Amancio Ortega

NGOs and a Uyghur victim filed complaints in France targeting Inditex among other companies, alleging that several textile groups benefited from supply chains linked to forced labour in Xinjiang. An initial investigation was closed in 2023 on jurisdictional grounds. A subsequent complaint with an application to join proceedings as a civil party was declared inadmissible, a decision upheld on appeal in 2025.

In 2022, approximately one thousand Inditex shop employees in A Coruña province, predominantly women, went on strike around Black Friday to demand substantial pay increases. An agreement ultimately delivered a significant rise. In 2025, trade unions in several European countries announced further action around Black Friday to demand greater profit-sharing.

State of the evidence

Documented

Inditex's transport-related emissions increased by approximately 10% in 2024 to 2.61 million tonnes of CO₂e, notably because of greater reliance on air freight during Red Sea disruptions. This renewed criticism of the fast-fashion model's climate footprint and the difficulty of rapidly reducing value-chain emissions.

State of the evidence

Documented

The Amancio Ortega Foundation provided approximately 320 million euros to purchase cancer diagnostic and treatment equipment for Spain's public healthcare system. Many patients, doctors and public authorities welcomed the initiative, but public healthcare advocacy organisations and Podemos criticised it, arguing that hospital equipment should depend on taxation and public planning rather than a billionaire's philanthropy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 2011, Brazilian inspections found workers producing garments for Zara in subcontracted workshops under conditions described as analogous to slavery, including inadequate accommodation and excessive working hours. Zara Brasil signed a Termo de Ajuste de Conduta with the Ministério Público do Trabalho and financed social measures and supply-chain controls.

State of the evidence

Documented

Employees at the Bravo Tekstil factory in Istanbul, a supplier to Zara, Mango and Next, among others, were left without wages or severance payments after the owner disappeared. Some placed labels inside Zara garments explaining that they had produced the items without being paid.

State of the evidence

Documented

A report commissioned by the Greens in the European Parliament estimated that Inditex had saved at least 585 million euros in taxes between 2011 and 2014 through a tax structure involving the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland, among other countries. The report described the tax planning as aggressive but legal.

State of the evidence

Documented

In 2012, Greenpeace published tests on clothing from major brands, including Zara, reporting hazardous chemicals, notably NPEs and certain azo dyes capable of releasing carcinogenic amines. Following an international campaign, Inditex committed to eliminating hazardous chemical discharges and increasing supplier transparency.

State of the evidence

Documented