VAUDE
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned German outdoor and cycling brand.
VAUDE makes its outdoor and bike clothing and bags in its own factories in nine countries, with about 55% in Vietnam and 16% in Myanmar.
Also worth knowing
It has proven a living wage for only part of its supply chain.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent VAUDE? Send a right of reply.
Compare VAUDE with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 6 Good requirements.
- Working towards a living wage. That's enough for On Track, but Good needs proof that workers are paid one.
- Met: No red flags.
- Independently checked. VAUDE belongs to Fair Wear, which checks its factories. Fair Wear found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2024 and abuse of workers in 2024, and VAUDE is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 5 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 rightsFair Wear found serious abuse of workers, which VAUDE is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count 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
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton
Red flags 0
None counted. Problems Fair Wear found, which it is fixing, are listed below.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
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 VAUDE'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.
Jackets & coats, Pants & trousers, Shorts, Shirts, T-shirts, Activewear, Bags & backpacks: On Track, the same as VAUDE 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, 55%. Myanmar is next, at 16%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 55% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Myanmar | 16% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Very high |
| Germany | 9% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Bangladesh | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cambodia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Portugal | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Lithuania | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | 1% | Strong protections | Close to 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.
- Publishes supplier list
- Owns or runs its own production
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
Research notes VAUDE has been a Fair Wear member since 2010 and was rated Leader for the 11th year running in 2025, with all production locations published on Fair Wear's transparency portal. Most products are sewn in Vietnam, Myanmar, Germany (its own bag workshop in Obereisenbach), Bangladesh, China and Cambodia. Wages at its Vietnamese factories are close to or above living wage estimates and one Cambodian factory meets one, but VAUDE pays a living wage contribution on only about 13% of its purchases and has put expansion on hold for financial reasons. It sells in about 56 countries including Australia, mostly through specialist and online bike and outdoor retailers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Wear | Member | Fair Wear member since 2010, rated Leader in the 2025 Brand Performance Check covering 2024; a July 2026 check shows a total score of 78%. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | VAUDE does not list B Corp certification among its standards (it uses EMAS, Economy for the Common Good and Grüner Knopf instead). View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Not graded in the Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Not covered | Not shown among brands scored in the Fashion Transparency Index. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against VAUDE are recorded beyond Fair Wear's own findings. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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 non-payment of legally required wage elements at two factories assessed in 2024, and five worker complaints about refused resignations or unpaid final wages. Source · archived copyFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyVAUDE reports the unpaid wage elements were addressed, pending Fair Wear verification; the five resignation complaints were resolved and it is working with factories on prevention. |
| 2024 | Fair Wear found excessive overtime at supplier factories in 2024 through two assessments and two worker complaints, including a case in China linked to VAUDE's own production planning (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2025). Source · archived copyFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyVAUDE took steps on planning with suppliers, but Fair Wear found it could not yet show overtime had fallen. |
| 2024 | About 16% of VAUDE's 2024 production was in Myanmar, where Fair Wear advises responsible exit because independent unions are suppressed; Fair Wear also recorded unauthorised subcontracting at one Myanmar location and complaints of verbal harassment and work during lunch breaks (Fair Wear Brand Performance Check, 2025). Source · archived copyFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyVAUDE stopped production at two Myanmar sites in 2024 and resolved two worker complaints, but still buys from one Myanmar supplier, has no exit plan and can't verify support for affected workers. |
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.
- Myanmar Labour News reported in 2023 physical and verbal abuse, unpaid sick leave and other abuses at a North Shore Group factory in Myanmar supplying VAUDE; VAUDE said the supervisors involved had left and it ended work with the supplier at the end of 2023 (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Fair Wear: Vaude Brand Performance Check 2025 · archived copy · Leader, score 83, covering 2024; production volume Viet Nam 55.49%, Myanmar 16.09%, Germany 8.85%, Bangladesh 6.71%, China 5.2%, Cambodia 5.05%, Portugal 1.34%, Lithuania 0.79%, Ukraine 0.31%, Taiwan 0.15%, Austria 0.03%; 40 suppliers, 100% disclosed; 11 complaints; non-payment of legal wage element
- Fair Wear: VAUDE brand page · search the archive · Member since 2010; family-owned; latest Brand Performance Check dated July 2026 with total score 78%.
- TextilWirtschaft: Vaude makes less revenue and considers job cuts · search the archive · March 2024: about 650 employees; falling sales; cost cuts and possible job reductions planned for 2024.
- Bike24: VAUDE · search the archive · VAUDE products sold through international online bike retailers.
Published by VAUDE or its owner
- VAUDE: Recognised for fair working conditions in the global supply chain · search the archive · October 2025: Fair Wear Leader for the 11th consecutive time, benchmarking score 83.
- VAUDE Sustainability Report: our brand · search the archive · Family-owned; 2023 revenue about EUR 133 million; sales in about 56 countries including Australia; about 30% of backpacks made in Germany at Obereisenbach.
- VAUDE Sustainability Report: our employees · search the archive · 653 employees at end of 2023, over 90% at Obereisenbach.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Employees
- About 650
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is VAUDE ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/vaude, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded outdoor
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 VAUDE.