adidas qZERO®
Sustainability Score
Germany adidas, owned by Adidas AG, is a globally recognised brand specialising in sportswear and athletic equipment. Founded in 1949 by Adolf Dassler, it has become a leader in footwear, apparel, and accessories for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, shaping the future of performance through responsible innovation.
With over 96% of its polyester recycled, Adidas is accelerating the shift from virgin plastic to lower-impact materials. The brand’s "Made to Be Remade" initiative exemplifies its commitment to circularity by designing products that can be returned, disassembled, and reused to reduce environmental pressure throughout their lifecycles.
With unwavering dedication to sustainability, Adidas continually enhances its eco-friendly practices, crafting products that help a healthier planet. In line with the EU’s Green Claims Directive, all environmental messaging is supported by verifiable, science-based assessments. Its disclosures are externally reviewed and aligned with frameworks such as GRI and SASB, ensuring claims are accurate, transparent, and distinguishable from legal compliance.
adidas also maintains rigorous labour and human rights standards across its supply chain, ensuring that sustainability is not just a promise, but a principle guiding its global impact.
adidas business sustainability position is above average compared to other companies in the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories.
adidas positioning within the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
Clothing, shoes and accessories can have a wide impact on the environment and people. Making fabrics often requires large amounts of water and energy. Dyeing and finishing processes can involve chemicals that need careful handling. Over time, synthetic materials may release microfibres, and short product lifespans can lead to growing waste. Long global supply chains also add to emissions from transport and production.
People behind the products matter just as much. Key social considerations include fair pay, safe working conditions, reasonable hours, and clear visibility across supply chains. Strong governance helps ensure these standards are followed, with clear policies, regular checks, and accountability at every level.
Compared with many brands in this category, adidas shows more consistent progress across environmental areas, including materials and resource use, alongside actions to manage emissions. Social performance appears slightly ahead of the industry, supported by ongoing work with suppliers and labour standards. Governance practices are also somewhat stronger, reflecting structured oversight and transparency. While challenges remain across the sector, this positions adidas as a brand taking measured steps forward, with visible progress that consumers can follow and assess.
What Adidas Offers
adidas, by Adidas AG, offers a wide range of sportswear, footwear, and accessories designed for performance, lifestyle, and everyday wear. From running shoes and training gear to fashion-forward collaborations, the brand delivers products that combine innovation, comfort, and iconic style for athletes and casual consumers alike.
Affordability and Sustainability
adidas is committed to making sustainability more accessible without compromising quality or performance. By scaling the use of recycled materials across its product lines and investing in efficient production methods, the brand reduces costs that would otherwise be passed on to consumers. Initiatives like *Made with Nature* and *Made to Be Remade* offer more circular options at a range of price points. adidas also leverages partnerships and innovation to create durable products with longer lifespans, encouraging mindful purchasing and reducing the need for frequent replacement. This approach ensures sustainability is integrated into everyday choices, not just premium collections.
adidas integrates sustainability into how its products are designed, made and used. This includes increasing the use of recycled materials, such as recycled polyester, and sourcing cotton through recognised responsible programmes. The brand also explores product designs that can be reused, repaired or recycled, supported by selected take-back and resale initiatives. The brand leads with material innovation, incorporating recycled content such as ocean plastic through its partnership with Parley for the Oceans, and aims to eliminate virgin polyester entirely. Circularity is central to its strategy, with initiatives such as *Made to Be Remade* and resale services that support product longevity and reduce waste.
Through partnerships and innovation programmes, adidas tests new materials and production methods that aim to reduce reliance on virgin resources. At the same time, the company is working to lower energy use and emissions across its operations and supply chain, sharing updates through its public impact platform so progress can be tracked over time.
On social responsibility, adidas focuses on improving working conditions within its supplier network. This includes monitoring factory standards, supporting worker wellbeing, and encouraging fair labour practices. Governance is supported by defined policies, oversight structures and regular reporting, helping to provide greater clarity on how commitments are managed in practice.
While many of these initiatives are still evolving, they offer consumers a clearer view of the steps adidas is taking today—and where further progress is expected. The brand prioritises transparency, regularly publishing externally verified reports that reflect its environmental and social performance. In alignment with the EU’s Green Claims Directive, adidas ensures its sustainability claims are evidence-based, specific, and clearly distinguishable from regulatory compliance. Through partnerships with environmental organisations and community initiatives, adidas also contributes to broader efforts that extend its positive impact beyond products, helping shape a more responsible future for sport and fashion.
adidas AG demonstrates a proactive approach to environmental responsibility, integrating resource-efficient practices across its operations. The company shows strong energy and water management performance, with a growing share of renewable electricity and efforts to reduce water use in key production stages. Its focus on pollution prevention is reflected in robust chemical management protocols and the elimination of plastic bags in retail environments.
adidas aligns its practices with internationally recognised environmental standards, and many of its suppliers hold certifications such as bluesign® and OEKO-TEX®. These certifications support transparency and credibility, key principles outlined in the EU’s Green Claims Directive. While adidas is advancing efforts in areas such as climate adaptation, biodiversity and responsible land use, there is scope to strengthen its environmental compliance mechanisms. Enhancing oversight and reporting in this area would improve risk management and reinforce trust among consumers and regulators, further supporting adidas’ commitment to evidence-based, verifiable sustainability leadership.
adidas AG demonstrates a clear and evolving commitment to inclusive excellence, community development, and workforce empowerment. The brand supports access to sport and education through targeted initiatives, while its inclusive hiring practices and employee training programmes help cultivate a diverse and skilled global workforce. Partnerships with local organisations further extend adidas’ social impact, reinforcing its belief in sport as a force for positive change.
Across its supply chain, adidas promotes responsible sourcing and upholds internationally recognised labour standards. Its supplier code of conduct and factory audits are publicly disclosed, demonstrating transparency and accountability in line with the EU’s Green Claims Directive, which calls for verified, specific and measurable claims. However, there is scope for improvement in data privacy and digital security practices to strengthen consumer trust in an increasingly connected marketplace.
By enhancing traceability, reporting on social outcomes, and continuing to embed community impact into product development and business operations, adidas has the opportunity to lead with purpose—ensuring its social practices reflect the same ambition and rigour as its environmental initiatives.
adidas AG upholds a structured and accountable governance framework that supports long-term resilience and responsible business conduct. The company demonstrates strong board oversight, with clear roles and strategic alignment between its sustainability goals and executive leadership. Its governance systems are supported by recognised certifications and risk management practices that help navigate market challenges and uphold regulatory compliance.
adidas maintains a public commitment to transparency through sustainability disclosures and stakeholder dialogue. However, there is room to enhance corporate integrity through stronger performance in shareholder rights, ethics reporting mechanisms, and supply chain traceability. These are increasingly important in meeting consumer expectations and the EU’s evolving requirements on verifiable, non-misleading sustainability claims.
To further strengthen its governance profile, adidas could elevate its standards for business ethics, increase access to decision-making processes, and disclose measurable progress in these areas. Doing so would reinforce adidas’ position as a trusted and transparent brand at the intersection of innovation, impact, and accountability.
adidas by Adidas AG stands apart for uniting advanced performance innovation with meaningful environmental action. Its core strength lies in delivering high-quality sportswear that merges technical precision, comfort, and style, trusted by athletes and embraced by culture-shapers worldwide. Through product lines such as *Made with Nature* and *Made to Be Remade*, adidas brings circular design into the mainstream, helping reduce environmental impact without compromising performance. The brand’s deep ties to global sport and cultural communities, alongside collaborations with world-class athletes and influential designers, amplify its influence. This powerful blend of performance, purpose and progress makes adidas a standout choice for consumers who value impact as much as excellence.
adidas shows a solid, mid-to-strong sustainability profile overall. It performs best on environmental topics, with meaningful action on materials, product impact and operational footprint, while its people and governance performance sits closer to the middle of the pack. In plain terms: adidas is making real progress, but it is not yet a sustainability leader across every area.
If you’re choosing adidas because you care about the planet and the people behind your products, you’re paying attention to the right things. Sustainability is not one single badge; it’s a balance of climate and materials, fair working conditions, and how well a company is run and held to account. adidas is on a credible pathway, especially environmentally, with clear room to strengthen worker outcomes and oversight.
Your interest in sustainability matters: every thoughtful choice nudges the industry towards better design, better accountability and a lighter footprint.
adidas partners with bluesign®-approved facilities to ensure responsible chemical management and safer, more sustainable production processes.
Many adidas products use textiles certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, guaranteeing they are tested for harmful substances and safe for human use.
adidas uses materials certified under the GRS, verifying recycled content alongside responsible social, environmental, and chemical practices.
adidas sources cotton through BCI, promoting farming practices that are better for farmers, communities, and the environment.
Several adidas facilities, including offices and distribution centres, are LEED-certified, recognising sustainable construction and energy-efficient operations.
adidas is a long-standing member of the FLA, aligning its labour practices with internationally recognised standards and undergoing independent monitoring.
adidas uses the Higg Index to measure and improve the environmental and social impact of its products and operations across the value chain.
For the most up-to-date information on adidas' certifications and sustainability initiatives, please visit the official adidas sustainability page.
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