Diadora

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

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Italian sports brand selling running, football and tennis shoes.

Diadora 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.

Better-graded footwear

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

14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGood Jumbo Ugg AustraliaClothing & footwearAustralian-made sheepskin ugg bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerified Redback BootsClothing & footwearAustralian-made leather work bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond VejaClothing & footwearSneakersHolds Fair Trade USA factory certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond

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 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 rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where 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: cotton and leather

Red flags 2

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Hidden supply chain, 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

Diadora names some of the countries it makes in: Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
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

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.
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 Diadora's 2023 sustainability report says 70% of its direct suppliers are European and 57% operate in Italy, and that 45% of its footwear is made in Europe, but it does not name the non-European countries or publish a factory list. Its own Italian factory makes only pilot and flagship models. It assessed 81 suppliers through EcoVadis and made a few on-site audits in 2023, with corrective action plans, but publishes no audit results or living wage commitment. No confirmed labour abuses in its supply chain were found.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not listed	Neither Diadora nor its owner LIR is rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report. 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.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported in 2025 that Bicontinentar, an Argentine shoe factory that made Diadora products under licence in 2021-23, dismissed 134 workers in November 2024 and paid less than half the severance owed; Diadora said its licensee left in December 2023 with all payments settled. Source

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Diadora's response to Bicontinentar factory layoffs (BHRRC, 2025) · search the archive · Bicontinentar made Diadora products via a licensee 2021-23; relationship ended December 2023
After Geox, Diadora cuts jobs too (La Conceria) · search the archive · Diadora is owned by LIR (Moretti Polegato family); 27 redundancies planned from 199 staff
Diadora at END. Australia · search the archive · Diadora shoes sold online with prices in Australian dollars
Embargan terrenos de ex fabricante de New Balance y Diadora (iProfesional, 2026) · search the archive · Court embargo to pay 134 workers dismissed in November 2024 whose severance was not paid

Published by Diadora or its owner

Diadora Sustainability Report 2022 · search the archive · 148 suppliers, 28% of production in Europe; 13,000 pieces at Caerano factory; supplier rules on chrome-tanned leather
Diadora Bilancio di Sostenibilità 2023 · search the archive · 2023: 70% of direct suppliers European, 57% in Italy; 45% of footwear made in Europe; 81 EcoVadis supplier assessments

Company details

Owned by: LIR (Moretti Polegato family holding company, also owner of Geox)
Headquarters: Italy
Employees: About 199
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Diadora ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/diadora, 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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