ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic)
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
ALDI's own-label black, green and herbal teas, including Diplomat.
We couldn't confirm where ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic) gets most of its tea.
Also worth knowing
Most tea is grown in countries such as India and Kenya, where workers are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
Better-graded tea
Graded higher than ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic), selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic)? Send a right of reply.
Compare ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic) with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production, probably in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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 1 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsWhere tea is usually grown, such as India and China, unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not 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
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Probably made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic)'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.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its tea is grown
We couldn't confirm where ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic) gets most of its tea, so this shows where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Kenya | 25% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | 5% | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes ALDI Australia sells black, green and herbal teas under its own labels, including Diplomat and Just Organic, and CHOICE lists Diplomat and Just Organic teas as Rainforest Alliance certified, a scheme that audits farms but sets no minimum price. ALDI gives no share of its tea that is certified and does not say which countries or estates its tea comes from. Its 2025 modern slavery statement does not mention tea, and there is no evidence that tea workers earn a living wage.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | ALDI lodges Australian modern slavery statements; the latest covers 2025. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Unclear | Tea from India (forced labour) and Kenya (child labour) is on the US DOL list, but the origin of ALDI own-brand tea is not disclosed. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- CHOICE: Diplomat (ALDI) Quality Black Tea · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified; no country of origin stated (published November 2025).
- CHOICE: Diplomat (ALDI) English Breakfast · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified; no country of origin stated (published November 2025).
- CHOICE: Just Organic (ALDI) Black Tea · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified; no country of origin stated (published November 2025).
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Tea from India listed for forced labour; tea from Kenya listed for child labour.
Published by ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic) or its owner
- ALDI Australia: Tea, coffee and cocoa · search the archive · Works with Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and organic schemes; no tea brands, certified share or origins given.
- ALDI Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Covers calendar 2025; names cocoa and other priority commodities; tea is not mentioned and no tea origins are given.
Company details
- Owned by
- ALDI Süd
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic) ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/aldi-own-brand-tea, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent ALDI own brand tea (Diplomat, Just Organic).