Bergans of Norway

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources

Norwegian outdoor brand selling technical clothing, backpacks and tents.

In 2024, workers at a Myanmar supplier's factory were forced into unpaid overtime under threat, including on a public holiday.

Also worth knowing

Bergans of Norway has only partly put this right.

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Why it's graded Harm on record

Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2024.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2024
Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton

Red flags 4

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

China has the largest share, 43%. Vietnam is next, at 24%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
China	43%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Vietnam	24%	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Myanmar	5%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Very high
Norway	4%	Strong protections	About a living wage	Low
Cambodia	4%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Bangladesh	4%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Türkiye	4%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Czechia	4%	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Moderate
Poland	4%	Regular violations	Close to a living wage	Moderate
Indonesia	4%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate

Evidence

What we found

Uses cotton in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It traces or certifies most of its cotton. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Bergans reported 20 tier 1 suppliers in 2023 (9 in China, 5 in Vietnam, 2 in Myanmar, one each in Norway, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Czechia, Poland and Indonesia), with about 90% of volume from Vietnam, China and Myanmar; shares here are by factory count, after its exit from one Myanmar supplier in 2024. It is an Ethical Trade Norway member, uses SGS inspections and own visits, but publishes no factory list and has no living wage commitment; its living wage work group is paused. No Australian stockist was found.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Bergans responded in October 2024 to reports of abuse and forced overtime at a North Shore factory in Myanmar, saying it was withdrawing by autumn 2024. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not listed	Bergans is not rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, the latest edition. View
Fair Wear	Not listed	Bergans is not a Fair Wear member; it is a member of Ethical Trade Norway. View

Confirmed issues 2

Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted

Last recorded	What happened	Made amends?
2024	Workers at North Shore's factory in Pathein, Myanmar, a Bergans supplier, were forced into unpaid overtime under threat, including on a public holiday (Myanmar Labour News via BHRRC, 2024). Source · archived copy	PartlyBergans said it pushed for improvements with other buyers, saw little change, and withdrew production from the factory by autumn 2024.
2024	Workers at the same factory reported repeated physical and verbal abuse and harassment by supervisors in 2023-2024, which Bergans said were known to it (BHRRC, 2024). Source · archived copy	PartlyBergans confirmed the problems were known and recurring and ended the relationship by autumn 2024; no remedy for workers reported.

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources

Myanmar: Garment workers forced to work overtime against their will (BHRRC, 2024) · archived copy · Forced and unpaid overtime and supervisor abuse at North Shore factory in Pathein; Bergans named as buyer withdrawing production
Bergans restarting business in North Western Europe (OI Compass) · search the archive · Bergans sells through Nordic and European markets; no Australian distribution mentioned
Bergans Fritid AS: Ethical Trade Norway report 2023 · search the archive · 20 tier 1 suppliers by country; 90% of volume from VN, CN, MM; no own production; SGS audits; Myanmar breaches; GOTS cotton mainly from India
Bergans Supplier Code of Conduct 3.0 (2025) · search the archive · Ethical Trade Norway member; suppliers must register all factories; announced or unannounced inspections; no public factory list
Sport Holding buys outdoor brand Bergans (FashionUnited, 2021) · search the archive · Norwegian retailer Sport Holding agreed in 2021 to buy 100% of Bergans Fritid AS, which stays based in Asker

Company details

Owned by: Sport Holding AS
Headquarters: Norway
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Bergans of Norway ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bergans, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means

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