Salewa
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Italian mountain brand selling hiking boots and clothing.
In 2023, temporary workers at Salewa's two Myanmar suppliers earned as little as 4,800 kyat a day, under half Fair Wear's guidance.
Also worth knowing
Salewa hasn't put this right.
Better-graded outdoor
Graded higher than Salewa, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Salewa? Send a right of reply.
Compare Salewa with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 4 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has a confirmed problem with workers' pay, rights or safety that it hasn't shown it is fixing. It can't be On Track until it shows it is.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it hasn't put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 4 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 rightsA serious breach of labour rights was documented in its supply chain in 2023, which it has since put right. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade.
- 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 (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton
Red flags 2
- Red flag: Living wage proven for only part of its supply chain
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put right
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. 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 Salewa'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, Jackets & coats, Pants & trousers, Bags & backpacks: Harm on record, the same as Salewa 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
Vietnam has the largest share, 31%. Bangladesh is next, at 26%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 31% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 26% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 14% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Romania | 11% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Myanmar | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Very high |
| Italy | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Czechia | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Switzerland | 1% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Lithuania | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Portugal | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Austria | 1% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
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.
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Modern slavery statement
- Has confirmed problems with workers' pay, rights or safety that it hasn't shown it is fixing (listed under Confirmed issues), so it can't be graded higher until it shows it is.
Research notes Salewa's Fair Wear membership is held by its parent Oberalp and covers the Salewa, Dynafit, Wild Country and LaMunt brands, not Oberalp's other brands such as Pomoca and Evolv or the brands it distributes. A Fair Wear member since 2013, it fell from Leader to Good in the 2024 check (covering 2023) and scored 71 in its latest 2025 check; living wage estimates were paid at three Vietnamese suppliers making up a quarter of purchases, but there is no time-bound plan for the rest and production locations were not publicly disclosed. Oberalp has kept sourcing from two factories in Yangon since Myanmar's 2021 coup; in Australia the brand is mainly sold through specialist outdoor retailers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Wear | Member | Member since 2013 through Oberalp, covering Salewa, Dynafit, Wild Country and LaMunt; rated Good in the 2024 Brand Performance Check, latest score 71. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification found for Salewa or Oberalp. View |
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia; products are not made in Australia. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records Oberalp's decision to keep sourcing from Myanmar after the 2021 coup; no worker allegations naming Salewa found. View |
Confirmed issues 4
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 recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fair Wear's 2025 Brand Performance Check found that apprentices and helpers at a Bangladeshi supplier were sometimes not paid the minimum wage in 2024. Source · search the archive | Not knownFair Wear asked Salewa to make sure the workers are paid back. No repayment has been reported yet. |
| 2023 | Fair Wear's 2024 Brand Performance Check found the lowest daily wage for temporary workers at Salewa's two Myanmar suppliers was 4,800 kyat, under half of Fair Wear's 10,000 kyat guidance, with union membership restricted, in 2023. Source · archived copy | NoFair Wear reported the brand had not secured wage increases above the legal minimum at its Myanmar suppliers, while its Myanmar share grew from 5.3% to 9.4% of purchases. |
| 2023 | Fair Wear reported in 2024 that audits of Salewa's suppliers found excessive overtime in seven of twelve factories and unpaid legally required wages in three, including overtime premiums and statutory leave at a Chinese supplier, in 2023. | PartlyMaternity benefits in Bangladesh and Myanmar overtime were put right; the brand is exiting the Chinese supplier and still awaited proof of payment there. |
| 2023 | Fair Wear reported in 2024 that a worker at a Bangladeshi supplier was dismissed after filing a living wage complaint through Fair Wear's helpline in 2023. Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesThe worker was reinstated after Fair Wear and the brand intervened, and the factory was reminded of its non-retaliation policy. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Fair Wear: Salewa brand page · search the archive · Member since 2013; covers SALEWA, DYNAFIT, Wild Country and LaMunt; total benchmarking score 71; 2025 Brand Performance Check published December 2025.
- Fair Wear Brand Performance Check: SALEWA, DYNAFIT, Wild Country & LaMunt 2024 · archived copy · Covers 2023; Good, 66; VN 30%, BD 27%, CN 15%, RO 11%, MM 9%, IT 3%; living wage at 3 VN suppliers; Myanmar wage gap; overtime in 7 of 12 audits.
- Il Sole 24 Ore: Oberalp, the house of mountain brands · search the archive · Oberalp wholly owned by the Oberrauch family; 1,157 employees; revenue EUR 284m in 2024.
- Backpacking Light Australia: Salewa · search the archive · Salewa carried by an Australian outdoor retailer.
Published by Salewa or its owner
- Oberalp: Factories best in class - People · search the archive · Fair Wear rating of Good in 2024 for Salewa, Dynafit, Wild Country and LaMunt; group brands include Pomoca and Evolv; 57% of production in Asia.
- Oberalp remains engaged in Myanmar · search the archive · Oberalp continued production at two factories in Yangon after the 2021 coup, saying due diligence is still possible.
- SALEWA USA, LLC report under Canada's Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (2024) · search the archive · Published forced labour and child labour supply chain report.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 1,157
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Salewa ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/salewa, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Salewa.