Italy’s antitrust authority on Friday fined fashion group Giorgio Armani S.p.A. and its subsidiary G.A. Operations S.p.A. €3.5 million for misleading consumers with claims about their ethical and social responsibility standards.
The watchdog said the companies promoted commitments to sustainability and worker protection on their websites and in their Code of Ethics between April 2022 and February 2025, while large parts of their leather goods production were outsourced to suppliers and subcontractors that failed to meet those standards.
Investigators found cases where safety devices had been removed from machinery to boost output, workers were employed off the books, and sanitary conditions were inadequate. In some workshops, employees worked up to 14 hours a day, the authority said.
A Giorgio Armani quality control employee admitted to visiting one subcontractor monthly for six months, suggesting awareness of the conditions, the authority added.
The ruling follows a judicial administration imposed in April 2024 on G.A. Operations after prosecutors in Milan alleged systemic labour exploitation in the brand’s supply chain. That administration was lifted in February 2025 after remedial measures, including audits and supplier reductions.
The authority said Armani’s public declarations on ethics and social responsibility were used as a marketing tool to influence consumer choices and did not reflect actual conditions in the supply chain.
Giorgio Armani was not immediately available for comment.
