Steve Madden

Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions and wastewater to business models and product circularity. Here we rate Steve Madden “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It uses few lower-impact materials, and it does not publish an aggregate breakdown of materials used.
• There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals in manufacturing.
• There’s no evidence it’s set a target to manage water use in its supply chain.
• It’s set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain, but there’s no evidence it is on track.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assess brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate Steve Madden “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It partly traces its supply chain, including the final and some of the second production stages.
• Its Code of Conduct covers ILO principles.
• There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.
• During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it did not disclose adequate policies or safeguards to protect workers in its supply chain from the virus.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate Steve Madden “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

• It appears to use leather, wool, and decorative exotic feather.
• It doesn’t appear to use shearling, cashmere, alpaca, mohair, down, angora, fur, or exotic animal skin.
• It has a formal policy but it is not aligned with the Five Domains of Animal Welfare.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate Steve Madden “Not Good Enough” overall.