Labour Lens

Klean Kanteen

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 · 6 sources

Family and employee-owned US maker of steel drink bottles.

There's no proof Klean Kanteen pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.

See better cookware and tableware options

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

Compare Klean Kanteen with another brand

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
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China.
  • 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 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Accreditations 1

Where it's made

Klean Kanteen 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

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.
  • Independent social audits of all its main factories
  • Uses recycled metals or fibres

Research notes Klean Kanteen says all its products are made by partner factories in China, in Dongguan (Guangdong), Yongkang and Pinghu (Zhejiang). Suppliers sign a code of conduct and have third-party social assessments, and its own China staff and owners visit the factories regularly. It says factory workers should be paid a living wage, but publishes no factory names, audit results or wage data. It is a certified B Corp and uses 90% recycled steel certified by Intertek.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
B Corp directoryCertifiedCertified B Corp since September 2012; latest verified B Impact score 110.9 (101.8 in 2020), with operations listed in China and the US. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion and Electronics reports do not assess homewares brands such as Klean Kanteen. View
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot coveredKlean Kanteen is a small US company below the Australian Modern Slavery Act reporting threshold. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreUnclearNo Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reports on labour abuses at Klean Kanteen suppliers were found. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Klean Kanteen B Corp profile (B Lab) · search the archive · Certified B Corp since 2012; score 110.9; operations in China and the US
  2. Klean Kanteen FAQ (reproduced by Earth Mother, 2019) · search the archive · Made in China (Dongguan, Yongkang, Pinghu); supplier code, third-party social assessments, factory visits; workers should get a living wage
  3. Klean Kanteen brand page (EarthHero) · search the archive · Made in Chinese factories with third-party social audits and regular visits by Klean staff; family-owned, Chico, California
  4. Klean Kanteen at Off Course Bike Shop, Brunswick VIC · search the archive · Klean Kanteen bottles stocked by a physical shop in Australia

Published by Klean Kanteen or its owner

  1. 90% Recycled Steel (Klean Kanteen) · search the archive · 90% post-consumer recycled stainless steel, certified by Intertek, used across nearly all products
  2. Our Family (Klean Kanteen) · search the archive · Family and employee-owned company

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Klean Kanteen ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/klean-kanteen, 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

NachtmannHomewares, furniture & appliancesMachine-made crystal glassware and giftwareMakes its products in its own factories in Germany, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsRiedelHomewares, furniture & appliancesWine glasses and decantersMakes its products in its own factories in Germany and Austria, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsMud AustraliaHomewares, furniture & appliancesHandmade porcelain tablewareMakes its products in its own factories in Australia, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodPartly 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 Klean Kanteen.

Send evidenceSend a right of reply