Hanesbrands Inc. (Hanesbrands), a US manufacturer of innerwear and activewear, ranks 28th out of 65 companies. Since 2021, the company improved on Traceability & Risk Assessment by expanding the coverage of its first-tier supplier list and disclosing partial lists of second- and third-tier suppliers; on Recruitment by strengthening its no-fee policy to require repayment of fees where they have been charged to workers; and on Worker Voice by joining the International Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. However, the company did not improve across other themes and performs particularly poorly on the themes of Traceability & Risk Assessment and Recruitment as it does not disclose a human rights risk assessment process, and, beyond the no-fee policy referenced above, does not disclose taking steps to prevent recruitment-related exploitation of workers. As such, it was overtaken by other companies in the benchmark that presented stronger disclosure, and its rank has dropped by 7 places.

KnowTheChain identified one public allegation of forced labour in the company’s supply chains, related to alleged Uyghur forced labour. The company states it conducts “extensive due diligence and training to ensure that [it is] fully compliant with US laws and restrictions”. However, it does not disclose the concrete 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 Traceability & Risk Assessment, Purchasing Practices, and Recruitment.