Is Adidas Ethical?

Adidas publishes useful supplier information and measures wages, but we remain cautious about its ethical record. Worker protection and meaningful remedies are the main concerns. Its January 2026 external assessment rates treatment of people below environmental performance; stronger evidence of adequate pay and worker-confirmed improvements would make a recommendation more convincing. Independent assessment

Does Adidas show that workers earn enough?

Adidas’s 2025 annual report describes collecting full-year wages and working hours from core first-tier suppliers. It says the final 2025 results will appear in its 2026 annual report and on its compensation website. That is a reporting timetable, not confirmation that a living-wage target has been achieved. The report also acknowledges difficulties obtaining comprehensive gender-disaggregated wage data. 2025 report

Its compensation programme compares pay with national minimum wages and selected living-wage benchmarks. Adidas explains that these benchmarks are not available for every country in scope. That leaves an important distinction between measuring improvement and demonstrating adequate pay across the supplier network. How Adidas measures compensation

When checking a brand’s wage claim, ask which workers are included, whether overtime is required to reach the benchmark and how many remain below it. A country average can conceal a poor-paying factory, and a factory average can conceal a poorly paid worker. These are the questions we would put to the data rather than assuming a more expensive shoe means higher pay.

What happened at the Cambodian factory?

In October 2022, the Worker Rights Consortium reported retaliatory dismissals of eight union organisers at Trax Apparel, which produced collegiate goods for an Adidas licensee. Four were reinstated with only partial back pay, according to the investigation. WRC said Adidas relied on a union agreement to decline further corrective action; the union said it had accepted that agreement under pressure. These are the investigator’s findings about a specific supplier relationship, not a court judgement against Adidas or a description of every factory. Trax investigation and account of Adidas’s position

The report matters because a grievance process is only valuable if workers can get their jobs or missing pay back. We have not established a later resolution of this particular dispute. It should therefore stay dated, with its status open to correction, rather than being presented as a fresh 2026 incident.

Adidas’s current human-rights page describes confidential digital grievance access at strategic supplier sites. That is relevant evidence of its general approach; it is not a direct response resolving Trax. The test is whether independent worker testimony supports the claimed remedy in individual cases. Current company policy

Can you see where Adidas products are made?

The business behind the brand is adidas AG, a publicly listed German company. It is not a house within a luxury group such as Kering. Its annual report is therefore the relevant corporate record for ownership, governance and supplier disclosures. Adidas corporate report

Adidas publishes a 2026 global factory list and a separate 2026 World Cup supplier list. Disclosure gives campaigners and workers a way to identify commercial relationships and ask a brand to act. It deserves credit because accountability is harder when the purchasing company remains hidden. Supplier disclosures

A factory list does not by itself trace the leather, cotton or chemical inputs in your particular product. Before relying on a sustainability label, look for a claim that names the material, proportion and certification involved. A general corporate programme is much less informative about the item in your basket.

Are recycled materials enough?

Good On You’s 26 January 2026 assessment credits Adidas with using some lower-impact materials and publishing its material mix, while identifying gaps in biodiversity action. It also reports continued use of leather and other animal materials. Its judgement is an external assessment of public information, not a test of an individual pair of shoes. Dated materials assessment

Recycled content addresses the origin of one input. It does not establish that a shoe can be repaired, that all components can be recycled together, or that workers making it receive adequate wages. For an animal-free purchase, check the exact model and colourway’s material specification, including lining and trim. Do not assume a brand-level fur policy answers the leather question.

What would make Adidas a more convincing choice?

For a necessary purchase, start with fit and intended use. A shoe that does not suit your activity is a poor purchase even if one material has a credible environmental claim. We have not tested Adidas products and cannot promise a lifespan or rank their performance from these sources.

On ethics, we would give the most weight to verified wage coverage, worker-confirmed remedies and traceability that reaches the materials in a named product. If you already own usable Adidas clothing or shoes, this assessment is not a reason to discard them. Keep using what works, repair feasible damage and replace only what you need. The responsibility for supply-chain conditions belongs to the businesses purchasing the goods, not to shoppers trying to manage limited budgets.

Sources and research notes

Sources checked on 2026-09-13. Findings retain their original dates. This guide uses public documents and reporting, not hands-on product testing or factory inspections. How we research guides.

1. Adidas annual report 2025 — Adidas · 2026. Wage reporting timetable and data limitations.

2. Fair compensation — Adidas · undated. Company methodology and benchmark limitations.

3. Trax Apparel investigation — Worker Rights Consortium · 2022-10-20. Specific labour findings and reported Adidas position.

4. Adidas sustainability assessment — Good On You · 2026-01-26. Dated external assessment.

5. Supplier lists — Adidas · undated. Public 2026 factory lists.

6. Human rights — Adidas · undated. Current grievance policy, not a Trax remedy.

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