Chanel
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Privately owned luxury house selling couture, ready-to-wear and handbags.
Chanel publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton and leather
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Chanel's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Dresses & skirts, Jackets & coats, Knitwear, Pants & trousers, Shirts, Shoes, Boots, Sandals & thongs, Sneakers, Bags & backpacks: Lacks transparency, the same as Chanel overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Chanel names some of the countries it makes in: France and Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited. Source
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Chanel says its Fashion suppliers are mostly small and medium-sized firms in France and Italy, but it does not publish a supplier list or a country breakdown. It runs company-wide supplier audits (about 480 full audits in 2025), some based on SA8000, and works with the Fair Wage Network on wages, but it has made no living wage commitment for garment and leather workers. GOTS and Fair for Life cover only some materials. Its earlier statements report recruitment fees repaid to migrant workers at supplier sites in Malaysia and Thailand, outside its fashion range.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Chanel Limited publishes an annual UK modern slavery statement; the 2025 statement reports about 2,000 direct Fashion partners, mostly in Europe, and 504 full supplier audits in 2024 across all business lines. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Chanel (Australia) Pty Ltd's 2025 statement says it receives finished products from France, Switzerland and Italy; Chanel ran about 480 full ESG audits in 2025. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In July 2026 Italian police searched Chanel's offices in a Milan prosecutors' probe into Chinese workers exploited at luxury-brand subcontractors; reports differ on whether Chanel itself is formally under investigation, and it says it ended work with a subcontractor of its packaging supplier in May 2026 (Reuters, AFP, 2026). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Italy investigates Chanel, Bulgari and other luxury brands (FashionUnited) · search the archive · Milan probe into suspected exploitation of Chinese workers at subcontractors of 11 brands including Chanel
- Chanel cuts ties with subcontractor amid Italy labour probe (Deccan Chronicle/Reuters) · search the archive · July 2026 police visit; Chanel not under investigation; packaging supplier's subcontractor dropped after May 2026 alert
Published by Chanel or its owner
- Chanel Limited Modern Slavery Statement UK FY2024 (2025) · search the archive · About 2,000 Fashion partners mostly in Europe; 504 audits in 2024; Fair Wage Network wage studies; GOTS and Fair for Life for some materials
- Chanel Limited Modern Slavery Act Statement FY2023 · search the archive · Fashion tier 1 suppliers mostly in France and Italy; recruitment fees repaid in Malaysia and Thailand; Italian homeworker checks
- Chanel (Australia) Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Finished products from France, Switzerland and Italy; around 900 direct suppliers, 80% in Europe; about 480 full ESG audits in 2025
- Chanel (Australia) Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2021 · search the archive · Over 2,000 Fashion suppliers mostly in France and Italy; no living wage commitment
- California Transparency in Supply Chains (Chanel) · search the archive · Announced and unannounced audits, some based on SA8000
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Employees
- About 38,400
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Chanel ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/chanel, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Chanel.