Labour Lens

Burleigh

On Track

On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources

English pottery making blue-and-white transferware tableware.

Burleigh makes its handmade transferware earthenware pottery in its own factories in the United Kingdom, where legal wages are close to a living wage.

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Why it's graded On Track

How grades are decided

Good requirements 5 of 7

  • Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in the United Kingdom are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
  • Met: Respects worker rights
  • Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
  • Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics
  • 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 listMakes its products in its own factories
  • Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range

Red flags 0

None found.

Stars it would earn as Good:
StarAwarded for
Open supply chain

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From Burleigh's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
United KingdomRegular violationsClose to a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
  • Owns or runs its own production
  • "Made in the United Kingdom" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.

Research notes Burleigh makes all its pottery by hand at its own workshop in the Grade II-listed Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, so the people who make it work in England under UK employment law. Its maker, Burgess & Leigh, went into administration with parent Denby on 31 March 2026 and was sold in June 2026 to investors led by former Burberry boss Christopher Bailey, with all 62 jobs kept. It publishes no labour policy or wage information, and no labour abuses have been reported.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryNot coveredWith about 62 staff, Burgess & Leigh is well below the turnover at which UK companies must publish a modern slavery statement. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion and Electronics reports do not assess homewares brands like Burleigh. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Historic pottery business acquired out of administration (Hill Dickinson, June 2026) · search the archive · Burleigh sold by FRP administrators to investors led by Christopher Bailey; 62 jobs kept; made at Middleport since 1889
  2. Pottery firm Burgess & Leigh falls into administration with parent company Denby (Daily Focus, 2026) · search the archive · Administration from 31 March 2026; Burleigh makes all its ware at Middleport in Stoke-on-Trent
  3. Christopher Bailey acquires Burleigh Pottery (The Impression, 2026) · search the archive · Bailey and investors bought Burleigh after Denby's administration; production stays at Middleport
  4. Ex-Burberry CEO buys Burleigh (Tableware International, June 2026) · search the archive · Acquisition secures the Middleport Pottery site, operated by Burleigh since 1889

Published by Burleigh or its owner

  1. Delivery - Burleigh · search the archive · Ships worldwide except Spain, Russia and Georgia; pieces made by hand at Middleport Pottery

Company details

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Employees
About 62
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Burleigh ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/burleigh, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means

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