Deuter
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
German maker of hiking backpacks, travel bags and child carriers.
Deuter makes most of its hiking backpacks and outdoor bags in Vietnam and Indonesia, and publishes its supplier list.
Also worth knowing
It has proven a living wage for only part of its supply chain.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Deuter? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 6 Good requirements.
- Working towards a living wage. That's enough for On Track, but Good needs proof that workers are paid one.
- Met: No red flags.
- Independently checked. Deuter belongs to Fair Wear, which checks its factories. Fair Wear found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2024 and unpaid or underpaid wages in 2023, and Deuter is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 5 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one (proven for only part of its supply chain)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 0
None counted. Problems Fair Wear found, which it is fixing, are listed below.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 1
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Deuter's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Bags & backpacks: On Track, the same as Deuter overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Deuter's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Publishes supplier list
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
Research notes Deuter has been a Fair Wear member since 2011 and was rated Leader with a score of 95 in its 2025 Brand Performance Check. In that period all production was at 18 disclosed supplier sites in Vietnam; since 2025 its waterproof bags and packs are made by Kanaan in Indonesia, a Better Work factory, with no updated split by country. It has a living wage target for its main suppliers, but Fair Wear found a living wage paid at suppliers making only about 3% of its products, with no deadline to close the gap.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Wear | Member | Member since 2011, rated Leader with a score of 95 in the 2025 Brand Performance Check. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification found for Deuter. View |
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia; products are made in Vietnam. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations naming Deuter were found. 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 | Fair Wear's 2025 Brand Performance Check found unpaid legally required wages (overtime bonuses, statutory leave, allowances) at three of four Vietnamese factories it assessed for Deuter, and excessive overtime at two, in 2024. Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyDeuter reports almost all outstanding wages were back-paid; Fair Wear validated one case. |
| 2023 | Workers at Deuter's Myanmar supplier filed two Fair Wear complaints in 2023 about wage deductions and unpaid annual leave, and by the end of 2023 the complainants had still not received the leave pay owed. Source · archived copyFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyDeuter drew up remediation plans and left Myanmar in January 2024, following up on severance; Fair Wear found payment of what workers were owed was still unclear. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Fair Wear: Deuter brand page · search the archive · Member since 2011; bags and accessories; total benchmarking score 95; 2025 Brand Performance Check published January 2026.
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Deuter Sport GmbH 2023 · archived copy · Leader, score 75 (2022-23); Vietnam 95%, Myanmar 5%; two Myanmar complaints on wage deductions and leave pay still unpaid
- Snowys Outdoors: Deuter · search the archive · Deuter backpacks sold by an Australian retailer; TMO Sports is Deuter's Australian representative.
- Wikipedia: Schwan-Stabilo · search the archive · Schwan-Stabilo acquired Deuter Sport in the 2000s; Deuter listed among its outdoor subsidiaries.
Published by Deuter or its owner
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Deuter Sport GmbH 2025 · search the archive · Leader, score 95 (Jul 2024-Jun 2025); 100% Vietnam, 18 sites; living wage paid for ~3% of FOB; unpaid legal wages at 3 of 4 assessments
- Deuter: Unsere Produktionspartner · search the archive · Backpacks by Duke (2 factories, Vietnam), sleeping bags by High Rock (Hanoi); since 2025 Kanaan (Indonesia, Better Work) makes waterproof products
Company details
- Owned by
- Schwan-Stabilo
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Deuter ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/deuter, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded outdoor
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Deuter.