Stressless
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Norwegian brand of recliners and sofas.
Stressless makes 80% of its Norwegian recliners and sofas in Norway, where legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It publishes a modern slavery statement.
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Compare Stressless with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 4 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 4 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Norway are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- 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: materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics
- 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
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather and timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather and timber
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Norway has the largest share, 80%. The United States is next, at 20%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 80% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| United States | 20% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- "Made in Norway" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics 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
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- Doesn't show where its timber comes from. Timber is linked to illegal logging linked to forced labour, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Stressless makes its furniture in four of its own factories in Norway and one in Morganton, North Carolina, which makes sofas and some recliners for North America; shares are by factory count. Ekornes also runs factories in Thailand and Lithuania for its other brands. Its 2024 Transparency Act statement reports no supply-chain incidents found and external DNV audits of eight higher-risk suppliers (textiles, electronics, tanneries) in 2025, but gives no audit results. It does not name suppliers or say where its leather and wood come from.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report does not assess furniture makers. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour allegations against Ekornes or Stressless appear in Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ekornes QM Holding operational update (Euronext, January 2023) · search the archive · Subsidiary of Qumei Home Furnishing Group; eight factories in Norway, USA, Thailand and Lithuania; Vietnam closed
- Stressless on ArchiPro Australia · search the archive · Made across four factories in Norway and one in the US; dealers listed in every Australian state and the ACT
- Ekornes adds North Carolina assembly for Stressless power recliners (Home News Now, 2022) · search the archive · Morganton makes all North American Stressless sofas; Mike and Max recliners moved there from Thailand
- Ekornes Transparency Act statement for 2024 (June 2025) · search the archive · 2,461 employees; eight factories in Norway, USA, Thailand, Lithuania; no supply-chain incidents found in 2024; DNV audits of eight suppliers in 2025
- Ekornes sustainability · search the archive · UN Global Compact member; suppliers sign a code of conduct; publishes a Transparency Act statement for 2024
- Ekornes Supplier Code of Conduct (2026) · search the archive · Bans forced labour; wages must meet the higher of legal or industry benchmark and cover basic needs; no audit clause
Company details
- Headquarters
- Norway
- Employees
- About 2,461
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Stressless ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/stressless, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track 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 Stressless.