Ito En
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Tokyo company and Japan's largest green tea maker.
Ito En publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden supply chain. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Ito En looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found abuse of workers in 2024 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 2 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Ito En's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Tea: Lacks transparency, the same as Ito En overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its tea is grown
Ito En names some of the countries its tea comes from: Japan and Australia. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| KenyaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri LankaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalawiUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations).
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes ITO EN buys much of its leaf through contract and new tea farms in Japan it supports with technical help and full-harvest purchase, plus contract growers in Victoria, Australia, but publishes no country shares. Its drinks are made in its own factories and at outsourced plants. Third-party interviews with foreign interns in 2023-24 found no forced labour or excessive overtime but some harassment and document problems; a January 2026 follow-up found improvements. It flags living wages as a risk and publishes no wage data or Fairtrade-type certification.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | No Fairtrade certification is claimed for ITO EN's teas. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No Certified B Corp listing for ITO EN. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Australian modern slavery statement found for ITO EN Australia. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations involving ITO EN were found in news or NGO reporting. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ITO EN's own 2024 third-party interviews with foreign technical intern and specified skilled workers at Japanese tea suppliers found verbal harassment, poor understanding of payslips and insecure storage of workers' ID documents at some suppliers (ITO EN Human Rights Report, 2025). Source · archived copyFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyBy January 2026 suppliers had added lockable lockers, helmets and native-language safety rules; harassment training held in 2025. Living costs and grievance access still monitored. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Stock & Land: Green tea plantation for sale in Victoria's high country (2024) · search the archive · Privately owned farms near Bright, Victoria grow green tea under contract to ITO EN, which has planted there since 2002.
- Woolworths: Ito En Oi Ocha Matcha Green Tea 500mL · search the archive · ITO EN products sold in Australian supermarkets.
Published by Ito En or its owner
- ITO EN Human Rights Report (April 2024) · search the archive · June 2023 interviews with foreign trainees at two tea farm corporations and the Sagara factory; no forced labour or long hours found.
- ITO EN Human Rights Report (April 2025) · archived copy · Sept 2024 interviews at four tea suppliers in Japan: verbal harassment, payslip and ID document storage problems at some; no excessive overtime.
- ITO EN human rights follow-up report (April 2026) · search the archive · January 2026 follow-up interviews at tea suppliers: lockable lockers and safety steps added; living costs and hotline still monitored.
- ITO EN: Contribution to Sustainable Agriculture · search the archive · Contract and new tea farms in Japan since 1976, all leaves bought by ITO EN; contract growers and tea factories in Victoria, Australia.
- ITO EN: Quality Management · search the archive · Products made at ITO EN's own factories (e.g. Shizuoka) and at contract beverage production factories.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ito En ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ito-en, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded tea
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Ito En.