Labour Lens

Melissa

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 30 October 2026 · 5 sources

Brazilian brand of vegan moulded plastic shoes, owned by Grendene.

There's no proof Melissa pays more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage.

Better-graded footwear

Graded higher than Melissa, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

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.

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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, 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 rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil.
  • 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 (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range

Red flags 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good:
StarAwarded for
Open supply chain

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From Melissa's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
BrazilSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
  • Owns or runs its own production
  • Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)

Research notes Melissa shoes are made in Brazil in factories wholly owned by its parent Grendene, including plants in Sobral and Crato in Ceara; Grendene has more than 24,000 staff across six units in Ceara, Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia. The shoes are moulded from PVC-based plastic and registered as vegan, so leather and cotton are not used. Grendene states its workers get fair pay and good conditions, but publishes no independent social audit results, wage data or supplier list.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)Not listedNot in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index; Melissa scored 39% in the 2020 Brazilian edition of the index, above the 21% average. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Grendene vai inaugurar em 2022 fabrica em Crato (O Povo, 2021) · search the archive · Grendene has more than 24,000 employees across six units: Fortaleza, Sobral, Crato (Ceara), Farroupilha (RS) and Teixeira de Freitas (Bahia).
  2. Com fabricas no Ceara, Grendene registra lucro bruto de R$ 240,4 milhoes (O Povo, 2024) · search the archive · Grendene has four industrial units in Ceara and Rio Grande do Sul with capacity of about 250 million pairs a year.
  3. Indice de Transparencia da Moda Brasil destaca acoes da Grendene · search the archive · Melissa scored 39% and Ipanema 38% in the 2020 Brazilian Fashion Transparency Index, against a 21% average.

Published by Melissa or its owner

  1. How are Melissas made? (Melissa sustainability page) · search the archive · Made in Brazil; Grendene owns 100% of its factories (Sobral, Crato); shoes registered as vegan; no social audit or certification mentioned.
  2. Melissa Australia stockist lists · search the archive · Sold in Australian stores including Universal Store and boutiques in NSW, QLD, VIC and WA, and online via THE ICONIC, Myer and David Jones.

Company details

Headquarters
Brazil
Last researched
30 October 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Melissa ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/melissa, last researched 30 October 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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

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