Italian watchdog fines Giorgio Armani €3.5 million over misleading ethical claims

The Italian Antitrust Authority has fined Giorgio Armani €3.5 million for spreading false and misleading claims about the company’s ethical and social responsibility standards. The decision was announced by the Italian news agency ANSA.

According to the report, Armani’s declared commitments do not reflect the actual conditions at the production sites where many of its leather goods are manufactured. Investigations revealed that Giorgio Armani SpA and G.A. Operations SpA had outsourced much of their leather bag and accessory production to external suppliers, who in turn relied on subcontractors, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Some of these subcontractors, the report found, removed safety devices from machinery, exposing workers to serious health and safety risks. The Antitrust Authority also uncovered unsatisfactory working conditions and cases of employees working without official contracts.

“Under such conditions, it is clear that the protection of workers’ rights and health did not correspond to the content of the ethical and social responsibility claims made by Giorgio Armani SpA and G.A. Operations SpA,” the authority stated.

It also emphasised that the fashion house’s management was aware of the violations. This was confirmed by an internal document from Giorgio Armani SpA, which the agency cited in its decision.

Representatives of Giorgio Armani SpA responded to the fine with surprise and announced plans to appeal.

The ruling comes shortly after a separate investigation involving another major company. In July 2024, Italian tax police confiscated around €121 million from Amazon’s Italian division as part of a probe into tax fraud and illegal labor practices.

By Sabina Mammadli