Award at the World Retail Congress for the third time in five years. Improved indicators include carbon footprint, water and packaging reduction, sustainable clothing and food products.

Source: World Retail Congress (2012)

Textile Exchange member

This company is a member of the Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that works closely with its members to drive textile industry transformation in preferred fibres, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks. They identify and share best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry's impact on the world's water, soil and air, and the human population.

Source: Textile Exchange (2019)

Sustainability Champion

This company was designated a "New Sustainability Champion" in this 2010 document (page 42) from the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group. New Sustainability Champions proactively turn constraints into opportunities through innovation, embed sustainability in their company culture, and actively shape their business environments.

Source: Boston Consulting Group (2010)

UN Global Compact participant

The United Nations Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of 10 values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. However it's non-binding nature has been widely criticised, and many signatory corporations continue to violate the Compact's values.

Source: UN Global Compact (2020)

CanopyStyle member

This company is a member of the CanopyStyle initiative, which came about when research found that millions of trees are used every year to produce dissolving pulp, a key ingredient for fabrics such as rayon/viscose. The campaign seeks to phase out the use of endangered forest fibre in fabric.

Source: Canopy (2018)

Plastics Commitment signatory

This company is a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution at its source.

Source: New Plastics Economy (2022)

Better Cotton Initiative member

This company is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a voluntary program which encourages the adoption of better management practices in cotton cultivation to achieve measurable reductions in key environmental impacts, while improving social and economic benefits for cotton farmers, small and large, worldwide.

Source: Better Cotton Initiative (2022)

Leather Working Group member

This company is a member of the Leather Working Group, a multi-stakeholder group who's objective is to develop and maintain a protocol that assesses the compliance and environmental performance of tanners and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry.

Source: Leather Working Group (2022)

CDP Forests score of C-

In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests score of C-.

Source: CDP (2023)

C- grade in Plastic Promises Scorecard

As You Sow's 2024 Plastic Promises Scorecard measures the corporate ambition and action of 225 large companies across six industries on six core pillars of plastic packaging pollution prevention: 1) Recyclability, 2) Reduction, 3) Recycled Content, 4) Recovery, 5) Reuse, and 6) Producer Responsibility. This company received a grade of C-.

Source: As You Sow (2024)

Palm oil scorecard - WWF

The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2021 assesses 227 companies on the actions companies have taken to ensure their own palm oil supply chain is sustainable and free of deforestation, natural ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuse. This company is rated 'middle of the pack' with a score of 13.74 out of a possible total of 24.

Source: WWF Palm Oil Scorecard (2021)

22/100 in What Fuels Fashion?

What Fuels Fashion? is a single-issue, special edition of the Fashion Transparency Index. The 2024 report ranked 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers according to their level of disclosure on climate and energy-related data in their own operations and supply chains. Brands owned by this company scored 22%. The average score was 18% and the highest score was 75%.

Source: Fashion Revolution (2024)

BHRRC company profile

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.

Source: BHRRC (2022)

29/100 in Fashion Transparency Index

The 2023 Fashion Transparency Index reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers and ranked them according to how much they disclose about their human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts. Brands owned by this company scored 29%, signifying it is doing a bit more than the others when it comes to having policies and commitments in place and auditing and reporting activities, but could be doing more. The average score was 26% and the highest score was 83%.

Source: Fashion Revolution (2023)

41/100 S&P Global ESG Score

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 41/100 in the Retailing category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 18 Nov 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.

Source: S&P Global (2022)