sustainability / Worker's Rights

This week, Italy’s Competition Authority closed a probe into whether Dior misled consumers about working conditions at its suppliers without finding any wrongdoing. But a new case linking Valentino to poor labour practices suggests this is a problem that won’t go away easily.

A Milan court found that Valentino Bags Lab subcontracted production to Chinese-owned firms in Italy that exploited workers.

American retailers are ramping up inquiries to manufacture in India in response to Trump's trade war, but a labour shortage and high costs in key textile producing regions are hampering suppliers' ability to capitalise on the opportunity.

Dramatic cuts to US foreign development spending are kneecapping the fragile network of civil society organisations and nonprofits that defend workers in the industry’s global supply chains.

It’s been almost a year since Italian prosecutors linked Armani and then Dior to sweatshops on the outskirts of Milan in an investigation expected to bring up to a dozen more brands under the microscope. In response, officials and industry leaders have rushed to tighten controls over the luxury supply chain.

Brands like Patagonia, Nike and Lululemon have been working for years to address the exploitation of migrant workers at key fabric suppliers in Taiwan. Despite some progress, the issue has persisted.

A new report has linked businesses supplying companies including Zara-owner Inditex, H&M Group, Gap Inc. and Amazon to incidents of forced labour and debt bondage on Indian cotton farms.

This year offered up a jarring reality check for players seeking to improve the industry’s environmental and social impact, with brands deprioritising sustainability efforts even as the risks of inaction have become more apparent.