Labour Lens

Coccinelle

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Italian handbag brand selling leather bags, wallets and shoes.

We couldn't confirm where Coccinelle makes most of its Italian leather handbags.

Also worth knowing

Most clothes and shoes are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where pay is usually below a living wage and unions are heavily restricted.

Better-graded bags and accessories

Graded higher than Coccinelle, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

15 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: GlamCorner and Blue Spinach and 13 more · See them allGoodJoyyaClothing & footwearFair trade organic tees and bagsIts own factories in India hold WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Open supply chain; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities5 starsThe Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsThe Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice3 stars

Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain, probably in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
  • 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsWhere clothes and shoes are usually made, such as China and Bangladesh, unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
  • 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: leather

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably mostly in countries with poor worker rights

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Coccinelle makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China30%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Bangladesh20%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Vietnam15%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
India10%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Cambodia8%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Türkiye7%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
Indonesia5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Pakistan5%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • 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.
  • Uses cotton in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Coccinelle says it uses leather tanned in Italy but has manufacturing in several countries around the world; it does not name these countries, its factories or their shares. Leather bags make up about 70% of its sales. It publishes no supplier list, audit results, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment, and was among 13 brands asked for documents in a 2025 Milan probe into exploitation at Italian subcontractors.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreProblem foundRecords Coccinelle among 13 fashion firms asked by Milan prosecutors in December 2025 for supply chain documents in a subcontractor labour abuse probe. 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 December 2025 Milan prosecutors asked Coccinelle and 12 other fashion firms for supply chain audit documents after inspections of Italian subcontractors found Chinese workers in severe exploitation; the brands were not formally under investigation (BHRRC, 2025). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Coccinelle (Good On You directory) · search the archive · Insufficient information published on critical labour issues; uses leather
  2. Coccinelle exceeds EUR 100 million in revenue in 2025 (Il Sole 24 Ore) · search the archive · Part of E-Land since 2012; 150 staff in Milan and Parma; leathers tanned in Italy, manufacturing in several countries
  3. Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands (FashionUnited, 2025) · search the archive · Milan prosecutor asked 13 brands incl. Coccinelle for governance and audit documents; brands not formally investigated
  4. Coccinelle exceeds 100 million and wants to grow with shoes (La Conceria) · search the archive · Owned by E-Land; leather bags are the core business, about 70% of sales
  5. Parma, Coccinelle venduto ai coreani (Il Fatto Quotidiano, 2012) · search the archive · Sala Baganza (Parma) company sold in full to Korea's E-Land in 2012
  6. Coccinelle women's bags at Farfetch Australia · search the archive · Coccinelle bags, wallets and shoes sold to Australian shoppers in AUD through Farfetch's Australian site

Company details

Headquarters
Italy
Employees
About 150
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Coccinelle ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/coccinelle, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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