Background In response to widespread concern over issues of sustainability and unethical practices, many fashion businesses are seeking out accreditation systems in a bid to mitigate consumer mistrust and communicate different ethical and sustainable aspects of their business models. Fashion social enterprises comprise a small but important section of the Australian fashion industry and as values- and mission-focused enterprises, they have a significantly higher incentive to validate claims regarding ethical or sustainable credentials. Within a landscape that includes 14 key third-party accreditation systems, Australian fashion social enterprises are faced with a complex task of navigating which accreditation systems are the most suitable for their business operations. Report Our report draws on the insights gained from a series of roundtable focus groups and in-depth interviews with academics and representatives from government agencies (GAs), accreditation organisations (AOs) and fashion social enterprises (FSEs). Our research identified six common issues regarding the implementation of ethical accreditation systems for fashion social enterprise: Cost of accreditation Value of accreditation Layering of accreditation Risks of using accreditation Risks of non-accreditation Expectation of ethical ‘perfection’. Together, the analysis of these issues provides a comprehensive picture of the challenges involved in the accreditation process and informs our recommendations of how the implementation of third-party accreditations can be better supported. Key findings Accreditation and certification systems have the potential to encourage the implementation of more ethical and sustainable practices in Australian FSEs and across the broader Australian fashion industry. However, as this research indicates, there are currently several barriers that prevent FSEs from becoming accredited through third-party systems and challenges that hinder these accreditation systems from having the impact they aim for. Based on the six common issues identified, we have established four recommendations to better facilitate the process of third-party ethical accreditation and certification: consumer education, cost subsidies and resourcing, baseline ethical standards, and regulation of accrediting bodies.