Fendi is one of the most recognizable luxury fashion houses in the world. Known for its craftsmanship, iconic handbags, and premium pricing, the brand occupies a very different space than fast fashion retailers. Luxury, however, does not automatically equal ethical or sustainable.
When we look past the prestige and examine Fendi through the Eco-Stylist lens, a more complicated picture emerges.
Fendi earns an overall Eco-Stylist score of 33/100, reflecting a brand that has taken some steps toward responsibility — particularly in materials and limited transparency — but still falls short in key areas like fair labor, environmental impact data, and meaningful accountability.
Unlike many fast fashion brands, Fendi does disclose portions of its supply chain and participates in select sustainability initiatives. However, these efforts are inconsistent and often lack the depth or measurable targets needed to demonstrate real progress.
What Is Fendi?
Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is an Italian luxury fashion house best known for its leather goods, fur heritage, and distinctive design codes. Today, the brand operates globally, offering handbags, ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, and couture-level pieces at premium price points.
Fendi is positioned firmly in the luxury market, where craftsmanship, quality, and exclusivity are central to the brand’s identity. Unlike fast fashion companies, Fendi produces fewer collections at higher prices and emphasizes artisanal techniques — particularly in leatherwork.
That said, Fendi is also part of a major luxury conglomerate, which means its operations extend far beyond small-scale ateliers. The brand relies on a global supply chain, third-party manufacturers, and complex sourcing networks — factors that make transparency, labor standards, and environmental accountability especially important.
While Fendi has begun communicating more about sustainability initiatives and responsible sourcing, these disclosures remain partial, making it difficult to fully assess the brand’s impact across people, animals, and the planet.
Supplemental reading: check out our guide is luxury sustainable?
How Ethical and Sustainable Is Fendi? Full Brand Rating Breakdown
Fendi earns an overall Eco-Stylist score of 33/100. That places the brand above fast fashion, but well below what we’d expect from a luxury house with Fendi’s resources, pricing, and influence.
Below is a breakdown of how Fendi performs across each impact area — and where the brand still falls short.
Is Fendi a Transparent Brand? Transparency Score: 9 / 14
Fendi performs moderately well on transparency compared to most fashion brands.
The brand discloses:
- portions of its Tier 1 supply chain
- select supplier and audit information
- some policies related to responsible sourcing
However, major gaps remain. Fendi does not provide:
- full supply chain coverage percentages
- consistent factory-level detail beyond Tier 1
- clear risk assessments or remediation outcomes
While this level of disclosure is better than average, it still lacks the depth needed for full accountability.
Fair Labor Score: 11 / 33
Fendi earns partial credit for labor standards, but this is one of the brand’s weakest areas relative to its size and pricing.
Points are awarded for:
- a publicly available Code of Conduct
- some audit and compliance processes
However, Fendi does not demonstrate:
- living wage commitments
- wage benchmarking or progress tracking
- meaningful worker empowerment initiatives
- transparent remediation data
For a luxury brand charging premium prices, the absence of living wage leadership is a significant shortcoming.
Is Fendi Sustainable? Sustainably Made Score: 22 / 49
This is Fendi’s strongest category — but it still reflects incomplete progress, not leadership.
Fendi earns points for:
- limited use of lower-impact materials
- packaging and circularity initiatives
- select environmental programs
What’s missing:
- comprehensive emissions data and reduction targets
- water usage and pollution reporting
- hazardous chemical management transparency
- measurable, time-bound sustainability goals
Many of Fendi’s sustainability efforts are framed as initiatives rather than outcomes, making it difficult to assess real-world impact.
DEI Score: 1 / 4
Fendi provides minimal disclosure related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The brand does not publish:
- leadership or workforce diversity data
- inclusive hiring commitments
- measurable equity goals
Luxury brands often lag in DEI transparency, and Fendi is no exception.
Our Principles Score: –10
Fendi does not receive a fast fashion or trust penalty, but it does lose points under Our Principles.
- Inspire: –10
While Fendi participates in sustainability initiatives, it does not meaningfully lead or inspire industry-wide change proportional to its influence.
Overall Score: 33 / 100
Fendi is not fast fashion, but it is also not an ethical or sustainable leader.
The brand demonstrates that luxury can do better than mass-market fashion — yet it still stops short of the transparency, labor leadership, and environmental accountability needed to justify its premium positioning.
Is Fendi Ethical? Labor & Human Rights
Fendi performs better than fast fashion brands when it comes to labor standards — but that doesn’t mean it meets the bar for ethical leadership.
The brand has a publicly available Code of Conduct outlining expectations around worker rights, health and safety, and legal compliance. It also participates in audit processes intended to monitor supplier conditions.
However, Fendi does not demonstrate a commitment to living wages across its supply chain. There is no disclosure showing that workers are paid beyond legal minimums, no wage benchmarking data, and no clear plan for closing wage gaps where they exist.
The brand also does not provide transparent audit findings, remediation outcomes, or evidence of worker empowerment programs.
Bottom line: Fendi’s labor standards exceed those of fast fashion, but they fall short of what ethical leadership in luxury should look like.
Fendi Sustainability Efforts: Environmental Impact & Materials
Fendi’s environmental performance is mixed. The brand has taken some steps toward sustainability — particularly around materials and packaging — but it still lacks the transparency and data needed to demonstrate meaningful impact.
The brand does not consistently disclose:
- full greenhouse gas emissions data
- emissions reduction targets or timelines
- water usage and wastewater impacts
- hazardous chemical management practices
Fendi also continues to rely heavily on resource-intensive animal-derived materials without sufficient disclosures to assess environmental trade-offs.
Luxury brands face increasing pressure to back sustainability claims with data and transparency — a challenge widely discussed by authorities like BBC, which has highlighted the gap between luxury storytelling and measurable environmental impact.
Bottom line: Fendi shows signs of environmental progress, but not environmental leadership.
Is Fendi Vegan? Animal Welfare & Materials
No — Fendi is not a vegan brand.
Fendi continues to rely on animal-derived materials such as leather and fur. While the brand publishes some animal welfare–related policies, these disclosures remain limited and lack third-party verification.
Key gaps include:
- no comprehensive animal welfare standards across all materials
- limited traceability and enforcement reporting
- no consistent external certifications
Bottom line: Fendi is neither vegan nor cruelty-free, and its reliance on animal materials remains a significant ethical concern.
Why Trust Our Ratings?
At Eco-Stylist, our brand ratings are built on evidence, transparency, and accountability — not marketing claims. Every brand we evaluate, including Fendi, is assessed using our Sustainable Brand Criteria.
Here’s why you can trust our assessment:
- Evidence-based scoring: Brands only earn points for publicly verifiable information.
- Holistic evaluation: We assess impact across transparency, labor, sustainability, DEI, and our principles.
- Independent and unbiased: We don’t accept payment for higher scores or favorable ratings.
- Designed to empower shoppers: Our goal is to help people make informed choices and hold brands accountable.
Fendi’s 33/100 score reflects partial progress paired with significant gaps — not assumptions or opinion.
Ethical Alternatives to Fendi
Fendi’s luxury positioning suggests craftsmanship and quality — but luxury alone doesn’t guarantee ethical or sustainable leadership. If you’re drawn to Fendi for its design and prestige, there are brands operating at a similar level of sophistication with stronger commitments to responsibility.
Stella McCartney
A pioneer in sustainable luxury, Stella McCartney rejects leather and fur while leading innovation in lower-impact materials.
Another Tomorrow
Another Tomorrow brings transparency and accountability into luxury fashion through responsible sourcing and timeless design.
Brilliant Earth (for jewelry)
Brilliant Earth offers a more ethical option for fine jewelry, emphasizing traceability and responsible sourcing.
More Sustainable Alternatives to Fendi
If you’re interested in luxury fashion with stronger ethics, the Eco-Stylist Sustainable Brands Directory is the best place to explore.
Our directory features brands that meet strict criteria for transparency, fair labor, and lower-impact materials.
👉 Explore more Eco-Stylist–approved sustainable brands in our directory.
Know Someone Who Shops Fendi? Share this Article.
Luxury fashion often comes with an assumption of responsibility — but prestige doesn’t guarantee ethical or sustainable practices.
If someone you know loves Fendi, share this article with them and help them make more informed choices about what luxury really means.
Because when shoppers ask better questions, even the most powerful brands are pushed to do better.
Garik Himebaugh is the founder of Eco-Stylist, the go-to resource to find ethical clothing. He’s also a sustainable personal stylist and international speaker on all things sustainable fashion. Garik loves coffee, climbing, and clothes.
