Shein received 28 out of 100 in Baptist World Aid Australia’s 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, placing above several Australian retailers but below the study average as evidence of living-wage pay remained limited. Tearfund New Zealand’s brand checker lists Myer at 20 and Ghanda and Windsor Smith at zero each. The assessment covered 138 companies representing 543 clothing and footwear brands; their average score was 31.5, up 0.2 points from 2024.
Researchers used 48 questions across five areas, including worker empowerment and environmental sustainability. Baptist World Aid assessed supply-chain systems companies could support with documentation; it did not inspect factories. The scores record evidence of management practices rather than direct observations of workers or workplace conditions. A higher result does not establish that workers at one company’s suppliers had better conditions than workers elsewhere. Practices without supporting records may not appear in a score.
The wage findings distinguish between proof and actual pay. Eighty-seven percent of companies could not demonstrate a living-wage payment to any worker in their supply chains. Separately, 4% had committed to paying a living wage in all final-stage facilities. The first figure concerns documentation; it does not show that every worker for those companies was underpaid. The second measures company commitments.
Claire Gray, Tearfund New Zealand’s head of advocacy, identified worker empowerment as the weakest area assessed.
Baptist World Aid says low prices and short production schedules can put pressure on wages and increase risks around factory working hours. The availability and quality of company records also shape the comparison. Baptist World Aid publishes the report every two years.
