Teva

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

US footwear brand known for sport sandals.

Teva can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

Better-graded footwear

Graded higher than Teva, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGood Jumbo Ugg AustraliaClothing & footwearAustralian-made sheepskin ugg bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodVerified Redback BootsClothing & footwearAustralian-made leather work bootsIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond VejaClothing & footwearSneakersHolds Fair Trade USA factory certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond

Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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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.

How grades are decided

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 Vietnam, Indonesia and China.
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
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
Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather

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

From Deckers Brands' supplier list, which covers Teva and its sister brands. Teva publishes no breakdown of its own, so these are group-wide shares. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Vietnam	57%	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Indonesia	26%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
China	5%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Cambodia	4%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Thailand	4%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Philippines	4%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
BangladeshUsual for the industry	under 1%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
IndiaUsual for the industry	under 1%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
TürkiyeUsual for the industry	under 1%	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
PakistanUsual for the industry	under 1%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Publishes supplier list
Modern slavery statement
Independent social audits of all its main factories
Uses recycled metals or fibres
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.
Uses cotton in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Teva is owned by US company Deckers Brands, whose independent factories are mainly in Vietnam and Indonesia, with under 5% from China or any other single country. Shares here count Deckers' 23 footwear factories by country; no split by brand is published. Since 2020 all of Teva's signature straps use recycled plastic yarn, and its leather comes from Leather Working Group tanneries. Deckers publishes Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier lists and audits its final-stage factories, and scored 36/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above average, but has no published living wage commitment or remedy process for supply chain workers.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Listed	Parent Deckers Brands scored 36 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 41 in 2024. View
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Listed	Deckers Brands scored 57% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Deckers responded in March 2024 to a Who Pays for the Crisis tracker allegation about a supplier factory, saying no mass layoffs occurred. View

Unconfirmed reports

Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.

A Clean Clothes Campaign 'Who pays for the crisis' tracker entry linked Deckers to pandemic-era claims against a supplier factory; Deckers said in 2024 that the supplier, Shoe Premier II, reported no mass layoffs or terminations (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Deckers Brands - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 score 36/100 (avg 31.5); FTI 2023 57%; Transparency Pledge aligned; KnowTheChain 2023 22/100
KnowTheChain 2023 Apparel & Footwear scorecard: Deckers · search the archive · Scored 22/100; no disclosed remedy for supply chain workers
Deckers Brands response to Who Pays for the Crisis tracker allegations (BHRRC, March 2024) · search the archive · Deckers said supplier Shoe Premier II reported no mass layoffs or terminations
Deckers Outdoor Corp Form 10-K, fiscal 2026 · search the archive · Finished goods made by independent manufacturers, mainly Vietnam and Indonesia; under 5% from China or any other single country

Published by Teva or its owner

Teva Looks Towards a Sustainable Future (Deckers press release, 2020) · search the archive · 100% of Teva's iconic straps use recycled plastic (REPREVE) from 2020; leather from Leather Working Group tanneries
Deckers Statement against Modern Slavery (FY2024) · search the archive · Announced and unannounced Tier 1 audits; Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier lists published
Deckers Brands Global Manufacturing Locations (Tier 1, as of April 2026) · search the archive · 45 Tier 1 factories (April 2026); footwear: Vietnam 13, Indonesia 6, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines 1 each

Company details

Owned by: Deckers Brands
Headquarters: United States
Employees: About 6,000
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Teva ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/teva, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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