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)

Sustainability claims

This company has states a number of sustainability claims on its website in the areas of responsible materials and making products that last.

Source: company website (2020)

Sustainable Apparel Coalition member

This company is a founding member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative launched in March 2011 by a group of global apparel and footwear companies and non-profit organizations (representing nearly one third of the global market share for apparel and footwear). The Coalition's goals are to reduce the apparel industry's environmental and social impact, and to develop a universal index to measure environmental and social performance of apparel products.

Source: Sustainable Apparel Coalition (2023)

Efforts to pay a living wage

Oxfam Australia's Company Tracker compares the big clothing brands on their efforts to pay a living wage to the women working in their factories. This company has released the names and addresses of their tier one suppliers, made a public commitment to pay a living wage within a set timeframe, and has taken some action towards separating labour costs.

Source: Oxfam Australia (2024)

3/5 on Good On You

This company owns brands rated 'It's a start' by Good On You, whose rating system considers the most important social and environmental issues facing the fashion industry to assess a brand's impact on people, the planet and animals.

Source: Good On You (2021)

Green Outdoor Gear profile

Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth Melbourne has created a website which profiles outdoor gear companies and rates them according to a range of sustainability criteria. Follow the link to see this company's profile.

Source: Green Outdoor Gear (2011)

Underpaying workers

in 2018 this company admitted to underpaying its staff by $7.8 million during the previous year. The company said it identified the issue through its own internal processes and had sought external expert advice. "We have taken all possible steps to ensure that affected team members receive what they are owed plus 5.5 per cent interest per year and that this issue does not happen again."

Source: ABC (2018)

Underpaying workers

In 2019 this company announced it will allocate $43 million to repay staff. The sum equates to six years' worth of unpaid overtime and allowances to retail managers, with 10% of staff affected by the underpayment. This is the second time in a year SRG has announced a remuneration oversight, after revealing it had underpaid members of its Set Up team $8 million in August 2018.

Source: Ragtrader (2019)

Child labour allegations

Super Retail Group removed Summit merchandise from all its stores in Oct 2013 in response to allegations that Summit, a supplier of sporting goods to their company Rebel Sport, was secretly using children to stitch rugby league footballs.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (2013)

Breaching advertising codes

This company's Supercheap Auto division has been criticised for irresponsible advertising. In 2016, 2023 and 2024 Ad Standards upheld complaints about 5 different tv ads by Supercheap Auto on the grounds that they breached advertising codes. The ads were subsequently discontinued or modified.

Source: Ad Standards (2024)

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)

Employer of Choice for Gender Equality

This company is listed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as a Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation holder. The citation is designed to encourage, recognise and promote active commitment to achieving gender equality in Australian workplaces.

Source: WGEA (2022)

Environmental claims

This company has sustainability claims on its website in the areas of responsible sourcing, waste reduction, climate change and community support.

Source: company website (2020)

CDP Climate Change Score of C

In 2020, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of C.

Source: CDP (2020)

Modern Slavery statement

California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.

Source: company website (2021)

57/100 S&P Global ESG Score

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 57/100 in the Retailing category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 8 Dec 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)