Is ASOS ethical?
Our research highlights several ethical issues with ASOS, including workers’ rights criticisms, the use of less sustainable materials and animal welfare concerns.
Below we outline of some of these issues. To see the full detailed stories, and ASOS overall ethical rating, please sign in or subscribe.
ASOS scores poorly for workers' rights
Asos receives 10/100 in Ethical Consumer’s rating for workers’ rights.
Its Code of Conduct outlines some crucial expectations for suppliers, including prohibitions on discrimination and child labour. In 2018, ASOS published a comprehensive list of its suppliers, making a call for more transparency in the fashion industry. The company also acknowledges that its own purchasing practices can affect workers’ rights, stating: ‘Fair wages and decent working conditions are closely linked to responsible purchasing practices across our supply chain’. Despite this, we found no adequate standards on wages and a lack of transparency around factories beyond tier one.
The company has made a public commitment to living wages through its involvement in ACT Cambodia, a legally binding agreement with IndustriALL Global Union supporting collectively bargained wages for garment workers in Cambodia.
However, ASOS has faced significant criticism over conditions in its supply chain. In January 2026, a report by Arisa found poor conditions in textile recycling factories in India and Pakistan, including: low wages, long working hours, a lack of formal contracts and social protections, and inadequate health and safety measures.
A December 2025 report by Climate Rights International also linked ASOS to garment factories in Karachi, Pakistan, where workers described extreme heat alongside inadequate workplace protections and wider labour rights abuses. The report concluded that the conditions experienced by workers were at odds with brands’ public commitments to workers’ rights.
Does ASOS use sustainable materials?
ASOS receives 30/100 in Ethical Consumer’s rating for sustainable materials.
ASOS is relatively transparent about what its clothes are made from, publishing a breakdown of its total fabric mix. It says 40% of its materials are “more sustainable” cotton. However, less than 10% of ASOS’s fabric mix was made from materials we consider among the most sustainable, such as recycled natural fibres, organic cotton, hemp and linen, and closed-loop fabrics like Tencel and Lyocell.
The company also did not appear to offer a repair service or a secondhand store, both of which could help clothes stay in use for longer.
Policies on animals
Its animal-derived materials policy covers ASOS brands as well as Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge. The company does not sell fur, silk or angora, and requires down, alpaca and mohair to be certified by their respective Responsible Standards. It also prohibits merino wool from suppliers that use mulesing.
However, ASOS continues to sell leather and wool that do not meet the higher animal welfare standards Ethical Consumer looks for. While it encourages suppliers to use the Responsible Wool Standard, this is not a requirement for all wool used in its products.
ASOS and tax
When it comes to financial ethics, Asos has a mixed track record.
The company has subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Jersey, both on Ethical Consumer’s tax havens list, and its tax policy does not adequately explain how these are used.
In 2025, ASOS was also pursued by German tax authorities over unpaid customs duties, with authorities claiming a shortfall of tens of millions of euros, although they disputed the amount.
Wider social issues
When it comes to our Israel-Palestine rating, the company receives 80/100.
Our research found no evidence that the company was financially linked to Israel or actively supporting the Israeli government. However, it has not published a policy ruling out working with Israeli companies, institutions or illegal Israeli settlements either.
The text above was written in October 2026, and most research was conducted in summer-autumn 2026.