Carte Noire
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
French coffee brand selling ground coffee, beans, pods and capsules.
Linked to Child labour
In 2021, inspectors freed 24 workers, including a 16-year-old, from a Brazilian coffee farm whose co-operative supplied Carte Noire's parent.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of Carte Noire putting this right.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Carte Noire, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 5 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.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: child labour, last recorded in 2021.
Good requirements 0 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its coffee is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
- Not 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
- 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: 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 its coffee is grown
These are Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.'s coffee origins across all its brands; Carte Noire doesn't say where its own coffee is grown. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| HondurasUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PeruUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| UgandaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GuatemalaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: coffee is on the US Department of Labor child or forced labour list for over a dozen countries, and farm-gate prices often fall below a living income.
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Carte Noire's green coffee is bought by the Lavazza Group, which names Vietnam as a main origin and also buys from Brazil, but publishes no country shares, supplier list or Carte Noire-specific sourcing data. Lavazza says over 97% of its green coffee comes from EcoVadis-rated suppliers, but gives no certified share and has no living wage or living income commitment; only some Carte Noire lines are organic. The Carte Noire instant coffee once sold in Australia belonged to JDE and has been discontinued; Lavazza's rights cover Europe.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Lavazza Coffee (UK) Ltd and Lavazza Professional UK publish a group modern slavery statement for 2025, signed June 2026. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Lavazza or Carte Noire entity appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Repórter Brasil and Danwatch reported in 2022 that the Lavazza Group bought from a Brazilian co-operative whose member farm was found using slave labour in 2021. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia for child labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Carte Noire's main range is not Fairtrade certified. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Lavazza is not among the 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Brazilian inspectors freed 24 workers, including a 16-year-old, in July 2021 at a farm selling through the Cocatrel co-operative, which supplied the Lavazza Group in 2019-2021 (Repórter Brasil, Danwatch, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownLavazza called Cocatrel a marginal supplier (about 1% of its Brazilian coffee) and said it was investigating; no outcome or help for workers has been reported. |
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.
- Repórter Brasil reported in 2025 that Guaxupé Coffee Exporter, linked to the Cooxupé co-operative whose member farms were put on Brazil's slave-labour list, supplied Lavazza; the buyers said they had not sourced from those farms (BHRRC, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Multinational coffee companies keep buying from suppliers linked to slave labour farms (Repórter Brasil, 2022) · archived copy · 24 workers freed at a Cocatrel member farm in July 2021; Lavazza bought from Cocatrel
- Most of Denmark's coffee comes from Brazil (Danwatch, 2022) · search the archive · Shipping records show Lavazza bought from Cocatrel in 2019-2021; a 16-year-old among the freed workers
- Lavazza offer to acquire Carte Noire (2015) · search the archive · Lavazza to buy Carte Noire brand in the European Economic Area, excluding instant, with the Lavérune plant in France
- Lavazza statement on the Repórter Brasil investigation (2022) · search the archive · Lavazza buys coffee in Brazil; Cocatrel about 1% of its Brazilian purchases; Lavazza investigating
- Carte Noire Coffee (ProductReview.com.au) · search the archive · Carte Noire instant coffee listed as discontinued in Australia; reviewers say Coles and Woolworths stopped stocking it
Published by Carte Noire or its owner
- Lavazza Group Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · Over 97% of green coffee from EcoVadis-rated suppliers; Foundation: 32 projects in 16 coffee countries; no certified share or origin shares
- Lavazza UK modern slavery and human trafficking statement (2025) · search the archive · Group statement for 2025, signed June 2026; Vietnam named as a main coffee origin; projects in Brazil and Colombia
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Carte Noire ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/carte-noire, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 Carte Noire.