Labour Lens

Rab

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 2 November 2026 · 6 sources

British outdoor brand making down jackets and shells.

Rab makes its technical outdoor clothing and sleeping bags in seven countries, with about 41% in China and 31% in Indonesia, and publishes its supplier list.

Also worth knowing

It has proven a living wage for only part of its supply chain.

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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

  • Checks its own supply chain. Rab looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Fair Wear also found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2024, which it's fixing. 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 (proven for only part of its supply chain)
  • 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found signs of forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
  • 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 0

None counted. Problems its own checks and 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 3

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Rab'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.

Jackets & coats, Pants & trousers, T-shirts, Knitwear, Activewear, Hats, Bags & backpacks: On Track, the same as Rab 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

China has the largest share, 41%. Indonesia is next, at 31%.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China41%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Indonesia31%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Bangladesh13%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Vietnam6%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
United Kingdom4%Regular violationsClose to a living wageLow
Myanmar4%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageVery high
Philippines1%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

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
  • Independent social audits of all its main factories
  • Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only

Research notes Rab is made mainly by independent suppliers in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam, plus owner Equip's own UK site in Derbyshire (about 4% of volume). As a Fair Wear member rated Leader, its factories are audited and workers can use Fair Wear's complaints helpline; Equip also became a certified B Corp in 2026. Fair Wear found its main Indonesian supplier paid an agreed living wage estimate from 2023 and that Equip pays its share of living wage costs for about 35% of volume, but wage gaps remain in Bangladesh, the Philippines and some Chinese factories. About 80% of its factories are listed publicly.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fair WearMemberFair Wear member since 2020; rated Leader for a fourth year in a row in 2025 with a benchmark score of 81, up from 76 in 2024. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedEquip Outdoor Technologies UK files annual UK modern slavery statements; the 2025-26 statement reports one restriction-of-movement case found and remediated. View
B Corp directoryCertifiedEquip Outdoor Technologies (Rab and Lowe Alpine) became a Certified B Corp in March 2026 with a B Impact score of 84.0. 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?
2025Equip's own monitoring found restriction of movement, an ILO forced labour indicator, at a supplier factory, as reported in its 2025-26 modern slavery statement.Found and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself.YesEquip worked with amfori and the factory on root causes and removed a pause card; a follow-up BSCI audit verified the fix.
2024Workers at a Chinese factory making Equip products filed complaints through Fair Wear's helpline over pay below a living wage, long hours and lack of proper employment contracts, and earlier over overtime and legal minimum wages (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 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.PartlyEquip worked with another Fair Wear brand on the complaints; when the factory refused to fix several of them, Equip began a responsible exit.

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: Equip Outdoor Technologies 2024 · archived copy · Volume: China 41%, Indonesia 31%, Bangladesh 13%, Vietnam 6%, UK 4%, Myanmar 4%; living wage progress; China factory complaints; Accord; 80% disclosed
  2. Equip Outdoor Technologies (Rab and Lowe Alpine) - B Corp directory · search the archive · Certified B Corp since March 2026; overall B Impact score 84.0, workers 22.7
  3. Equip achieves Fair Wear Leader status for fourth consecutive year (2025) · search the archive · 2025 Fair Wear benchmark score 81, Leader; 18 manufacturing partners across 21 sites; UK site still runs
  4. Equip Outdoor Technologies agrees sale of Lowe Alpine (2026) · search the archive · 30 Sept 2026: Lowe Alpine brand rights to be sold to ATG Brands & Data; Equip keeps Rab and remains a Fair Wear member

Published by Rab or its owner

  1. Equip Outdoor Technologies UK modern slavery statement summary (2026) · search the archive · Fair Wear member since 2020; restriction of movement found at a supplier and remediated, verified by BSCI follow-up audit
  2. Where we work - Rab · search the archive · Manufacturers in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam; factories audited to amfori BSCI and Fair Wear codes

Company details

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

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