Fast Retailing Ltd (Fast Retailing), the third-largest apparel retailer in the world and owner of Uniqlo, ranks joint 4th out of 65 companies. Compared to 2021, the company improved its rank by 8 places. This is because the company improved across several themes, including by updating its supplier code to prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees, signing up to the Pakistan Accord and International Accord, joining the pilot Employment Injury Scheme in Bangladesh, and improving its supply chain transparency by disclosing data on women and migrant workers and expanding the coverage of its supplier list to include all garment factories. Notably, Fast Retailing is the highest-scoring Asian company in the benchmark and the second-highest scoring company on the theme of Worker Voice. However, with a score of 49/100, the company continues to have substantial scope for improvement on its prevention and management of forced labour risks.

KnowTheChain identified one allegation of forced labour in the company’s supply chains, related to alleged Uyghur forced labour. However, the company does not disclose the steps it has taken to address the risks of alleged Uyghur forced labour across raw materials and supply chain tiers.

The company is encouraged to improve its performance and disclosure on the themes of Purchasing Practices, Recruitment, and Remedy.