Labour Lens

KINTO

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

Japanese company designing coffee and tea ware and tumblers.

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

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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 rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, 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: 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

KINTO says it makes products in Japan. Product labels show China. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
JapanStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
VietnamUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
IndiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
PolandUsual for the industryRegular violationsClose to a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
MalaysiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate

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 KINTO's ceramics are made in Japan, including its CERAMIC LAB range made with craftspeople in Hasami, Nagasaki, while its glassware and stainless steel products, such as travel tumblers, are made in China. This rests on one retailer's account, and KINTO names no factories and gives no production shares, so none are shown. It publishes no supplier code, audit information, modern slavery statement or wage information, and no labour abuses linked to the brand appear in public records.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot coveredNo Australian entity large enough to report under the Modern Slavery Act; products are imported by a distributor. View

Sources and actions

Sources 3

Show all 3 sources
  1. KINTO coffee and teaware review (Whole Latte Love) · search the archive · All KINTO ceramic products made in Japan; glassware and steel products made in China
  2. Welcoming Kinto - from Japan (Telegram Co) · search the archive · Telegram Co is KINTO's exclusive distributor to retailers in Australia and New Zealand

Published by KINTO or its owner

  1. KINTO company page (KINTO USA) · search the archive · Founded 1972 in Hikone, Shiga; CERAMIC LAB made with craftspeople in Hasami; no supplier or audit information

Company details

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

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