Labour Lens

Kari Traa

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Norwegian women's sportswear brand known for merino base layers.

There's no proof Kari Traa pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 4 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
  • It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
  • Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 4 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, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
  • 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 (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton

Red flags 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

Kari Traa says it makes products in Myanmar. Active Brands AS's figures name Bangladesh, Switzerland, China, Czechia, Hong Kong, Italy, Lithuania, Türkiye and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
BangladeshNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
VietnamSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
TürkiyeNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
SwitzerlandRegular violationsAbout a living wageLow
CzechiaStrong protectionsClose to a living wageModerate
Hong KongNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageLow
ItalyStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
LithuaniaStrong protectionsClose to a living wageModerate
MyanmarNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageVery high
IndiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
CambodiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PakistanUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Uses cotton in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its cotton comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
  • Publishes supplier list
  • Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
  • Modern slavery statement

Research notes Kari Traa's clothes are made by independent suppliers; owner Active Brands lists 120 assembly suppliers across ten countries, mostly in China, with others in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, Myanmar, Lithuania and elsewhere. No country shares are published for Kari Traa or the group, so the countries are listed without shares. Active Brands is a member of Ethical Trade Norway and amfori BSCI, about 81% of its volume was with BSCI-audited suppliers in 2022, it lists suppliers on Open Supply Hub and has signed the International Accord. It still sources from Myanmar, where worker abuses have been reported at its supplier, and it has no living wage commitment with dates.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedActive Brands was asked to respond to worker reports of rights abuses at the Handa (Yangon) factory in Myanmar and responded in January 2024. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot listedKari Traa and Active Brands are not rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report. View

Unconfirmed reports

Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.

  • Workers at Handa (Yangon) Garment, a Myanmar supplier of owner Active Brands, reported wage cuts, unpaid overtime, denial of sick leave and poor ventilation in 2023, and verbal and physical abuse and unfair dismissals in 2024; Active Brands said its production is at Handa's factory 1, not factory 2 named in the 2023 reports, and questioned the claims (BHRRC, 2023-2024). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Active Brands - Sustainability · search the archive · Key Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier locations shared on Open Supply Hub; assembly partners listed on suppliers page; Impact Report 2025
  2. FSN Capital and Verdane invest in Active Brands · search the archive · FSN Capital VI majority owner of Active Brands from 2022, with Verdane; brands include Kari Traa
  3. Active Brands - Suppliers · search the archive · Lists 120 suppliers in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, Switzerland, Czechia, Hong Kong, Italy, Lithuania and Myanmar (Handa (Yangon) Garment)

Published by Kari Traa or its owner

  1. Kari Traa - Community and supply chain · search the archive · Made mainly in Southeast Asia; Myanmar supplier Handa (Yangon); amfori BSCI; Ethical Trade Norway; signed the Accord; suppliers on Open Supply Hub
  2. Active Brands ESG Impact Report 2022 · search the archive · Assembly suppliers mostly in China, also Vietnam, Myanmar, Lithuania; 81% of volume with BSCI-audited suppliers; living wage working group only
  3. Kari Traa help centre - Where are orders sent from · search the archive · Web orders ship from Sweden to its regional web shops (Europe, UK, US); no Australian web shop or Australian stockist listed

Company details

Headquarters
Norway
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Kari Traa ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kari-traa, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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