Dhaka, Nov. 20 -- About 97 per cent of major global fashion brands, including H&M, Inditex, Mango, Gap, Nike, and Primark, were found to pay less than a living wage to their supply chain workers, despite differences in their levels of transparency and public commitment, according to a German study.

The United States leads the ranking, with up to 68 companies failing to ensure decent wages for their workers in the value chain, the study said.

The Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI) conducted the study, published last month, using data from fashionchecker.org that examined 219 companies from 28 countries.

It assessed five criteria: supply chain transparency, payment of living wages, action plans for living wages, public commi...