Helly Hansen
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Oslo outdoor brand selling sailing, ski and workwear clothing.
In 2024, migrant workers at Taiwanese fabric mills Helly Hansen bought from paid recruitment fees, faced debt bondage and had documents held.
Also worth knowing
Helly Hansen has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Helly Hansen? Send a right of reply.
Compare Helly Hansen with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage 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.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and Türkiye.
- 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
- 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 (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton and leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- 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 22%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 43% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 22% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 14% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Cambodia | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| France | 2% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Poland | 2% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Hungary | 1% | Systematic violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Portugal | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Sri Lanka | 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sweden | 1% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Uses cotton and leather in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where they come from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Publishes supplier list
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
Research notes Helly Hansen's clothing is made by about 100 independent supplier factories; its 2022 report lists 42 in China, 21 in Vietnam and 13 in Turkey, plus Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Ukraine, Slovenia and Europe (shares are by factory count). Factories get amfori BSCI social audits, and it monitors Bangladesh suppliers through Nirapon, but its public supplier list dates from 2021 and it has no living wage commitment with targets. Materials are mainly synthetics, with some cotton, leather, down and certified wool.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner Kontoor Brands scored 37 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5); Helly Hansen is listed separately and has no score of its own. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Company profile links Helly Hansen to Transparentem's 2025 report on labour abuses at Taiwanese textile mills and a brief on migrant worker recruitment fees in Taiwan. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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 | Transparentem found migrant workers at Taiwanese fabric mills, including Far Eastern New Century, Everest and De Licacy, paid recruitment fees and faced debt bondage, document retention and excessive overtime; Helly Hansen was a buyer (Transparentem, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlyNot among buyers Transparentem said took no action, but it did not respond on a second 2025 Taiwan brief (BHRRC). Mills had repaid over $4 million in fees by July 2026; not all was repaid. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Following the Thread - Labor Abuses in Taiwan's Textile Industry (BHRRC) · archived copy · Helly Hansen listed as buyer linked to Everest, Far Eastern New Century, Neng Neng and De Licacy; abuses and remedy status
- Following the Thread (Transparentem) · search the archive · Helly Hansen among 46 contacted buyers; not listed among buyers that took no action
- On the Mend: Taiwan's textile industry (Transparentem, July 2026) · search the archive · Follow-up: over $4 million of almost $6 million in fees repaid; many buyers had not contributed; remediation slow
- Helly Hansen Group - Ethical Trade Norway report 2022 · search the archive · 102 Tier 1 suppliers by country; 1,155 employees; amfori BSCI audits; Nirapon; no minimum wage gaps found; cotton sources; LWG, RDS, RWS
- Helly Hansen - Ethical Trade Norway report 2021 · search the archive · Main materials polyester and polyamide; cotton and leather minor; 18% recycled polyester in Sport; leather to come from LWG tanneries
- Helly Hansen Holding AS 2024 Due Diligence Report (summary) · search the archive · 89 third-party social audits in 2024; TrusTrace traceability; Kharon risk screening
Published by Helly Hansen or its owner
- Helly Hansen - Manufacturing · search the archive · Tier 1 and 2 supplier list last updated September 2021; vague aim of working towards living wages
Company details
- Headquarters
- Norway
- Employees
- About 1,155
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Helly Hansen ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/helly-hansen, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded outdoor
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Helly Hansen.