Labour Lens

Ecco

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 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Family-owned Danish company making leather shoes and bags.

There's no proof Ecco pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

See better footwear options

Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Ecco? Send a right of reply.

Compare Ecco with another brand

Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production 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 3 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rights67% of its products are made in countries such as China and Indonesia, 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
  • Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
  • Met: High-risk raw materials (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: leather

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Where it's made

From Ecco's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China23%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Vietnam19%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Indonesia16%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Thailand14%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Portugal14%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
BangladeshUsual for the industry6%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndiaUsual for the industry3%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
CambodiaUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
TürkiyeUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
PakistanUsual for the industry1%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its leather.
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Owns or runs its own production
  • Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
  • Traces or certifies most but not all of its leather. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes ECCO makes most of its shoes in factories it owns in Indonesia, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Portugal (its Slovak factory closed in 2025), and tans its own leather in tanneries in Indonesia, Thailand and China that hold Leather Working Group Gold ratings. It does not publish production shares by country, a factory list, audit results or wage data. It says it pays at least the legal minimum wage and has made no public living wage commitment. It gives no shares by country; the shares count its five own shoe factories, one in each country.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterListedPublishes an annual group modern slavery and transparency statement covering the Australian, UK, Norwegian and Canadian laws; the 2025 statement covers calendar year 2025. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedCompany profile records no labour abuse allegations and no response requests. 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.

  • Clean Clothes Campaign's 2016 'Labour on a shoestring' research on Eastern European shoe factories raised concerns about heat and workers fainting at ECCO's former factory in Slovakia; ECCO disputed the criticism and said it had improved heat conditions and paid above the minimum wage (ECCO response to BHRRC, 2016). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Ecco - Answers to Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (2016) · search the archive · ECCO owns its tanneries and shoe factories; pays at least legal minimum wage; disputes CCC Slovakia criticism
  2. ECCO - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · No allegations or response requests recorded
  3. Danish shoemaker Ecco to shut Slovak factory (The Slovak Spectator) · search the archive · ECCO announced in April 2025 it would close its shoe factory in Martin, Slovakia
  4. Australian Women's Weekly: Inside the ECCO shoes factory · search the archive · Toosbuy family still owns and runs ECCO; based near Tønder/Bredebro, Denmark; owns its own tanneries since 1985

Published by Ecco or its owner

  1. ECCO Modern Slavery & Transparency Statement 2025 · search the archive · Owns production in Portugal, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Vietnam; owns tanning and shoe production (tiers 1-3); over 20,000 staff
  2. Corporate Responsibility - ECCO Group · search the archive · Owned tanneries in Indonesia, Thailand and China are LWG Gold certified; 3,000 staff at Xiamen shoe factory
  3. ECCO Careers: Shoe production · search the archive · ECCO's own shoe factories: one each in Portugal, Slovakia (since closed), Indonesia, Thailand, China and Vietnam

Company details

Headquarters
Denmark
Employees
About 20,000
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Ecco ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ecco, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Better-graded footwear

14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGoodJumbo Ugg AustraliaClothing & footwearAustralian-made sheepskin ugg bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerifiedRedback BootsClothing & footwearAustralian-made leather work bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsVejaClothing & footwearSneakersHolds Fair Trade USA factory certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 stars

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

See every footwear brand

Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Ecco.

Send evidenceSend a right of reply