Icebug
VerifiedIcebug is working towards a living wage through its Fair Wear membership, which requires a living wage plan, with no serious warning signs. It just can't yet prove workers earn one.
Last researched 9 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 3 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 2 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cotton is linked to forced labour (Xinjiang, Turkmenistan) and child labour in several growing regions. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Fair Wear member: Independent factory audits, worker complaints helpline and a living wage roadmap.
- Certified B Corp: Whole-company assessment. Labour is one part of the score, so it is supportive rather than proof.
- Publishes supplier list
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Uses high-risk raw materials (e.g. leather tanning, mica, artisanal gold)
- Uses higher-risk raw materials such as leather that aren't traced to the farm. This is noted as a risk but doesn't decide the grade.
Icebug's shoes are made almost entirely in Vietnam, in three long-term factories as of 2025, and it publishes all its production locations through Fair Wear. Fair Wear rated it Leader in 2025 and again in 2026, up from Needs Improvement in 2023, when audits found excessive overtime and weak freedom of association at its suppliers. Fair Wear audits put average wages at three of four assembly factories at or above an Anker living wage benchmark, but there is no dated plan to close the remaining gap; it uses leather from Leather Working Group Gold tanneries.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Wear | Found | Fair Wear member since 2021, rated Leader in 2025 and 2026 (2026 score 77), after a Needs Improvement rating in 2023. View ↗ |
| B Corp directory | Found | Certified B Corp since October 2022 with an overall B Impact score of 90.0. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Australian modern slavery statement was identified; the company is likely below the reporting threshold. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Unclear | No UK modern slavery statement was identified; the company is likely below the reporting threshold. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No allegations against Icebug were identified. View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | All four factory audit reports reviewed by Fair Wear recorded excessive overtime, and one found overtime worked but not recorded (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2023). | Not known Fair Wear's 2023 check found the root causes of excessive overtime had not yet been addressed; later progress is not detailed. |
| 2022 | A worker at a Vietnam supplier was dismissed without final pay or a formal dismissal decision, a complaint upheld through Fair Wear's helpline (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2023). | Yes Through a Fair Wear complaint, the factory paid the outstanding salary and issued the dismissal decision the worker needed for unemployment benefits. |
| 2021 | Fair Wear audits found two supplier factories did not pay the legal minimum wage during 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns, in one case without the legally required negotiation with workers (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2023). | Partly Paid about USD 86,000 towards workers' wages and COVID-19 costs at its main Vietnam supplier during the 2021 lockdown. |
Sources (8)
- Fair Wear - Icebug brand page · archived copy · Fair Wear member since 2021; 2026 Brand Performance Check published July 2026 with a total score of 77
- Brand Performance Check Icebug AB, September 2023 · archived copy · Needs Improvement category in 2023; Viet Nam 99% and China 1% of production volume; 100% of production locations disclosed on Fair Wear transparency portal; excessive overtime in all four audits; mini
- Fair Wear Foundation rankar Icebug som ledare (press release, 5 Feb 2025) · archived copy · Rated Leader by Fair Wear in 2025; shoes made in three factories in Vietnam
- Icebug press releases (Mynewsdesk) · archived copy · 1 September 2026: Icebug again rated Leader by Fair Wear
- Icebug - Fair Wear Foundation Reports · archived copy · Brand Performance Check for 2023-2024 rated Leader after review in January 2025; long-term partnerships with the same factories
- Icebug Group Impact Report 2021/22 · archived copy · Vast majority of shoes made in Vietnam; all four assembly factories audited by Fair Wear or members; average wages 87-135% of Anker living wage, three of four factories at or above it; leather from LW
- B Corp directory - Icebug AB · archived copy · Certified B Corp since October 2022; overall score 90.0; Workers score 29.2; HQ Västra Götaland, Sweden
- Good On You - Icebug · archived copy · Uses leather from Leather Working Group Gold certified tanneries; no evidence of living wage across most of supply chain
Last researched 9 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.