Ellesse
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Italian-founded sportswear label selling tracksuits and sneakers.
Ellesse's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2025, which it has only partly acted on, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2025) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Ellesse looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and a union rights breach in 2024 and is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: a forced labour link in 2025. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From its parent group's supplier list, which covers Ellesse and its sister brands. Ellesse publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- 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 Ellesse is made by independent suppliers in Pentland Brands' shared supply chain of 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations, including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Pakistan; Pentland co-owns three factories (two in Sri Lanka, one in Vietnam). Pentland publishes a combined tier 1 factory list with third-party audits, is an Ethical Trading Initiative and ACT member and backed Cambodia's first brand-supported collective agreement, but has no dated living wage target and no Ellesse-only breakdown. Ellesse has no Ethical Fashion Report score of its own. Its sneakers use some leather.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Ellesse has no Ethical Fashion Report score of its own; owner Pentland Group scored 32 out of 100 in the 2024 report, and sister brand Canterbury scored 39 in 2026 (average 31.5). View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by Pentland Brands' annual modern slavery report; the 2025 report lists 161 tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations and 12 zero-tolerance audit findings, all reported resolved. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored in the 41-50% band in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Pentland Brands profile lists no abuse stories or response requests; Fashion Checker found no public evidence suppliers pay a living wage. View |
Confirmed issues 4
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Link through a supplierAfter an NGO raised concerns, Pentland Brands confirmed that foreign workers at a nominated fabric mill group in Taiwan, with about 700 foreign contract workers, may have paid fees to get their jobs (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archive | PartlyPentland joined collective action with other brands; refunds of brokerage fees to workers are expected by December 2026. |
| 2025 | A Pentland-commissioned NGO investigation in late 2025 found that Myanmar migrant workers at several Thai supplier factories had paid substantial work permit fees (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyFactories were told to pay visa and work permit fees under an 'employer pays' rule; follow-up monitoring is ongoing. |
| 2025 | Two complaints lodged through the ACT grievance mechanism in 2025 concerned the unfair dismissal of union workers at Pentland supplier factories in Cambodia (Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report, 2025). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesWorkers who wished to return were rehired and a union organising election was later held. |
| 2024 | Pentland Brands' 2024 Modern Slavery Report says audits of its supplier factories found seven zero-tolerance breaches covering freedom of association, unsafe or unhygienic conditions and excessive working hours. Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | YesPentland says all seven zero-tolerance issues found in 2024 were resolved with the factories. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ellesse - Good On You · search the archive · FTI 2023 score 41-50%; appears to use leather; no evidence of living wages paid
- Pentland Brands - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · No abuse stories or response requests recorded; no evidence of living wages per Fashion Checker
- Pentland Group - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Pentland owns ellesse; Pentland Group 2024 Ethical Fashion Report 32/100; no separate ellesse score; ETI, ACT, Leather Working Group
Published by Ellesse or its owner
- Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report 2024 · search the archive · Tier 1 list published; 18 locations; 3 co-owned factories; 7 zero-tolerance cases resolved; ETI, ACT, LWG; Cambodia CBA agreement; Taiwan fees case
- Ellesse heads back to the U.S. with new licensing partnership (Pentland Brands) · search the archive · Ellesse is a Pentland Brands label run through licensing partners in some markets
- Pentland Brands Modern Slavery Report 2025 (read 18 October 2026) · search the archive · Tier 1 suppliers in 18 locations; three co-owned factories (two in Sri Lanka, one in Vietnam); doesn't say which brands the nominated Taiwan mill supplies.
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ellesse ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ellesse, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded activewear
14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGoodBjörn BorgMissing: living wage proof and worker rights protections · Clothing & footwearUnderwear, sportswear, bags and footwearPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedNikeMissing: living wage proof, worker rights protections and traced raw materials · Clothing & footwearSportswear, sneakers and athletic apparelPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified
No activewear 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 Ellesse.