Mortels Sheepskin Factory
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Family-owned NSW maker of sheepskin UGG boots.
Mortels Sheepskin Factory makes its sheepskin boots and slippers in its own factories in Australia, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It carries the Australian Made label.
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Compare Mortels Sheepskin Factory with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Australia are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
- 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 listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: leather
Red flags 0
None found.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Open supply chain |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 1
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Mortels Sheepskin Factory's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Boots, Shoes: On Track, the same as Mortels Sheepskin Factory overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Mortels Sheepskin Factory's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies all of its leather.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- Traces all of its leather to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of it certified
- "Made in Australia" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good. Source
Research notes Mortels-branded boots and slippers are made in the company's own factory in Thornton, NSW, from Australian sheepskins tanned to its own standards, and the company holds an Australian Made licence. Its stores also sell other brands, including Shearers Way, which Mortels designs but which is made in China, and Emu Australia, whose fashion styles are mostly made in China. Mortels publishes animal welfare and environmental information but no labour policy or wage information, and it is not accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Mortels is not among the brands currently accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is claimed by the company. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Mortels appear in news coverage. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: brand sitemap · search the archive · Mortels does not appear among the 57 currently accredited brands.
- Your Hunter Valley: Proudly Aussie owned, world famous · search the archive · Boots handcrafted at the Thornton site, over 1,000 pairs a week; sheepskins sourced from NSW and Victorian abattoirs; family owned, run by Tony and Stephanie Mortel since 1992.
Published by Mortels Sheepskin Factory or its owner
- Mortels Sheepskin Factory: home page · search the archive · Family business founded in 1958 by Frank and Rita Mortel; manufacturing base in Thornton, NSW; showrooms in Thornton, Warners Bay and Launceston; Australian Made logo shown.
- Mortels: Brands and Affiliates · search the archive · Mortels brand made in Thornton factory from Australian sheepskin; three styles made in China and Mortels-branded 2012-2017, no longer Mortels-branded; Shearers Way designed by Mortels and made in China; Emu Australia also stocked; Australian Made Campaign licensee; founding member of the Australian
- Mortels: Ethics and Sustainability · search the archive · Australian owned, grown and made; own tanning processes (EnviroTan, ChemSafe); animal welfare and environmental claims; no labour or wage statements.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Mortels Sheepskin Factory ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mortels, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded footwear
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Mortels Sheepskin Factory.