Committed To A Better Future


We have been a fashion destination for Australian Women since the 1940’s and as we have evolved, so have our products. We acknowledge sustainable and ethical operations drive positive change – not just for our customers or our own team members, but also for our suppliers and their team members.

Our focus is to always act ethically, with integrity, responsibility and with care in all our dealings. ‘Ethical Sourcing’ involves assessing, addressing and respecting the human rights of all workers in our supply chain. Everyone has the right to work and live in freedom from exploitative practices. As our supply chain evolves, our governance practices are adaptable to meet new challenges and changing conditions.

We are dedicated to continuous improvement and active engagement with all stakeholders, including our team members, suppliers, government and non-government bodies to effectively identify and address risks of unethical practices. All of our commitments are underpinned by our values and commitment to make meaningful and lasting change.

Better Products

We are committed to the highest standards of ethical and responsible sourcing.

Better Cotton

Portmans partner with Better Cotton to improve cotton farming globally.

Better Cotton’s mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.

Better Cotton trains farmers to use water efficiently, care for soil health and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called “mass balance”. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source’.

The Just Group is committed to sourcing at least 25% of our cotton as Better Cotton by 2025.

Responsible Viscose

In December 2022, we launched a new sustainable initiative using LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose for a selection of Portman’s products. Viscose is a manmade cellulosic fibre, which originates from wood pulp as does the materials acetate, lyocell, modal and cupro.

Traditional production of viscose contributes to deforestation, destroying precious ecosystems and biodiversity, putting species, communities and our climate at risk.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose is a sustainable fabric derived from certified renewable wood sources and made using eco-responsible production methods. It generates up to 50% lower emissions and water impact than traditional viscose, contributing to a cleaner environment.

This is just one of our steps towards a future of sustainable fashion and our commitment to using more eco-conscious materials in our ranges.

Learn more about LENZING™ ECOVERO™ here.

In addition to our work with Sustainable Viscose:

  • We are a member of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, working with our peers on worker health and safety initiatives.
  • We are a signatory to the Pledge Against Child and Adult Forced Labour.
  • Since 2011 we have prohibited the harmful practice of ‘sandblasting’ denim.
  • Do not condone any form of animal cruelty, and have banned the use of angora and other rabbit hair, fur and feathers in our products.

Better Practices

Advocating, protecting and improving living and working Conditions.

We recognise the social and environmental impacts that our purchasing decisions have, and share our customers’ full engagement in understanding where our products are made and that they are sourced responsibly and ethically.

Policies are only one part of our work in safeguarding human rights in our supply chain – but policies alone cannot sufficiently mitigate the risks vulnerable workers may face in the countries we source our products from.

Our Ethical Sourcing Program has a range of measures and procedures to support existing international human rights standards and local laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Actions and Due Diligence – Sourcing Responsibly and Ethically

Our sourcing model and policies enable us to make responsible sourcing decisions and ensure that risks are identified, managed and mitigated within our framework.

This includes:

  • Our work with our global audit and compliance partner ELEVATE – who are a global market leader in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), sustainability and supply chain services.
  • Annual 3rd party audits for all factories (Elevate Responsible Sourcing Assessments or other approved audit types).
  • Remediation and Corrective Action Plan Management – to close out any issues in audits.
  • Production Verification Assessments – to ensure product is only made in approved factories.
  • Anonymous Worker Sentiment Surveys – to understand the experience of workers.
  • Our work provides us with data driven insights into our factory partners. With transparency and integrity being key principles of our program, we continue to develop the necessary capacity building and remediation programs to address any issues that are identified.

Just Group Policies

The Supplier Ethical Code of Conduct has been written using the key human rights principles from International Labour Organization (ILO) core standards and The United Nation’s Guiding Principles on Human Rights (UNGPs).

All suppliers must sign our supply Terms and Conditions, of which the Code of Conduct is part, prior to any orders being placed.

The Code of Conduct is reviewed annually to ensure we are proactively addressing human rights issues or legislative changes that need to be updated in our policies.

Living wage

A Living Wage will provide workers with compensation for a regular working week that meets their basic needs as well as a level of discretionary income. In addition to compliance to local laws, we strongly encourage all suppliers they work with to pay workers a living wage. Our full position on Living Wage with our work to date and future milestones can be read here.

Modern Slavery Statement

We have a zero tolerance to modern slavery in all its forms. We recognise our responsibility in helping to reduce the incidence of modern slavery.

Portmans is part of Premier Investments Limited (ASX:PMV), and our Modern Slavery Statements further outline our Ethical Sourcing program and actions to address Modern Slavery in the supply chain. You can read our Modern Slavery statements on the Premier Investments website here.

Better Experiences

Through continued collaboration with community partnerships, we believe it’s important to have a positive impact where we work and live.

In addition to our work with our international partners, in our stores we are also committed to continuous improvement to ensure our customers and team members to have great experiences.

Initiatives we have implemented include:

  • A plastic bag reduction initiative, which in the trial stage reduced plastic bag usage by 64%
  • The upgrade of all stores to LED lighting
  • Product and waste reuse and recycling programs. We have recycled nearly 1,000 tonnes of cardboard and paper in our distribution centres alone in the last 12 months
  • Partnership with social enterprise Reground who recycle our soft plastics in our head office, and warehouse
  • Supporting Thread Together who work alongside a number of charities around Australia by supplying first life product to vulnerable communities
  • Collaboration with Upparel, who specialise in recycling of clothing not suitable for use

Better Together

We strive to create a great place to work that is safe, inclusive and has the best talent who can connect with current and emerging customer needs.

Our robust platform for preventing and eliminating discrimination, bullying, harassment, vilification and victimisation ensures appropriate standards of behaviour and conduct in everything we do. In addition, we pride ourselves on our commitment to diversity within our teams.

We support industry and government initiatives to ensure our valued team members are treated with respect. No one should be exposed to an unsafe work environment.

We have a dedicated Ethical Sourcing team who lead the delivery, development and improvement of our ethical and sustainability programs. Our team also conducts training at all levels of our organisation and our factory partners.

In addition to our team members based in Melbourne, the Just Group have a Merchandising office in Dhaka, Bangladesh with dedicated team members responsible for Ethical Sourcing and Compliance working directly with our factory partners.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We pay respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders, past present and emerging.