Essteele
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Meyer group brand of premium stainless steel cookware.
Essteele makes its stainless steel cookware in its own factories in Italy, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are close to a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It publishes a modern slavery statement.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Italy are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- 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.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Open supply chain |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Essteele's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
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
- Modern slavery statement
- "Made in Italy" 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. Source
Research notes Essteele cookware is labelled made in Milan, Italy, and Meyer says it makes its own cookware in factories it runs in China, Italy, Thailand and the US. Meyer does not name the Italian factory or publish a factory list, audit results or wage information. Its UK distributor's modern slavery statement names no factories or findings, and no Meyer cookware entity is on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. No labour abuse reports involving Essteele were found, and no independent rating covers the brand.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Meyer Group Ltd, Meyer's UK distributor, publishes a short modern slavery statement (as at March 2024) that names no factories or findings. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Meyer cookware entity appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid does not rate cookware makers. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Modern Slavery Register search: meyer · search the archive · No Meyer cookware statement on the Australian register
- Essteele Per Vita 4 piece set (Myer) · search the archive · Essteele Per Vita labelled manufactured in Milan, Italy; sold by Myer in Australia
- Essteele Per Salute twin skillet set (Kitchen Warehouse) · search the archive · Per Salute range designed and made in Italy
- About Meyer (Meyer US FAQs) · search the archive · Meyer says it makes its own cookware and runs factories in China, Italy, Thailand and the US
- Slavery statement (Meyer Group UK) · search the archive · UK modern slavery statement as at March 2024; no factories, audit results or findings named
- Meyer Canada: About · search the archive · Meyer group affiliate factories in China, Thailand, Italy, USA and Canada; brands include Essteele
- Essteele launches Essenza ceramic cookware made in Italy (Medianet, March 2026) · search the archive · Essenza range designed and made in Italy; launch quoted Meyer Cookware Australia's head of marketing; no factory named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Hong Kong
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Essteele ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/essteele, 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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