Labour Lens

KeepCup

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

Melbourne family business designing reusable coffee cups.

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

See better cookware and tableware options

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

Compare KeepCup with another brand

Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 2 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 2 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its products are made in China, 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
  • 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 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

KeepCup 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
AustraliaStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
United KingdomRegular violationsClose to a living wageLow
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
PortugalStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow

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.

Research notes KeepCup hand-assembles its cups in Melbourne and London; the plastic Original cups are moulded by a family tooling business in Australia, silicone bands are made in China and other parts come from China and Portugal. It does not publish shares or a supplier list. Its supplier code, based on the ETI Base Code, requires living wages and audits at least every two years, and it says its supply chain is Sedex audited, but no audit results are published.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
B Corp directoryCertifiedCertified B Corp since August 2014 with a B Impact score of 121.8, including 25.2 for workers. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion and Electronics reports do not assess drinkware brands such as KeepCup. View
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot coveredNo KeepCup statement is on the Australian register; the company appears to be below the A$100 million reporting threshold. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. KeepCup - B Corp directory · search the archive · Certified since August 2014; overall 121.8, workers 25.2
  2. KeepCup at Flora & Fauna · search the archive · Sold by Australian retailers

Published by KeepCup or its owner

  1. Considered design (KeepCup) · search the archive · Original cups moulded in Australia; silicone bands made in China; supplier code requires living wages; audits every 2 years
  2. KeepCup FAQs · search the archive · Hand assembled in Melbourne and London; components from China and Portugal; Sedex audited supply chain
  3. KeepCup impact page · search the archive · Founding Australian B Corp in 2014; score 121.8; some products made in China

Company details

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

Better-graded cookware and tableware

Mud AustraliaHomewares, furniture & appliancesHandmade porcelain tablewareMakes its products in its own factories in Australia, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodPartly verifiedBormioli RoccoHomewares, furniture & appliancesItalian glass tableware and storage jarsMakes its products in its own factories in Italy, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsRosenthalMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesGerman porcelain dinnerware and giftsPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

See every cookware and tableware brand

Something missing or wrong?

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

Send evidenceSend a right of reply