We stock around 250 brands and have ten exclusive bird brands that we design in-house. We are absolutely committed to ethical sourcing across all areas of our business. On each item page on our site you are able to find where this garment was made in the list of features and we are building on that information, providing more details about the origins of each garment.

For the ten exclusive bird brand labels that we design in-house, we have a close relationship with the manufacturers and are able to have the greatest influence and transparency. Up to 40% of these styles are made in Australia, and the remainder are made either in China, particularly for knitwear, or India, chosen for their beautiful fabric printing and embroidery work.

The below list details the geographical spread and the gender split of our factories.
birdsnest factory list

Many of our bird brands include garments that are manufactured on our local shores in partnership with pattern makers, cutters and sewers in Sydney. And we also stock many proudly Australian designed and made labels. You can filter your search on our catalogue pages by using the “Made In” filter on the left hand side and selecting “Australia”.

The partnerships we have with all Bird Brand suppliers are based on long term, transparent and open communications, where we assess challenges and work together to find mutually beneficial solutions. We are committed to telling the stories behind the people who make your clothes so you too can feel the precious connection with the talented hands and souls that sewed your clothes. In the below link you can read about our Bird Brand Makers, where they are based and what they specialise in.

For our bird brands, we have hand selected each supplier for their craftsmanship and their cultural fit with birdsnest, assessed through meetings and regular visits to their factories. As part of partnering with us, each supplier signs up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) base code of conduct which is founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is an internationally recognised code of labour practice. It covers the following principles:

• Employment is freely chosen
• Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
• Working conditions are safe and hygienic
• Child labour shall not be used
• Living wages are paid
• Working hours are not excessive
• No discrimination is practiced
• Regular employment is provided
• No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed.

You can find more information on the ETI website
And you can read about our supplier full code of conduct here

And while we are confident in our supplier partners, we are committed to ensuring compliance to these principles and so have implemented a social compliance audit program for our suppliers, currently conducted by an independent body called QIMA. We believe in working together with our suppliers to continually improve and influence positive change.

In 2019, we became a foundation member of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) and in 2022 we became full members. Through their mentorship we are striving for continuous improvement beyond audits, whereby we acknowledge our associations with our suppliers as long term partnerships, and aim to keep abreast of the human rights challenges within each region we produce.

We acknowledge we can contribute to our production partner’s capacity for Ethical Trade through our purchasing practices. Our Responsible Sourcing Policy was established via a collective process involving the whole design team in reflection of the 9 bird brands we design in-house, and it is a guideline we use and refer to regularly during our day to day dealings with all of production partners. You can read the policy here: birdsnest responsible sourcing policy

For the brands that we purchase wholesale (rather than design in-house) we have also put in place the ETI Base Code as the minimum we require in order to partner with any supplier. We want to be confident about our suppliers’ practices, and while we do not have the resources to audit each one, our expectations are clear. We believe together we can influence positive change and better practices.

As part of our commitment to the ETI we have developed and researched the salient risks affecting human rights and you can read about salient areas of risk associated with our industry here. Supply chain risk assessment

The opportunity for workers to have a voice and a freedom to come and go in the workplace is an important element that we work with each of our agents and factories on. It varies across the three regions we produce and we have outlined the opportunities for continuous improvement. Read more

You can see our governance and accountability structure here