Dilmah
Partly verifiedDilmah isn't doing enough to protect workers: workers in Sri Lanka are very unlikely to earn a living wage, and workers have limited protection of their rights. It does have some safeguards, as it makes most products in its own factories.
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 2 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 1
- Does not pay a living wage
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations).
- Owns or runs its own production
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Dilmah is a family-owned Sri Lankan company that grows, packs and ships its tea in Sri Lanka, owning tea plantations, factories and packaging facilities and holding a stake in Kahawatte Plantations, while also buying from other estates that it says it audits. Sri Lanka's plantation minimum wage was raised to Rs 1,750 a day from January 2026, and the company publishes no evidence that it pays a living wage (the Global Living Wage Coalition's 2023 estimate for the estate sector is LKR 47,464 a month). It directs 15% of pre-tax profits to the MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation, which fund child development centres and other programmes in tea communities, but it does not publish a supplier list, worker wage data or a modern slavery statement.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Records a 2025 ABC investigation into Sri Lankan tea estates that named Dilmah among the brands and includes Dilmah's response. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | Sri Lankan tea is not on the US list of goods produced with child or forced labour; tea from India, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam is. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Dilmah modern slavery statement was found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View ↗ |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | No Fairtrade certification for Dilmah tea was found. View ↗ |
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.
- A 2025 ABC News investigation found poor housing, months without drinking water and a 12-year-old girl working as a labourer in vegetable gardens on a Rainforest Alliance certified Sri Lankan tea estate that appears on Dilmah's supplier list; Dilmah responded that it abhors any interruption of a child's education and runs child development centres in tea regions. Source ↗
Sources (12)
- Dilmah - Wikipedia · archived copy · Vertically integrated: owns tea plantations, factories, printing and packaging; Peliyagoda headquarters; 634 employees (2022); owned by Ceylon Tea Services and MJF Exports
- Our Story - Dilmah · archived copy · Family-owned under MJF Holdings; tea picked, perfected and packed at origin in Sri Lanka
- Taking on the World with a Cup of Tea - WIPO · archived copy · Dilmah grows tea on its own Sri Lankan estates and runs its own printing and packing facilities
- Kahawatte Plantations to capitalise Rs 800 m related-party debt via private placement - History of Ceylon Tea · archived copy · Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company owns 15.74% of Kahawatte Plantations; Forbes Plantations owns 63.78%; Merrill J. Fernando chaired the board
- Workers on Sri Lanka's estates reveal the bitter truth behind ethical labels on tea packets - ABC News · archived copy · 2025 investigation: Rainforest Alliance certified estate on Dilmah's supplier list had damaged housing, water shortages and a 12-year-old working in vegetable gardens; Dilmah holds Rainforest Alliance
- Sri Lanka: The uncomfortable truth behind your cup of tea - ABC News · archived copy · Dilmah's response on child labour, its 82 child development centres and LKR 860 million in community funding in 2024
- Sri Lanka: low wages, dilapidated housing, lack of drinking water and toilets and child labour found on Rainforest Alliance certified tea estates - BHRRC · archived copy · BHRRC records the ABC investigation and Dilmah's response
- Sri Lanka's tea industry faces crisis amid wage hike and tough conditions for workers - ABC News · archived copy · 2024 minimum wage rise to Rs 1,700 requiring 18kg daily pluck; Dilmah chairman's comments on the wage rise
- Govt signs agreement with plantation companies to increase estate workers' daily wage - Ada Derana · archived copy · Estate daily wage raised from Rs 1,350 to Rs 1,750 from 1 January 2026
- Living wage update report: Sri Lanka rural estate sector, June 2023 - Global Living Wage Coalition · archived copy · Living wage for the Sri Lankan estate sector: LKR 47,464 gross a month (June 2023)
- MJF Foundation · archived copy · 15% of pre-tax profits committed to charitable work; programmes reaching tea and cinnamon communities
- Dilmah Tea home page · archived copy · 15% of pre-tax profits dedicated to helping people and protecting nature
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.