Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Electrolux-owned budget brand of cookers, ovens and cooktops.
Chef's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and it has proven a living wage for only part of its supply chain.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 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)
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, where 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
- 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
- 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 2
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From product labels; Chef doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
Research notes Chef freestanding cookers are listed as built at Electrolux's own Dudley Park factory in Adelaide, while Chef cooktops and rangehoods are listed as made in China by unnamed makers; no shares are disclosed. Electrolux audits higher-risk suppliers, has a global union agreement and says no direct employee is paid below a living wage benchmark, though this does not cover suppliers such as the Chinese cooktop makers. It publishes no supplier list.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Electrolux lodges modern slavery statements on the Australian register, including a 2022 group statement. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Electrolux's group statement on slavery and human trafficking is lodged on the UK registry. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Electrolux was graded B- in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Report, the last edition of that series; it is in no current Baptist World Aid report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records the 2013 dismissal of union members at Electrolux Thailand and Electrolux's listing in ASPI's 2020 Uyghur labour report. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute named Electrolux among 83 brands linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang in conditions strongly suggesting forced labour (ASPI via BHRRC, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownElectrolux told Radio Sweden it has no suppliers in Xinjiang and that the named supplier denied using forced labour; no other action reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Largest Australian made domestic oven range launches (Australian Made, 2012) · search the archive · Westinghouse and Chef cooking products made at Electrolux's Dudley Park plant in Adelaide
- Chef CHC644BA cooktop (CHOICE) · search the archive · Country of origin China
- Inside Electrolux's global living wage rollout (WageIndicator, 2025) · search the archive · No direct employees paid below living wage benchmark from 2024; suppliers not covered
- Major brands implicated in report on forced labour beyond Xinjiang (BHRRC, 2020) · search the archive · ASPI 2020 report lists Electrolux among 83 brands
- Chef 54cm Freestanding Electric Cooker CFE536SB (Bing Lee) · search the archive · Built in a local factory in Adelaide, made in Australia; in stock (checked Nov 2026)
- Electrolux response on Uyghur forced labour (Sveriges Radio) · search the archive · Electrolux says it has no suppliers in Xinjiang; the accused supplier denies using forced labour
Published by Chef or its owner
- Electrolux Group Modern Slavery Statement 2022 · search the archive · 40 factories, 51,000 employees; 306 supplier audits in 2022; 3 cases of withheld pay remediated
Company details
- Owned by
- AB Electrolux (Electrolux Group)
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Employees
- About 51,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Chef ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/chef, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Chef.