Labour Lens

Kartell

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 · 5 sources

Italian design company known for moulded plastic furniture.

Kartell publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.

Also worth knowing

There's no proof workers earn a living wage.

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Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Kartell? Send a right of reply.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 3 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 3 of 6

  • 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
  • Met: High-risk raw materials (timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified in the few products that use it: timber

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Where it's made

From product labels; Kartell doesn't say where its products are made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ItalyStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • Uses timber in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It traces or certifies all of its timber.
  • Traces all of its timber to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of it certified
  • Makes part of its range in its own factories

Research notes Kartell has its headquarters and factory in Noviglio, Italy, and its products are sold as made in Italy, but it publishes no production shares, supplier list or breakdown of what is made in-house versus by subcontractors. Its sustainability pages focus on materials, saying all its wood comes from FSC-certified forests, and give no detail on labour policies, audits or wages in its supply chain.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
US Department of Labor goods listsNot listedFurniture or plastic goods from Italy are not on the US Department of Labor list of goods made with child or forced labour. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Where is Kartell made? (1stDibs) · search the archive · Kartell headquarters and factory in Noviglio, Lombardy, since 1967
  2. Kartell brand page (Finnish Design Shop) · search the archive · Kartell products made in Italy
  3. Kartell verso quota 100 milioni di fatturato (ItaliaOggi, 2026) · search the archive · Kartell acquired by Claudio Luti; run by him and his children Federico and Lorenza (October 2026)

Published by Kartell or its owner

  1. Kartell loves the planet (Kartell) · search the archive · Kartell sources wood only from FSC-certified forests; no labour policy details
  2. New opening: Kartell flagship store Perth (Kartell) · search the archive · Kartell shop inside Trilogy Furniture, Perth, Australia

Company details

Headquarters
Italy
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Kartell ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kartell, 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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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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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kartell.

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