Do we like them?

Do we like Birkenstock?

Maker of cork-footbed sandals and shoes, mostly made in Germany; Birkenstock Holding plc, listed on the NYSE.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A solid, long-lived maker that keeps most production in Germany. Independent checks on wages and supply chain are thin, and a private equity owner is still selling shares. We'd cautiously back it.

Birkenstock is a German sandal maker whose cork-footbed designs became fashion staples. In 2021 L Catterton, a private equity firm backed by LVMH, bought a majority stake. Oliver Reichert became sole CEO after the deal closed.

The company listed on the stock market in October 2023. Börsen-Zeitung reports that L Catterton has sold more shares each year since, and now holds a minority stake.

On the good side, Birkenstock says it assembles over 95% of its products in Germany. It also says even lower-paid staff earn well above the legal minimum, with 13 monthly salaries and 30 days' leave. These are the company's own claims.

Good On You rates its treatment of people 'Not Good Enough', saying it found no evidence of living wages in the supply chain. Birkenstock also lost a German copyright case in 2025 when the court ruled its sandals aren't protected applied art. It also went after fakes in India.