Esprit
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Casual clothing brand founded in San Francisco in 1968.
Esprit's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and we couldn't confirm where it makes most of its casual fashion for women and men.
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.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain, probably in high-risk countries 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 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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.
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 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
- 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Esprit makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- 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.
Research notes Up to 2023 Esprit used 384 independent first-tier suppliers; Bangladesh (14% of output), China (13%), Türkiye (13%) and India (10%) were the largest, with the rest spread across Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe and Tunisia. It then published a supplier list, signed ACT and the Bangladesh Accord and audited tier 1 factories. After its 2024 insolvencies it stopped sourcing and now licenses its name; licensees make the products and publish no factory or wage details. It left Australia in 2023.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 45% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not rated in Baptist World Aid's 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, the latest edition; Esprit left Australia in 2023. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Named among 83 brands in ASPI's 2020 report on Uyghur forced labour in Chinese factories; Esprit did not respond to the request for comment. 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 | Esprit's own 2023 audits found overtime above legal monthly limits in factories in Bangladesh, Pakistan and China, and social insurance not fully paid in China and Türkiye (Esprit ESG report, 2023). Source · search the archiveFound by the company, fix not shown The company found and published this itself but hasn't shown it is fixing it, so it counts against the grade. | Not knownEsprit reported the findings but did not say how each was fixed; it said no supplier was dropped for social non-compliance. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report named Esprit among 83 brands linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour (ASPI via BHRRC, 2020). | Not knownEsprit did not respond when the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre asked it to comment on the ASPI findings; no remedy for workers has been reported. |
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.
- After its 2020 German insolvency filing, Esprit was reported to have offered Bangladeshi suppliers only 7.5% of the value of cancelled orders, during the COVID-19 crisis when many garment workers went unpaid (Apparel Insider, 2020). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- China: 83 major brands implicated in report on forced labour (BHRRC) · search the archive · ASPI 2020 report names Esprit; Esprit did not respond
- Esprit - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023 45%; ACT and Better Cotton member; left AU/NZ late 2023
- Fashion brand Esprit will leave Australia and New Zealand (SmartCompany) · search the archive · Esprit announced in 2023 it would leave Australia and New Zealand to focus on Asia
- Esprit rights sold to British investor Alteri (FashionUnited) · search the archive · European brand rights sold to Alteri in Aug 2024 after insolvency
- Esprit Holdings ESG Report 2023 (HKEX) · search the archive · 2023 tier-1 sourcing: BD 14%, CN 13%, TR 13%, IN 10%; 384 suppliers; supplier list; ACT signatory; audit findings
- Esprit back in the red as troubled fashion brand bets on licensing (Inside Retail Asia, 2026) · search the archive · Esprit has exited design, production and retail; licensees in Greater China, North America and Latin America
- Suppliers left reeling by Esprit, Camaieu administrations (Apparel Insider) · search the archive · Esprit offered Bangladeshi suppliers 7.5% of the value of cancelled orders (2020)
Company details
- Owned by
- Esprit Holdings Ltd (Hong Kong-listed brand licensor); European brand rights sold to Alteri in 2024
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Esprit ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/esprit, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded basics
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