Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Californian skate shoe and streetwear brand.
Vans' supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2024, which it has only partly acted on, and workers in Bangladesh and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2024) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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 2 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
- Not 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: cotton and leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
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 Vans and its sister brands. Vans 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 Vans is VF Corporation's main footwear brand. VF owns no factories and sources from about 216 independent factories in about 24 countries, mainly Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and China; no share by country is published. VF publishes a factory list, audits suppliers and scored 46/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, above the 31.5 average, but it has no time-bound living wage target and has not signed the International Accord. A 2025 investigation tied a former Vans shoe supplier in China to Xinjiang forced labour transfers.
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 | VF-owned brands 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 Vans was found on the register. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Bureau of Investigative Journalism (2025) found a Chinese factory that supplied Vans until late 2023 used Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang. 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 recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Link through a supplierA Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation found Sunshine Footwear in Fujian, China, which exported to Vans until December 2023, employed Uyghur workers under Xinjiang state labour transfer schemes (TBIJ, 2025). Source · search the archive | PartlyVF says its direct relationship with the Fujian factory ended in February 2024, but it kept buying from the group's Vietnam plant; no remedy for workers reported. |
| 2017 | The Worker Rights Consortium found that Horizon Outdoor in Cambodia, which made VF products including Vans, illegally fired a newly elected union officer and threatened to fire 50 workers (WRC, 2017). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesAfter WRC contact, VF and the factory reinstated the union officer with full back pay and dropped plans to fire 50 workers (WRC, 2018). |
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 2023 Asia Floor Wage Alliance and Global Labor Justice report said factories supplying VF, Nike and Levi's in six Asian countries still owed workers pandemic-era wages; amounts were not broken down by brand. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- VF Corporation - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: VF Corporation scored 46/100 (average 31.5); FTI 2023 66%; not an Accord signatory
- Horizon Outdoor (Worker Rights Consortium) · search the archive · 2017 illegal firing of union officer at Cambodian factory making VF products incl. Vans; reinstated with back pay
- US corporate human rights index: VF (BHRRC, 2025) · search the archive · Only 3 of 12 assessed supplier facilities passed Fair Wage Network threshold in FY24; no living wage evidence
- Vans, North Face, Timberland skirting forced labour law (TBIJ) · search the archive · Sunshine Footwear (Fujian) exported to Vans until Dec 2023 and used Xinjiang labour transfers; VF ended direct ties Feb 2024
- VF Corporation factory list · search the archive · Factory list updated twice a year covering 100% of tier 1 and about 80% of tier 2 by spend
- Pandemic recovery for whom? (Peoples Dispatch) · search the archive · AFWA/GLJ 2023 report on unpaid wages at factories supplying VF, Nike and Levi's
Published by Vans or its owner
- FY26 VF Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · About 216 contractor factories, about 24 countries; top: Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, China; no owned factories; UK, Canada, US laws
Company details
- Owned by
- VF Corporation
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Vans ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/vans, 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 Vans.