Zara (Inditex)
Partly verifiedZara (Inditex) raises serious concerns: workers in China, Morocco and Türkiye are very unlikely to earn a living wage, and unions and workers' rights are heavily restricted in China and Türkiye, with no independent audits.
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 2 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 2
- Does not pay a living wage
- Hidden or unaudited supply chain (no certification or documentation, or major production in countries with poor worker rights without independent audits)
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 27% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Morocco 16% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye 14% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Bangladesh 11% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Spain 10% | Strong protections | Slightly below a living wage | Low |
| India 9% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
| Portugal 8% | Strong protections | Below a living wage | Low |
| Pakistan 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cotton is linked to forced labour (Xinjiang, Turkmenistan) and child labour in several growing regions.
- Publishes supplier list
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Modern slavery statement
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Uses high-risk raw materials (e.g. leather tanning, mica, artisanal gold)
- Uses higher-risk raw materials such as leather that aren't traced to the farm. This is noted as a risk but doesn't decide the grade.
Zara's owner Inditex publishes its supplier list and the number of suppliers and factories in each production cluster, but not production volumes by country; the shares shown are based on its 2023 supplier counts. It has a global framework agreement with the IndustriALL union federation, signed the International Accord including its Pakistan extension, and announced a phased exit from Myanmar in 2023 over human rights concerns. It gives no evidence that workers making its clothes earn a living wage and has no public, time-bound plan to get there.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Found | Scored 66 out of 100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, in the top 20% of companies assessed. View ↗ |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Found | Scored 50% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index; the 2025 edition assessed climate disclosure only. View ↗ |
| KnowTheChain | Found | Scored 38 out of 100 in the 2023 KnowTheChain apparel and footwear benchmark, against an average of 21. View ↗ |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Found | Scored 42.2 out of 100 in the 2023 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Found | Lodges Australian modern slavery statements through Group Zara Australia Pty Limited. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Found | ITX UK Limited lodges modern slavery statements on the UK registry. View ↗ |
| Fair Wear | Not listed | Not a Fair Wear member. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Tracks 37 response requests to Inditex, which has responded to 95%, covering issues such as Moroccan factory abuses, Bangladesh closures and union busting in Türkiye. View ↗ |
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.
- A coalition of 28 civil society groups alleged that Zara Canada has supply links to Chinese firms accused of using Uyghur forced labour, and Canada's corporate ethics ombudsperson opened an investigation in 2023; Zara says it has no commercial relationship with any factory in Xinjiang (Just Style, 2023). Source ↗
- The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report named Zara among 83 brands linked to factories in China using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang (Campaign for Uyghurs, 2020). Source ↗
- A Public Eye investigation published in 2019 traced a Zara hoody to Turkish factories and reported low wages and worker exploitation driven by price pressure; Inditex called the report inaccurate (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2019). Source ↗
- A report on Moroccan garment factories supplying Zara and Mango described informal employment, unpaid overtime, excessive production targets and retaliation against union members, mostly affecting women workers (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source ↗
- The Turkish union Öz İplik İş accused Eroğlu Giyim, a supplier to Inditex, H&M and PVH, of threatening workers with dismissal to stop a strike in April 2026; Inditex did not comment (ESG Dive, 2026). Source ↗
Owned by
Inditex
Headquarters
Spain
Employees
About 162,000
Sources (12)
- Más India y Marruecos, menos China: Inditex reduce su dependencia del gigante asiático – Modaes · archived copy · 2023 data: 1,375 suppliers with purchases; China 367, Morocco 216, Türkiye 186, Bangladesh 150, Spain 138, India 122, Portugal 114, Pakistan 69 suppliers; used to approximate production shares.
- More plants and farther away: where Inditex's factories will be in 2025 – Modaes · archived copy · 6,684 factories in 49 countries in 2025; 61.8% in Asia, 37.7% in proximity regions (EU, non-EU Europe, Africa).
- How Ethical Is Zara? – Good On You · archived copy · Labour rated 'Not Good Enough'; little to no progress on living wages; publishes a supplier list for final-stage production.
- Inditex reveals its List of Wet Processors – Apparel Resources · archived copy · Inditex disclosed 404 wet-processing suppliers including dyeing, washing, tanning and printing (2016).
- Inditex – Shop Ethical! · archived copy · Fashion Transparency Index 2023: 50%; Ethical Fashion Report 2024: 66/100, top 20%; KnowTheChain 2023: 38/100 (average 21); ASPI 2020 Uyghur link; no evidence of a living wage (Clean Clothes Campaign,
- Fashion Transparency Index 2023 – Zara – Wikirate · archived copy · Zara scored 5.0 out of 10 (50%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index.
- Why fast fashion brands rank highly in the Ethical Fashion Report – Baptist World Aid · archived copy · Zara ranks in the top 20% of companies in the 10th edition (2024) Ethical Fashion Report; industry average 31.3%.
- Inditex CHRB scorecard 2023 – World Benchmarking Alliance · archived copy · Inditex scored 42.2 out of 100 in the 2023 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, weakest on remedy and responses to serious allegations.
- Inditex modern slavery statement – Australian Modern Slavery Register · archived copy · Statement lodged for Group Zara Australia Pty Limited for the year ended 31 January 2022; 1,790 suppliers using 8,756 factories in 2021.
- ITX UK Limited modern slavery statement summary – UK registry · archived copy · ITX UK Limited lodges modern slavery statements on the UK registry.
- 35 global brands and retailers have now signed the Pakistan Accord – International Accord · archived copy · Inditex is a signatory of the International Accord and its Pakistan Accord.
- Inditex renews supply chain agreement – Ecotextile News · archived copy · Global framework agreement with IndustriALL on trade union rights in the supply chain; introduced living wage wording into its code.
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.