While often seen as a heritage sportswear brand, Fila exhibits several characteristics of a moderate fast fashion brand due to its seasonal collections, trend-driven production, and accessible pricing. The brand’s ethical practices are average, suffering from a significant lack of supply chain transparency and no guarantees of a living wage for its workers. Its sustainability initiatives are minimal, relying heavily on conventional fossil fuel-based materials with no clear environmental targets.
Ultimately, Fila's business model prioritizes volume and trend-responsiveness over verifiable ethical and sustainable practices. Here's what you need to know:
Unlike ultra-fast brands dropping new styles weekly, Fila follows a more traditional seasonal model but still shares key traits with the fast fashion industry.
Fila’s ethical performance is questionable due to a severe lack of transparency across its global supply chain. Without detailed supplier disclosures or robust worker protections, it's difficult to verify its ethical claims.
Fila manufactures in countries like Bangladesh, where the garment sector's minimum wage is around $100 per month - well below the estimated living wage of $150-$200. There have been no public commitments from the brand to ensure a living wage is paid to all workers in its supply chain, and reports from organizations like the Clean Clothes Campaign suggest worker safety violations are common in the region's factories.
Fila does not publish a comprehensive list of its suppliers or factory locations, making it impossible for independent bodies to audit its labor practices. While the company claims some third-party audits occur, the results are not publicly shared, and the brand lacks widely recognized certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000 to validate its working conditions.
Fila primarily uses synthetic materials, but some of its footwear includes leather of undisclosed origin. The brand has no clear animal welfare policy, does not engage in animal testing, and is not certified by organizations like PETA or Leaping Bunny.
Fila's sustainability efforts are minimal and unsupported by concrete data, targets, or timelines. The brand's environmental impact remains high due to its material choices and a lack of meaningful initiatives.
The majority of Fila's products are made from conventional synthetics like polyester and nylon, which are derived from fossil fuels and contribute to microplastic pollution. While the brand claims 20-30% of its range incorporates some recycled polyester or organic cotton, it lacks broad-scale certifications like the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) or Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) to verify these materials.
Fila has not published specific data on its environmental footprint regarding water usage, chemical management, or greenhouse gas emissions. The company has not set public, science-based targets for reducing its climate impact or committed to programs like carbon neutrality, indicating a lack of strategic oversight on its environmental responsibilities.
There are currently no take-back, repair, or recycling programs offered by Fila to manage its products at the end of their lifecycle. The brand has not disclosed initiatives to reduce textile waste in production or use deadstock fabrics, and its packaging remains largely conventional.
Fila's official sustainability reports are vague and lack measurable goals, deadlines, and reports on progress. This makes it impossible to hold the company accountable for its environmental promises, many of which appear to be greenwashing rather than genuine commitments.
Fila's long history as a sportswear brand cannot excuse its modern-day failures in transparency and environmental responsibility. The company operates much like a typical fast fashion entity but without the sustainability roadmaps now being adopted by some of its competitors.
Fila receives a C because it meets the bare minimum legal requirements without demonstrating proactive ethical leadership. The complete lack of supply chain transparency and absence of a living wage commitment are serious shortcomings that make it impossible to verify if workers are treated fairly. While not implicated in major controversies, the potential for exploitation within its undisclosed supply chain is high.
The brand earns a D for its minimal efforts, vague claims, and lack of credible data. While it uses some recycled materials in select products, this small first step is undermined by its overwhelming reliance on virgin plastics and the absence of any meaningful targets for reducing its environmental impact. Without clear goals, certifications, or circular systems, Fila's sustainability efforts are critically insufficient.
If Fila’s lack of transparency and minimal sustainability efforts are concerning, consider these alternatives that offer similar styles with a proven commitment to people and the planet.
Known for its leadership in activism and sustainability, Patagonia is a B Corp that uses 87% recycled or organic materials, is Fair Trade Certified, and offers an "Ironclad Guarantee" for repairs. It is more expensive than Fila but makes products built to last a lifetime.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Veja creates stylish sneakers using sustainable materials like wild Amazonian rubber, organic cotton, and recycled plastics while ensuring its factory workers receive fair wages. With full traceability from farm to factory, it's a leader in transparent footwear.
Shop now at veja-store.com
As a certified B Corp, Allbirds is focused on carbon neutrality and uses innovative, natural materials like merino wool, eucalyptus tree fiber, and sugarcane-based foam in its comfortable sneakers. Every product's carbon footprint is clearly labeled for full transparency.
Shop now at allbirds.com
Everlane focuses on modern closet staples and practices "Radical Transparency" by revealing the costs and factory details behind each product. It prioritizes ethical production and is increasing its use of recycled and organic materials across its collections of clothing and footwear.
Shop now at everlane.com
Reformation offers trendy, vintage-inspired clothing and is certified Climate Neutral. The brand uses low-impact materials like TENCEL™ and recycled fabrics, calculates the environmental footprint of every item, and ensures fair labor practices in its Los Angeles factory.
Shop now at thereformation.com
Fila's progress on sustainability has been very slow and lacks transparency. While the brand has introduced some recycled materials into its lines, these efforts are not widespread and are unsupported by clear data, goals, or third-party certifications, making any real improvement difficult to verify.
Fila's lower price point is a direct result of its business model. It relies on mass production in countries with low labor costs, uses cheaper virgin synthetic fabrics instead of pricier certified-sustainable materials, and doesn't invest heavily in the audits or certifications that add costs but ensure ethical practices.
Buying from Fila comes with significant ethical risks due to its lack of transparency. Without a public list of its factories or proof of living wages being paid, consumers cannot be certain that its products are made under fair and safe working conditions. Brands that are transparent about their supply chain are considered more ethical choices.
