Labour Lens

PUMA

Harm on record

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

German sportswear company selling shoes and clothing.

In 2024, migrant workers at Taiwanese textile mills supplying PUMA paid recruitment fees of up to US$6,000, a sign of forced labour.

Also worth knowing

PUMA has only partly put this right.

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Why it's graded Harm on record

  • Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no proof yet of a living wage and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
  • Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2024.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: union rights breach, last recorded in 2023
  • 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No proof yet that it pays a living wage (it's working towards one)
  • 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

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

Vietnam has the largest share, 31%. China is next, at 25%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
Vietnam31%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
China25%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Cambodia18%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Bangladesh10%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Indonesia10%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
India6%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Publishes supplier list
  • Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
  • Modern slavery statement
  • 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 PUMA makes almost all of its products through about 141 independent suppliers in Asia, mainly in Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India. It publishes a factory list covering over 80% of sourcing volume, is accredited by the Fair Labor Association, signed the International Accord and scored 57/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, well above the 31.5 average. Its 2030 goal is only a 'progressive salary increase towards a living wage', with no deadline or proof that workers are paid a living wage today.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportListedScored 57 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), from public information only, after 61 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)ListedScored 66% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, well above the 26% average. View
Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance)ListedScored 92.7 out of 100 in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (average 53.7). View
KnowTheChainListedScored 58 out of 100 in the 2023 KnowTheChain apparel and footwear benchmark (average 21). View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedPublishes an annual modern slavery statement covering PUMA Australia and other subsidiaries; the 2024 statement flags forced and child labour risks in cotton, leather and natural rubber. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedProfile notes no public evidence that PUMA suppliers pay a living wage (Fashion Checker) and a KnowTheChain score of 58/100 in 2023. 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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2024A Transparentem investigation found forced labour indicators, including recruitment fees of up to US$6,000, among migrant workers at Taiwanese textile mills supplying PUMA and other brands; audits in 2024 broadly confirmed the findings (Transparentem, 2025). Source · archived copyPartlyPUMA was one of the buyers that led remediation at a supplier; corrective plans were agreed, but recruitment fee repayment across the industry was still incomplete in 2026.
2023At least 12 workers lost their jobs after trying to form unions at Bright Flushing and Eastcrown, Cambodian factories making PUMA products, in 2022-2023, with more union members let go at Eastcrown in 2023 (US Department of Labor; CamboJA, 2023). Source · archived copyPartlyPUMA mediated and 11 workers were reinstated and compensated; the 13 Eastcrown union leaders dismissed in 2023 were reinstated from April 2024 with 50% back pay.

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.

  • The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report named PUMA among 83 brands linked to factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang; PUMA said it had no relationship with the named garment factory and its yarn came from a different Huafu site (UK Parliament evidence, 2020). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Puma Australia - Shop Ethical! (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 57/100 (avg 31.5); CHRB 2026 92.7; KnowTheChain 2023 58; FTI 2023 66%; Accord signatory
  2. Following the Thread - Labor Abuses in Taiwan's Textile Industry (Transparentem) · archived copy · Forced labour indicators and fees up to US$6,000 at Taiwan mills; PUMA listed as a contacted buyer leading remediation
  3. Example in Action: Puma's Intervention to Reinstate Union Workers (US DOL) · archived copy · Union workers dismissed at Bright Flushing and Eastcrown, Cambodia, 2022-23; 11 reinstated and compensated
  4. Puma-Supplier Employees Lose Their Jobs Again in Alleged Union-Busting (Central) · search the archive · 13 Eastcrown union members lost jobs again in 2023 after a union election
  5. PUMA new Vision 2030 targets (Business Wire) · search the archive · 2030 goal of a progressive salary increase towards a living wage; no interim milestones

Published by PUMA or its owner

  1. PUMA Annual Report 2025 - Strategy, business model and value chain · search the archive · 2025 sourcing: Vietnam 29%, China 23%, Cambodia 17%, Bangladesh 9%, Indonesia 9%, India 6%; 141 independent suppliers in 27 countries
  2. PUMA Modern Slavery Act statement (2024) · search the archive · Covers PUMA Australia; FLA-accredited audits; Tier 1 and 2 lists published; risks in cotton, leather, rubber

Company details

Headquarters
Germany
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is PUMA ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/puma, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means

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Something missing or wrong?

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