Labour Lens

GUBI

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 3 sources

Copenhagen design company selling furniture and lighting.

There's no proof GUBI pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

Better-graded furniture

Graded higher than GUBI, selling the same kinds of things.

JardanMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made sofas and furniturePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedKoskelaMissing: where its earlier stages happen, a named supplier list and traced raw materials · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made furniture and homewaresPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedPlyroomMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesPlywood furniture and storagePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

None of the furniture brands we know to make furniture is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Le Klint is Good, but we don't know that it makes furniture.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
  • It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
  • 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in China and Indonesia, 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
  • 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
  • Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather and timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: timber

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

GUBI says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
IndonesiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
ItalyStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
LithuaniaStrong protectionsClose to a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Doesn't show where its timber comes from. Timber is linked to illegal logging linked to forced labour, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
  • Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes GUBI owns no factories; production is outsourced to suppliers in the Baltic countries, Italy, China and Indonesia, with no production shares, factory names or audit results published. Suppliers sign a code of conduct and are reviewed yearly on ESG strategy, with four supplier visits in 2023. GUBI reports no known severe human rights incidents in its value chain. No living wage commitment is disclosed. Only 15% of wood products sold in 2023 were FSC certified (target 90% by 2026); leather is offered in upholstery. The source names only 'the Baltic countries', so Lithuania is shown as a stand-in for them.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredFurniture and homewares makers are not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report (latest edition 2026). View
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot coveredGUBI is not an Australian entity and has no statement on the Australian Modern Slavery Register; it is likely below the reporting threshold. View

Sources and actions

Sources 3

Show all 3 sources
  1. Cult and Gubi announce exclusive trade partnership (ArchitectureAU, 2022) · search the archive · Cult has sold GUBI in Australia for over 10 years as a B2B supplier and retailer

Published by GUBI or its owner

  1. GUBI Sustainability Report 2023 · search the archive · Production outsourced to suppliers in Baltic countries, Italy, China and Indonesia; 75 staff; Axcel owner; 15% of wood products FSC
  2. GUBI responsibility · search the archive · Signed supplier code of conduct and yearly supplier ESG reviews; FSC licence FSC-C176589, 90% target by 2026; leather and fabric options

Company details

Headquarters
Denmark
Employees
About 75
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is GUBI ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/gubi, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Something missing or wrong?

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