Diesel
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Italian fashion brand selling denim, clothing, footwear and bags.
In 2023, migrant workers at a Mauritian denim supplier faced high recruitment fees, deception and threats, signs of forced labour.
Also worth knowing
Diesel has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 5 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 0 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2013
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not 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
Red flags 5
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 4 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Diesel names some of the countries it makes in: Italy, Tunisia and Bangladesh. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Tunisia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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.
- 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.
- Uses leather 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 Diesel does not publish a supplier list or say how its production is split by country. Parent OTB says 72% of its 1,150+ first-tier suppliers are in Italy and 55% of 2024 orders went to Italy, but this covers all OTB brands; Diesel also uses suppliers in Tunisia and Bangladesh. Diesel asks for third-party social audits (BSCI, SMETA, SA8000) and signed the AAFA/FLA responsible recruitment commitment, but discloses no audit results, scored 19% on the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index and has no public living wage commitment. Leather is used in bags, footwear and some clothing.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 19% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Company profile lists labour stories on Mauritius migrant workers (2023-24), the E-Garment factory in Cambodia (2013) and child labour in India. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Diesel (London) Ltd publishes a UK modern slavery statement; it gives no supplier countries, audit numbers or living wage commitment. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | A two-year Transparentem investigation published in 2023 found forced labour indicators, including high recruitment fees, deception and threats, among migrant workers at Mauritian supplier Denim de l'Ile, which supplied Diesel. | PartlyDiesel joined a buyer group that commissioned Verite audits at DDI; by December 2024 it had not taken part in any repayment of recruitment fees (Transparentem). |
| 2013 | A 2013 Worker Rights Consortium brief documented violence against union members and illegal dismissals at the E-Garment factory in Cambodia, which named Diesel as a buyer. Source · search the archive | NoDiesel did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre's 2013 request for comment. |
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.
- A 2012 report on exploitative conditions at four Indian garment manufacturers, including the Sumangali bonded labour scheme for young women, linked Diesel to one or more of the factories (Shop Ethical summary, 2012). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Transparentem: Labor Rights Abuses in Mauritius' Apparel Factories · search the archive · Forced labour indicators at DDI and others; Diesel among 18 buyers and in DDI remediation buyer group
- BHRRC: Mauritius Transparentem investigation prompts buyer remediation · search the archive · DDI findings; brand responses 2024; Dec 2024 call for fee repayment, no DDI repayment reported
- BHRRC: Allegations of labour rights abuses at E-Garment factory in Cambodia · search the archive · 2013 WRC brief on violence against unionists at E-Garment; Diesel named as buyer, did not respond
- Diesel - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023 19%; owned by OTB; OTB is a Leather Working Group member; 2012 India report link
- Diesel joins denim circularity project in Tunisia (FashionNetwork, July 2022) · search the archive · Diesel's sustainability ambassador Andrea Rosso describes a cotton recycling pilot with Diesel's Tunisian suppliers (read 18 Oct 2026)
- OTB - The Value Chain · search the archive · Group-wide: 1,150+ first-tier suppliers in 36 countries, 72% in Italy; 55% of 2024 orders placed in Italy
Published by Diesel or its owner
- Diesel - Promote Integrity (For Responsible Living) · search the archive · Third-party audits aligned to BSCI/SMETA/SA8000; AAFA/FLA recruitment commitment; Italian supply chain procedure; Bangladesh supplier programme in Gazipur (read 18 Oct 2026)
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Diesel ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/diesel, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded bags and accessories
None of the bags and accessories brands we know to make jeans is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Joyya, The Social Studio and 7 more are Good, but we don't know that they make jeans. 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 Diesel.