Is adidas ethical?

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Labor & working conditions Confirmed

Adidas bought cotton from children in India

Adidas bought cotton grown by children in India according to a rights group report.

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fortune.com
Adidas, H&M and The Gap bought cotton grown by children in India, rights group’s report says

Climate & energy Allegation

Environmental Action Germany sued Adidas over alleged false advertising regarding its climate neutrality claims

In 2025, Environmental Action Germany (DUH) sued Adidas over alleged false advertising regarding the company's climate neutrality claims.

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business-humanrights.org
The lawsuit accused Adidas of misleading consumers by advertising itself as climate-neutral by 2050, without providing concrete steps beyond 2030 to achieve that goal.
In 2025, Environmental Action Germany (DUH) sued Adidas over alleged false advertising regarding the company's climate neutrality claims.
yahoo.com
"Adidas deceived its customers with its promise of alleged climate neutrality," Resch said.
yahoo.com
German court rules that Adidas engaged in misleading advertising by claiming climate neutrality by 2050, according to a complaint by environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe head Jürgen Resch said that Adidas had deceived its customers through its climate neutrality claim.

Privacy & surveillance Confirmed

Adidas breach reveals data security lapses

Adidas experienced a breach indicating lapses in data security.

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foxnews.com
Adidas has officially acknowledged that a third-party vendor suffered a breach, resulting in unauthorized access to consumer data.
If you think you were affected or just want to be cautious, here are some steps you can take right now to stay safe from the Adidas data breach:
Adidas confirms vendor breach: Here’s what we know
Adidas confirms data breach exposing customer personal information via vendor hack | Fox News
German retailer Adidas learned this the hard way. The company recently confirmed a data breach involving one of its external partners, and although it has acknowledged the issue, many important details are still missing.
The Adidas breach shows that even companies with decades of brand equity and a massive global footprint are not immune to lapses in data security.

Workplace equity Allegation

Adidas is accused of gender discrimination

A former executive at Adidas filed a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination.

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fox5sandiego.com
Lindsay Gregg, who was Adidas’ head of women’s basketball marketing, is seeking $850,000 in damages, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Multnomah County, Oregon.
people.com
A former executive at Adidas has filed a lawsuit against the athletic apparel company, alleging gender discrimination.
Former Adidas Executive Sues Company for Alleged Gender Discrimination

Workplace equity Confirmed

Adidas meets to report gender marketing bias

Adidas met with its senior HR director to report that it treated a female employee differently than male counterparts in sports marketing.

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nytimes.com
In January 2026, she met with Adidas’ senior human resources director and “reported her belief that Adidas treated her differently than her male counterparts in sports marketing,” the suit says.

Labor & working conditions Ruling

Adidas America, Inc. was penalized by OSHA with a Final Order for a worker-protection violation

The final decision states that Adidas America, Inc. Final Order OSHA standard 19100023 C11 Ladders.

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osha.gov

No excerpt available. Read the original source for details.

Privacy & surveillance Allegation

A federal court in California declined to toss a class privacy lawsuit brought against Adidas

SAN DIEGO — A federal court in California declined to toss a class privacy lawsuit brought against Adidas, whose website allegedly uses pixel tracking tools to collect consumer information without permission.

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courthousenews.com
SAN DIEGO — A federal court in California declined to toss a class privacy lawsuit brought against Adidas, whose website allegedly uses pixel tracking tools to collect consumer information without permission.
law360.com
A California federal judge has denied a motion from Adidas to toss a proposed class action alleging the apparel company violated a California privacy statute by placing tracking pixels from TikTok Pixel and Microsoft Bing on its website, finding the trackers plausibly constitute a "pen register" under state law.

Corporate conduct Recall

adidas recalls basketball shoes

adidas America recalled basketball shoes following a CPSC announcement.

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cpsc.gov

CPSC, adidas America Inc. Announce Recall of Basketball Shoes

CPSC, adidas America Inc. Announce Recall of Basketball Shoes

Corporate conduct Allegation

Adidas investigates bribery allegations in China

2 sourcesRead sources
apnews.com
HONG KONG (AP) — Athletic apparel company Adidas has launched an investigation into allegations of “compliance violations” in China after receiving an anonymous letter earlier this month accusing local executives of embezzling “millions of euros,” according to news reports.
Adidas is investigating allegations of embezzlement and bribery in China, according to news reports | AP News
ft.com
Adidas investigates bribery allegations in China

Labor & working conditions Confirmed

Adidas America faces $400K penalties

Adidas America faces nearly $400K in penalties for uncorrected, recurring fall hazards found in 2021 at Orange County, New York, warehouse.

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dol.gov
ALBANY, NY – After receiving citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester warehouse, and paying $17,403 in penalties, Adidas America Inc. - maker of one of the world’s best-selling sneakers - now faces an additional $396,377 in penalties for continuing to ignore U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety standards.
osha.gov
Adidas America faces nearly $400K in penalties for uncorrected, recurring fall hazards found in 2021 at Orange County, New York, warehouse | Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA News Release -
ALBANY, NY – After receiving citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester warehouse, and paying $17,403 in penalties, Adidas America Inc. - maker of one of the world's best-selling sneakers - now faces an additional $396,377 in penalties for continuing to ignore U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety standards.
Adidas America faces nearly $400K in penalties for uncorrected, recurring fall hazards found in 2021 at Orange County, New York, warehouse