Sportswear
Global athletic footwear and apparel company founded in 1958. Acquired by Adidas in 2005, who sold it to Authentic Brands Group in 2021.
Company Ownership
Reebok
USA
Authentic Brands Group LLC
owns 100% of Reebok
USA
Brand development and licensing
Purchases brands in the sports, celebrity and fashion categories and licenses the intellectual property to leading retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers worldwide. Acquired Juicy Couture in 2013, Tretorn in 2015 and Nautica and Nine West in 2018. Bought Van Heusen, Arrow and Izod from PVH, and Reebok from Adidas in 2021. Acquired Ted Baker in 2022, Boardriders and Rockport in 2023, and Sperry and Champion in 2024. Private equity firms BlackRock, CVC and HPS own significant stakes.
BlackRock Inc
owns 30% of Authentic Brands Group LLC
USA
Asset management
World's largest asset manager, with about $7 trillion in assets under management.
Company Assessment
(Last updated Aug 2024)
Praise
Criticism
Information
Reebok
Praise
Criticism
Information
1/100 in Fashion Transparency Index
The 2023 Fashion Transparency Index reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers and ranked them according to how much they disclose about their human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts. Brands owned by this company scored 1%, signifying it has little to no information about their supply chain practices or policies available to the public. The average score was 26% and the highest score was 83%.
Source: Fashion Revolution
(2023)
Sweatshops in El Salvadore
This 2011 investigative report into the Ocean Sky Apparel Factory in El Salvador reveals how workers are: paid well below living wage, illegally forced to work overtime, given unsafe drinking water, fired for attempting to unionise, and cursed at and humiliated. Their customers include Reebok, Puma, Columbia and GAP. (Listed under information due to age of report)
Fined for false advertising
In 2011 Reebok's EasyTone line was caught out for false advertising and fined US$25 million by the Federal Trade Commission in the USA. Reebok claimed that the "sole technology featuring pockets of moving air creates 'micro instability' that tones and strengthens muscles as you walk or run".
Source: news article
(2011)
Most controversial companies of 2012
This company appeared sixth on RepRisk's top ten "most environmentally and socially controversial companies of 2012". Companies on the list were severely criticised during 2012 by the world's media, governments and NGOs. Criticisms of Reebok include workers rights abuse in Asia, a fraud scandal in India, tax evasion, and river pollution in China. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: RepRisk
(2013)
BHRRC company profile
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.
Source: BHRRC
(2022)
Authentic Brands Group LLC
Praise
Criticism
Information
0/100 in What Fuels Fashion?
What Fuels Fashion? is a single-issue, special edition of the Fashion Transparency Index. The 2024 report ranked 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers according to their level of disclosure on climate and energy-related data in their own operations and supply chains. Brands owned by this company scored 0%. The average score was 18% and the highest score was 75%.
Source: Fashion Revolution
(2024)
Forced labour in China
The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of international brands, including brands owned by this company.
Source: ITUC
(2020)
Part owned by BlackRock, which has criticisms
In 2019 US private equity giant BlackRock bought roughly a 30% stake in this company. BlackRock has several criticisms and an overall Shop Ethical rating of 'F'.
Source: Shop Ethical
(2019)
Company Details
Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Founded:
1958