Merry People
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne footwear brand best known for natural rubber gumboots.
Merry People can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Merry People? Send a right of reply.
Compare Merry People with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 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.
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 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
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Met: High-risk raw materials (natural rubber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: natural rubber
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
Where it's made
Merry People says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its natural rubber.
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its natural rubber. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Merry People's boots are made by outside suppliers: it says its factories are in China and Vietnam, with its two main manufacturers in China, but it names no factories and gives no split by country. It says its factories are audited under SMETA or amfori BSCI and have signed its October 2024 code of conduct, which sets pay at the legal minimum or industry benchmark rather than a defined living wage. It claims workers earn a living wage but publishes no wage data, and it has no modern slavery statement or Ethical Fashion Report rating. Most of its rubber is FSC certified, though rubber origins are not named.
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Merry People (Good On You) · search the archive · Final production in extreme-risk countries; no evidence of living wages paid
Published by Merry People or its owner
- Quality materials (Merry People customer centre) · search the archive · Factories in China and Vietnam; SMETA/BSCI audits; FSC-certified natural rubber uppers and outsoles; living wage claim
- How are Merry People rubber boots made? · search the archive · Boots made by two manufacturers in China; FSC-certified rubber is the main material
- Merry People sustainability statement · search the archive · FSC licence from 2023; most styles moved to FSC rubber, the rest planned for 2025; factories audited and sign code
- Merry People Code of Conduct · search the archive · October 2024 code sets wages at legal minimum or industry benchmark; allows unannounced audits
- Merry People: How are Merry People's rubber boots made · search the archive · Boots designed in Melbourne and made by two manufacturers in China
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Merry People ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/merry-people, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded footwear
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Merry People.