Superga
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Turin footwear brand known for 2750 canvas sneakers.
Superga publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where 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
- 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, leather and natural rubber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton and natural rubber
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Superga says it makes products in Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited.
- 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.
- Doesn't show where its natural rubber comes from. Natural rubber is linked to forced and child labour on some rubber plantations, 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 Superga shoes are made by independent manufacturers, called sourcing centres, licensed by owner BasicNet. BasicNet does not publish Superga's factories or their locations beyond Italy; group-wide, 82% of sourcing centre sales in 2024 were in Asia and Oceania, and a small four-shoe line is made in Puglia, Italy. BasicNet asks suppliers to follow an ILO-based code of conduct but discloses no independent audit results, living wage commitment or modern slavery statement, and Superga is not covered by the Ethical Fashion Report. No labour abuses linked to Superga factories have been reported.
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Superga - Good On You · search the archive · No evidence of living wages; code covers some ILO principles; appears to use leather; does not trace animal materials
- BasicNet 2024 Annual Report (FinancialFilings) · search the archive · Products made by licensed sourcing centres; 82.3% of 2024 sourcing centre sales in Asia and Oceania; ILO-based code; Superga S.r.l. a key subsidiary
- John Lewis: Superga 2750 Cotu Classic · search the archive · Country of origin: Vietnam
- Very Good Lord: Superga · search the archive · Formerly made in Italy, Superga canvas sneakers are now made in Vietnam
- Superga (brand) - Wikipedia · search the archive · Founded 1911 in Turin making rubber-soled footwear; 2750 canvas tennis shoe; subsidiary of BasicNet
Published by Superga or its owner
- Made in Italy (Superga) · search the archive · Four-shoe 1925 and 2390 line with cotton uppers 'crafted in Puglia'
- Superga official site · search the archive · Canvas sneakers including the 2750, boots, sandals and accessories for women, men and kids; operated by BasicNet
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Superga ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/superga, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded footwear
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 Superga.