Zegna
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Italian luxury menswear house.
Zegna publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Its supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden supply chain and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not 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
- 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 cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton, leather and cashmere
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
- 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
Where it's made
Zegna names some of the countries it makes in: Switzerland, Italy and Türkiye. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 71% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye | 14% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Switzerland | 14% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | under 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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. Source
- 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 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.
- Doesn't show where its cashmere comes from. Cashmere is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes About 60% of Zegna-brand production is done in group plants: five in Italy (Novara, Biella, Parma), one in Mendrisio, Switzerland, and a shirt plant in Turkey; shares shown count these plants. The rest is made by outside suppliers the group says are largely in Italy, with no public factory list. Over 95% of group yarn and fabric spending is with Italian suppliers, including its own mills. Suppliers follow a code of conduct with audits, but there is no living wage commitment. 42% of priority raw materials were traced in 2025.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Ermenegildo Zegna scored 33% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index (average 26%) and 18/100 in the 2025 climate-focused edition. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists Zegna among brands that did not respond to the Clean Clothes Campaign's 2017 report on poverty wages in Ukraine, Serbia and Hungary. 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 supplierASPI's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report listed Zegna among brands benefiting from Uyghur labour transfers, naming Youngor Textile Holdings in Anhui, part of Zegna partner Youngor Group, which took transferred Uyghur workers in 2017-2019 (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownNo public response from Zegna to the report has been recorded. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Uyghurs for Sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · Zegna listed among 83 brands; Youngor Textile Holdings took transferred Uyghur workers; Youngor cites partnership with Zegna
- Ermenegildo Zegna NV - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 33% (2023); criticised for links to Uyghur forced labour; rating C
- Zegna Group supply chain presentation (Filiera), December 2025 · search the archive · 60% of ZEGNA brand production in-house; plants in Mendrisio (800 staff) and Italy (1,320); Parma makes footwear and leather goods
- Zegna pledges full traceability of Oasi Cashmere by 2024 (Textile Excellence) · search the archive · Oasi Cashmere line traceable by 2024; over 50% of priority raw materials traced by 2026, 95% by 2030
- Ermenegildo Zegna NV 2024 Sustainability Report (summary) · search the archive · 7,185 Group employees in 2024
Published by Zegna or its owner
- Zegna Responsibility (2022) · search the archive · Supplier code of conduct; social audits by Zegna Internal Audit or third parties; wages must meet legal minimums
- Zegna Group Annual Report 2025 · search the archive · Group plants in Verrone, Parma, Mendrisio and Turkey (shirts); outside suppliers largely in Italy; 95% yarn/fabric spend Italian; 42% traced
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 7,185
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Zegna ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/zegna, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded suits and tailoring
No suits and tailoring brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. 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 Zegna.