Luxury fashion brand Coach under fire after investigation uncovers disturbing practices — here's what you need to know
Luxury fashion's eco-friendly image is cracking as a new report raised concerns about where our handbags come from.
The case highlights how major fashion brands may be fueling environmental harm — even when promoting "sustainable" products.
What's happening?
London-based nonprofit Earthsight traced Coach's European leather suppliers to ranches and slaughterhouses linked to illegal deforestation in Brazil's Pará state.
The investigation found that hides from Frigol — one of Brazil's largest meatpackers — were used by Durlicouros, a major leather exporter. Between 2020 and 2023, Durlicouros shipped nearly 15,000 tonnes (33.1 million pounds) of leather to Italy, including to two tanneries that supply Coach. Frigol was fined €280,000 ($329,000) by Brazil's environment agency for buying cattle raised on protected land.
According to Brazilian prosecutors, tens of thousands of cattle were illegally raised in Indigenous territory between 2012 and 2022. From August 2023 to July 2024, 91% of deforestation in the Amazon occurred without permits.
Why is this important?
The Amazon rainforest is one of the world's most important ecosystems, but illegal cattle ranching is tearing it apart. Pará has lost 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) of rainforest, and ranches tied to deforestation continue to enter global supply chains.
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Coach's suppliers are certified by the Leather Working Group, but Earthsight argued these standards don't go far enough. LWG doesn't require full traceability back to ranches, which means leather from deforested or stolen lands can still be certified — a textbook example of greenwashing.
Coach isn't the only brand under scrutiny. Other major clothing brands have been criticized for sustainability claims that don't reflect their actual sourcing practices.
What's being done about it?
European Union lawmakers have delayed the enforcement of their new Deforestation Regulation until 2026 following industry pushback. These rules require traceability back to ranches, a key step in cutting deforestation-linked goods out of the supply chain. The United Kingdom also passed forest-risk legislation, but it still lacks clear enforcement mechanisms.
Meanwhile, many fashion brands continue to market "sustainable" leather without proving where it comes from, mirroring cases of misleading representation. Until full traceability becomes the norm, leather linked to deforestation and rights abuses could continue slipping through.
Learning how to spot greenwashing and supporting brands with transparent sourcing helps steer the market toward better practices. When shopping for leather goods, look for products that disclose ranch-to-retail sourcing — or consider secondhand and plant-based alternatives.
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