Adidas

Rated: Not good enough

price: $$$$

location: Germany

Adidas is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers.

Adidas sustainability rating

Planet

3 out of 5

People

2 out of 5

Animals

2 out of 5

Overall rating: Not good enough

Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (We avoid) to 5 (Great) How we rate


Adidas is owned by Adidas Group.

Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions and wastewater to business models and product circularity. Here we rate Adidas “It's a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • It uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials.
  • There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain.
  • It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.
  • It’s set a target to eliminate hazardous chemicals by 2025 and claims it’s on track.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assess brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate Adidas “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • Its social auditing program is accredited by Fair Labor Association (FLA), covering its entire final production stage.
  • It received a score of 51-60% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index.
  • It claims to have a program to improve wages but there’s no evidence it ensures its workers are paid living wages in most of its supply chain.
  • It has been linked to recent human rights violations in its supply chain, including ongoing cases of wage theft in Cambodia.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate Adidas “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • It has a formal policy aligned with the Five Freedoms of animal welfare but no clear implementation mechanisms in place.
  • It appears to use leather, down, and exotic animal skin.
  • It has a policy to source wool from non-mulesed sheep but doesn’t provide any evidence to verify its claims.
  • It doesn’t appear to use fur, angora, or exotic animal hair.
  • It traces some animal-derived materials to the first production stage.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate Adidas “Not Good Enough” overall.

Last updated November 2023