Timberland
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
US brand best known for yellow waterproof work boots.
Timberland can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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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.
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 China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksUnconfirmed reports of forced labour are listed below. They don't affect 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
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton and 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 VF's supplier list, which covers Timberland and its sister brands. Timberland publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | 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
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- 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.
Research notes Timberland is owned by VF Corporation. Its boots, shoes and clothing are made by independent suppliers: VF uses about 216 contract factories in about 24 countries, mainly Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and China, but gives no shares for Timberland. VF publishes a twice-yearly factory list, audits factories with its own and third-party auditors, and scored 46/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above the 31.5 average. It has not signed the International Accord and has no time-bound living wage target. Timberland relies heavily on leather, a high-risk material.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner VF Corporation scored 46 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 55 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Parent VF Corporation scored 66% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, well above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by VF Corporation's FY2026 modern slavery statement (UK, Canada and California laws); no Australian statement covering Timberland was found on the register. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Timberland profile notes a global framework agreement with a trade union, Transparency Pledge alignment and facilities listed on Open Supply Hub. 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 2025 Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation reported that Fulgent Sun's Vietnam factory, which makes Timberland shoes, gets parts from a Fujian factory filmed using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang; VF said the parts did not go into its products (TBIJ, 2025). Source
- Sheffield Hallam University's 2021 'Laundering Cotton' report named parent company VF Corp among brands with supply chain links to Xinjiang cotton routed through other countries; individual VF brands were not named (Ecotextile, 2021). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- VF Corporation - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: VF Corporation scored 46/100 (average 31.5); lists Timberland as a VF brand; not an Accord signatory (CCC 2025)
- Dip in LWG coverage for VF (Leatherbiz, 2025) · search the archive · Timberland sourced 98 tonnes of regenerative leather for boots in FY2025; 90% of VF footwear leather from LWG-audited tanneries
- Vans, North Face, Timberland skirting forced labour law to source from China (TBIJ) · search the archive · 2025 report linking a Timberland shoe supplier in Vietnam to a Fujian parts factory using transferred Uyghur workers
- Fashion giants 'still linked to Xinjiang cotton' (Ecotextile) · search the archive · 2021 Laundering Cotton report names VF Corp among brands linked to Xinjiang cotton
- VF Factory List · search the archive · Factory list updated twice a year, covering 100% of Tier 1 and about 80% of Tier 2 by spend (H1 2026)
- VF Corporation California Transparency in Supply Chains Act disclosure · search the archive · Every factory audited before use by VF's own auditors and accredited third-party auditors; scheduled and unannounced audits
Published by Timberland or its owner
- VF Corporation FY2026 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · About 216 contract factories in 24 countries; top: Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, China; audits; no living wage target
Company details
- Owned by
- VF Corporation
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Timberland ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/timberland, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency 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 Timberland.