Labour Lens

LOWA

On Track

On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.

Clothing & footwear

Verified: what this means

Last researched 1 November 2026 · 6 sources

German maker of hiking and mountain boots, majority owned by Tecnica Group.

LOWA makes its hiking and mountaineering boots in six countries, with 55% in Slovakia and 28% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, partly in its own factories.

Also worth knowing

It's working towards a living wage through its Fair Wear membership, which requires a living wage plan, but can't yet show workers are paid one.

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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.

How grades are decided

  • Independently checked. LOWA belongs to Fair Wear, which checks its factories. Fair Wear found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2023 and a labour rights breach in 2023, and LOWA 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
  • 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 (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: leather

Red flags 0

None counted. Problems Fair Wear found, which it is fixing, are listed below.

Stars it would earn as Good:
StarAwarded for
Gives workers a real voice

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

Slovakia has the largest share, 55%. Bosnia and Herzegovina is next, at 28%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
Slovakia55%Strong protectionsNot ratedModerate
Bosnia and Herzegovina28%Regular violationsNot ratedHigh
Germany5%Strong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
Italy5%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Vietnam4%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Croatia3%Strong protectionsNot ratedModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its leather.
  • Publishes supplier list
  • Makes part of its range in its own factories
  • Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
  • Traces or certifies most but not all of its leather. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Most LOWA boots are made by its own subsidiary in Slovakia (about 1,900 staff) and at its German and Italian sites; uppers come from named partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and some running shoes from two factories in Vietnam. Slovenia (0.6%) and Albania (0.5%) make small shares. Leather comes from 15 tanneries in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Croatia, 11 of them LWG certified. Fair Wear found it pays its share of a living wage on none of its volume and has no plan to fund wage rises at suppliers.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fair WearMemberMember since 2023; rated Good with a score of 61 out of 100 in Fair Wear's 2024 Brand Performance Check (2023 data). View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedResponded in July 2016 to Change Your Shoes and Clean Clothes Campaign reports on poor conditions in Eastern European shoe factories. 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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2023Fair Wear's 2024 Brand Performance Check of LOWA reports that an audit found non-payment of legally required wage elements at one of its production sites (Fair Wear, 2024). 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.PartlyThe factory adjusted its payroll administration and LOWA checked the evidence; Fair Wear had not yet verified the fix.
2023Fair Wear's 2024 Brand Performance Check of LOWA reports that an audit found excessive overtime at one of its production sites (Fair Wear, 2024). 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.PartlyLOWA adjusted its order forecasting and the factory says the problem is resolved, pending Fair Wear validation.

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. BPC LOWA Sportschuhe GmbH 2024 (Fair Wear) · archived copy · Rated Good, 61/100; production volume by country (Slovakia 54.2%, Bosnia 27.89% ...); 60% of FOB from own sites; unpaid wage elements and overtime findings; 0% living wage
  2. Response by Lowa (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · July 2016 response to Change Your Shoes reports on Eastern European shoe supply chains
  3. LOWA men's boots - Alpsport, West Ryde NSW · search the archive · Australian store selling LOWA boots in stock

Published by LOWA or its owner

  1. LOWA production locations · search the archive · Names own sites in Germany, Slovakia and Italy and partner factories in Italy, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Vietnam
  2. LOWA Sustainability Report 2023 · search the archive · 2,105 employees; Tecnica Group owns 80%; 15 tanneries in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Croatia, 11 LWG certified; over 90% of shoes made in Europe
  3. LOWA press release: Fair Wear Foundation Brand Performance Check · search the archive · January 2025: rated Good, 61 out of 100, for 2023, its first membership year

Company details

Headquarters
Germany
Employees
About 2,105
Last researched
1 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is LOWA ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lowa, last researched 1 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means

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