Liebherr
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 1 November 2026 · 5 sources
Swiss family group's appliance arm making fridges, freezers and wine cabinets.
There's no proof Liebherr pays more than the legal minimum, which in Bulgaria and Malaysia 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 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.
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 rights40% of its products are made in Malaysia 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- 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
Where it's made
Liebherr makes its products in five countries, 20% in each.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 20% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Austria | 20% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Bulgaria | 20% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | High |
| Malaysia | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
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.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Liebherr makes its fridges and freezers in its own five plants: Ochsenhausen, Germany (2,045 staff), Lienz, Austria (1,342), Marica, Bulgaria (about 1,800), Kluang, Malaysia (about 350) and Aurangabad, India (about 320); it gives no output share per plant, so shares are by plant count. It says 57% of materials come from suppliers in the same countries as its European plants and that it runs risk-based supplier audits under a supplier code, but publishes no supplier list, audit results or wage data. The Malaysian and Indian plants lack ISO 45001 safety certification.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Liebherr-Great Britain, whose appliance division sells the range in the UK, published a modern slavery statement dated January 2026 reporting no cases found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Liebherr fridges (Bing Lee) · search the archive · Liebherr fridges sold by Australian appliance chain Bing Lee
- Liebherr 423L BioFresh bottom mount fridge (Harvey Norman) · search the archive · Liebherr fridge listed by Harvey Norman Australia
Published by Liebherr or its owner
- Liebherr Appliances CR documentation 2024: Production · search the archive · Five appliance plants with staff numbers: Ochsenhausen DE, Lienz AT, Marica BG, Kluang MY, Aurangabad IN; ISO 45001 at the three European plants only
- Sustainable business (Liebherr fridges and freezers) · search the archive · Supplier code of conduct, risk-based supplier audits, termination for forced or child labour; 57% of materials from suppliers in its European plant countries
- Liebherr-Great Britain modern slavery statement (January 2026) · search the archive · UK statement covering the appliance division; no cases reported, no supplier countries named
Company details
- Owned by
- Liebherr-International AG (Switzerland, family-owned); appliances division Liebherr-Hausgeräte
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 1 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Liebherr ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/liebherr, last researched 1 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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