Lacoste
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
French brand known for its crocodile-logo polo shirts.
There's no proof Lacoste pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Türkiye is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) was a link through a supplier, which the company has 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.
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 rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Türkiye and Vietnam.
- 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, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade. An unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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: leather
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Lacoste's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as 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 |
| Türkiye | 17% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Vietnam | 10% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| France | 5% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Peru | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Romania | 3% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Tunisia | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Italy | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South Korea | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | 2% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Lacoste makes some garments at its own Les Gayettes site in Troyes, France, but most products come from independent suppliers. Shares are factory counts from its January 2020 tier 1 list (264 factories, 38 countries); it publishes a current list twice a year (June 2026), but country totals from it are not shown here. 79% of tier 1-4 social audits were validated in 2025. It has no living wage programme. About half its cotton is preferred cotton from partner farms; footwear leather is LWG Gold-rated, which does not show hide origin.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Scored 41 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above the 31.5 average. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 38% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | AP reported in 2020 the Worker Rights Consortium finding that Lacoste gloves were made with Xinjiang internment camp labour. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Company profile; named in ASPI's 2020 Uyghur forced labour report, with company responses. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report linked three Chinese factories that used transferred Uyghur workers to Lacoste's supply chain; Lacoste said the named factories were not in its chain or had passed audits (ASPI via Glossy, 2020).Acted on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesLacoste disputed the links but agreed in June 2020 to stop working with any implicated suppliers and to carry out due diligence across its Chinese production. |
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.
- In 2026 Repórter Brasil linked Fazenda Reata, a Mato Grosso cotton farm where inspectors found 35 workers in slavery-like conditions, through exporter Viterra to spinners on Lacoste's supplier list; Lacoste said its traceability showed none of the farm's cotton was in its products (Repórter Brasil, 2026). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Lacoste - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026: 41/100 (average 31.5); Fashion Transparency Index 2023: 38%.
- Report: Lacoste gloves being produced in internment camp (AP via Manufacturing.net) · search the archive · WRC 2020 finding at Yili Zhuo Wan Garment; Lacoste halted shipments
- Glossy: Lacoste and Adidas pledge to cut forced Uighur labor from supply chain · search the archive · Lacoste agreed in June 2020 to cease activity with suppliers implicated in the ASPI report and conduct due diligence in China.
Published by Lacoste or its owner
- Lacoste - Compliance (factory list, supplier code, reports) · search the archive · Publishes active factory list (spinning to assembly), updated twice a year; ICS social audits; supplier code of conduct
- Lacoste Tier 1 Factories List, 28 January 2020 · search the archive · 264 tier 1 factories in 38 countries: China 58, Turkey 40, Vietnam 14, France 12, Peru 12, Romania 9, Tunisia 9
- Lacoste Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · 8,500 staff; 49% preferred cotton; 99% of tier 1-4 textile factories traceable; 79% of social audits validated; footwear leather LWG Gold.
- Lacoste Engagement Report 2024 (Durable Elegance) · search the archive · Designated cotton farms mainly in Australia, US, Greece and Peru; ICS social audits; no living wage commitment
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Employees
- About 8,500
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lacoste ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lacoste, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded everyday fashion
14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGoodThe Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsMiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsThe Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice3 stars
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 Lacoste.