Lavazza
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned Turin coffee roaster selling beans, capsules and machines.
In 2021, inspectors freed 24 workers, including a 16-year-old, from slave-like conditions on a farm in Lavazza's Brazilian coffee supply chain.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of Lavazza putting this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: forced and child labour, last recorded in 2021.
Good requirements 0 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its coffee is grown in countries such as Colombia and Indonesia, 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
- Not 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 3
- 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
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its coffee is grown
Lavazza names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| HondurasUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PeruUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| UgandaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GuatemalaUsual 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: coffee is on the US Department of Labor child or forced labour list for over a dozen countries, and farm-gate prices often fall below a living income.
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Lavazza buys green coffee from many producing countries; it names Vietnam as a main origin and buys from Brazil, and runs human rights work in Colombia, but publishes no country shares or supplier list. Over 97% of green coffee by value came from suppliers rated on EcoVadis in 2025, but it gives no share of certified coffee, and Rainforest Alliance coffee is only part of its range. It has no living wage or living income commitment. Its Foundation runs 32 projects in 16 coffee countries, and it runs child rights work in Vietnam. Lavazza UK publishes a modern slavery statement; no Australian statement was found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Lavazza Coffee (UK) Ltd and Lavazza Professional UK publish a modern slavery statement for 2025. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Lavazza entity appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Repórter Brasil and Danwatch reported in 2022 that Lavazza bought from a Brazilian co-operative whose member farm was found using slave labour in 2021. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia for child labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Lavazza does not use Fairtrade certification for its main range; some blends are Rainforest Alliance certified. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Brazilian inspectors freed 24 workers, including a 16-year-old, from slave-like conditions in July 2021 at a farm selling through the Cocatrel co-operative, which supplied Lavazza in 2019-2021 (Repórter Brasil, Danwatch, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownLavazza called Cocatrel a marginal supplier (about 1% of its Brazilian coffee) and said it was investigating; no outcome or help for workers has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Multinational coffee companies keep buying from suppliers linked to slave labour farms (Repórter Brasil, 2022) · archived copy · 24 workers freed at Laranjeiras farm, a Cocatrel member, in July 2021; Lavazza bought from Cocatrel
- Most of Denmark's coffee comes from Brazil (Danwatch, 2022) · search the archive · Shipping records show Lavazza bought from Cocatrel in 2019-2021; a 16-year-old among the freed workers
- Lavazza Australia (Ethical Consumer Guide) · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance coffee is only a fraction of its sales; low social benchmark score for the parent company
Published by Lavazza or its owner
- Lavazza Group Sustainability Report 2025 abstract · search the archive · 2025: 5,864 employees; over 97% green coffee from EcoVadis-rated suppliers; 17 social audits; 32 Foundation projects in 16 countries; no living wage
- Lavazza UK modern slavery and human trafficking statement (2025) · search the archive · Statement for 2025; Vietnam a main coffee origin; Brazil slave-labour list checks; human rights study in Colombia
- Lavazza statement on the Repórter Brasil investigation (2022) · search the archive · May 2022: Cocatrel about 1% of Brazilian purchases; Lavazza investigating, would exclude suppliers breaching its policies
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 5,864
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lavazza ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lavazza, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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