Human Rights
At adidas, respecting and upholding human rights is fundamental to how we do business. From our employees to the workers who manufacture our products, we are committed to safeguarding human rights across our entire value chain.
Human Rights
At adidas, respecting and upholding human rights is fundamental to how we do business. From our employees to the workers who manufacture our products, we are committed to safeguarding human rights across our entire value chain.
For over 25 years, we’ve worked to uphold human and labor rights in our operations and value chain. Through our Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) process, we identify, assess, and mitigate risks to ensure responsible business conduct.
We comply with global and national regulations, including the German Supply Chain Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltpflichtengesetz - LkSG).
Our 2025 Commitment: Strengthening Human Rights Due Diligence
To reinforce our due diligence efforts, we have set a clear goal for 2025.
How We Embed Human Rights in Our Business
Our Human Rights Policy, endorsed by the Executive Board, defines expectations for employees and business partners across all operations. This policy is shaped by insights from key stakeholders, business functions, employee representatives, civil society, and human rights experts to ensure we address the most pressing human rights issues.
Setting Clear Expectations: Our Policies and Standards
Accountability and Awareness of Human Rights
Our Executive Board sets the overall human rights and environmental strategy. Operational responsibility rests with our General Counsel, who serves as the Human Rights Officer (HRO). The HRO monitors human rights and environmental risks, reporting regularly to the Executive Board. Dedicated risk owners oversee human rights and environmental risks across our operations and value chain, conducting annual risk assessments, implementing preventive measures, and tracking compliance.
Employee Awareness and Training
Creating a workplace that respects human rights starts with educating our employees. All new employees are trained on human rights, including adidas's Human Rights Policy and Fair Play Code of Conduct.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DUE DILIGENCE (HREDD)
Identifying and Prioritizing Risks
Through stakeholder engagement, we identified key human rights and environmental risks to focus on:
- Labor rights
- Wages
- Discrimination and harassment
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining
- Occupational health and safety
- Child labor and forced labor
- Human trafficking
- Environmental risks (climate change, water, hazardous chemicals, waste)
- Privacy and data protection
- Corruption
- Sports sponsorship ethics
Managing Human Rights in a Complex Global Supply Chain
With products sourced from over 40 countries and sold in more than 100 markets, we take a risk-based approach to prioritize high-risk locations, processes, and activities.
How High-Risk Areas are Identified
How High-Risk Areas are Identified
We assess risks based on:
- Geography – Country-specific labor laws and regulatory environments
- Industry and Working Conditions - Supplier performance and worker treatment
- Stakeholder Engagement – Insights from NGOs, local communities and human rights reports, we gain real-world perspectives.
This data-driven approach helps us prioritize the most urgent risks in our operations and value chain.
Our Targeted Response Strategy
Our Targeted Response Strategy
To meet this commitment, we focus on prevention, mitigation, and remediation by:
- Strengthening policies and supplier contracts to reinforce compliance
- Conducting regular audits and impact assessments in high-risk areas
- Empowering workers through grievance mechanisms and training to improve conditions
- Swift intervention and corrective actions and remediation when violations are found
The Importance of Vulnerable Groups and At-Risk Communities
The Importance of Vulnerable Groups and At-Risk Communities
Certain groups in our supply chain face greater risks of exploitation, including migrant workers, women, and Indigenous peoples. We provide special protections for these communities by:
- Requiring suppliers to uphold fair treatment for all workers
- Providing access to grievance mechanisms without fear of retaliation
- Collaborating with NGOs and local advocates to drive systemic change
Our commitment to human rights and environmental protection goes beyond our direct operations. We collaborate with partners, suppliers, and stakeholders to embed due diligence practices upstream and downstream in our product creation process.
How We Prevent and Address Human Rights Risks
Our greatest influence comes from working with suppliers and business partners to ensure fair wages, ethical labor practices, and safe working conditions across our supply chain.
Read more about this in the Workers in the Supply Chain page
In our corporate offices, retail stores, and distribution centers, we uphold human rights standards to ensure fair treatment and a safe work environment.
Explore our approach to diversity and inclusion on our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion page.
Access to Remedy
We are committed to providing for, or cooperating in, the remediation of adverse human rights impacts which we have caused or contributed to, and we will seek to promote or cooperate in the mitigation and remediation of adverse impacts where we are linked to these through our business relationships.
We provide multiple confidential reporting channels for individuals to raise concerns. When we are linked to human rights violations, we take swift action to prevent harm and ensure remediation.
Third-Party Complaints Mechanism
Our third-party complaints mechanism provides a confidential channel for affected individuals, advocacy groups, and organizations to report human rights and environmental concerns linked to adidas' operations, products, or services.
See how we handle third-party complaints
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Disclosure of Complaints Received and Actions Taken
We are committed to transparency and report annually on the number and status of third-party complaints received, actions taken, and resolutions. Most cases originate from trade unions, labor groups, and human rights organizations.
Explore case details in our Resource Center
Supply Chain Grievance Mechanisms
Our suppliers are required to have grievance systems that allow workers to report complaints freely and anonymously. Additionally, workers in our supply chain can report concerns directly to adidas through:
- Local hotlines operated by non-profits or adidas field staff
- A digital, app-based grievance system at all strategic supplier sites
Our grievance mechanisms ensure workers across our supply chain have access to support.
Fair Play: Grievance Mechanism for Employees
For our own employees, the global Fair Play Hotline provides a confidential and anonymous channel for reporting concerns. Cases of non-compliance are monitored and addressed by a global network of compliance officers.
scaling our reach
- 400 000+ workers in our supply chain
- 105 Manufacturing sites
- 17 core sourcing countries
- 100% social audit coverage of core Tier 1 suppliers
Our Human Rights Progress and Performance
At adidas, transparency drives accountability. We track and share progress through stakeholder engagement, third-party audits, and public reporting.
Stakeholder Engagement
Open engagement with workers, civil society, investors, and industry partners is central to our human rights approach. We hold regular consultations, participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives, and collaborate with advocacy groups to strengthen human rights protections.
Learn more about our stakeholder engagement approach
Learn moreTransparency and Disclosure
Transparency and Disclosure
Our human rights disclosures are independently verified and integrated into the adidas Annual Report, ensuring transparency regarding our progress. Additionally, we maintain an archive of Sustainability Reports to track our long-term commitments and actions.
Explore our human rights reporting
External Recognition & Rankings
External Recognition & Rankings
Our efforts are recognized in global rankings:
- Corporate Human Rights Benchmark – Recognized for effectively managing human rights across our operations and supply chain.
- Know the Chain Benchmark – Acknowledged for eradicating forced labor and human trafficking from supply chains.
Addressing Forced Labor and Modern Slavery in Our Supply Chain
Since the late 1990s, we have actively worked to identify and address the risks of forced labor, child labor, and migrant labor across our supply chain. Our modern slavery program, launched in 2016, tackles forced labor risks throughout our own supply chain, extending beyond our Tier 1 suppliers.