Lyons Tea
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Leading Irish black tea brand.
In 2023, supervisors sexually exploited women workers on Kenyan tea estates then owned by Lyons Tea's parent company.
Also worth knowing
Lyons Tea has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Lyons Tea? Send a right of reply.
Compare Lyons Tea with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions and unaudited production in high-risk countries. 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 that it has only partly put right: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 2 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2023
- 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 listNames its suppliers
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- 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 its tea is grown
Sri Lanka has the largest share, 28%. Kenya is next, at 22%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 28% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | 22% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 16% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| China | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | 3% | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
- Publishes supplier list
Research notes Lyons' black tea is Rainforest Alliance certified and its packs say the tea comes from Africa, but the brand publishes no country breakdown of its own. It has no shops in Australia but is sold through online retailers that deliver here. Its parent buys from about 30 countries, mostly Sri Lanka, Kenya, Bangladesh and India, says almost 98% of its tea is Rainforest Alliance certified and publishes a group tea sourcing list; shares shown are that group split, as for Lipton. The parent aims for a living wage or income across its value chain by 2040, with pilots in Kenya, but has no measurable steps due before then.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Parent LIPTON Teas and Infusions publishes a 2025 UK modern slavery statement. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Tracks the 2023 BBC exposé of sexual abuse on the group's Kenyan estates. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor lists tea from India for forced labour and tea from Kenya for child labour; both are sourcing regions for the group. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Lyons relies on Rainforest Alliance rather than Fairtrade certification. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | A 2023 BBC investigation found women workers on Kericho tea estates in Kenya, then owned by Lyons's parent (formerly ekaterra), were sexually exploited by supervisors; Rainforest Alliance audits then found non-conformities and suspended the estates' certificate until July 2023, and a Kenyan court later upheld the company's dismissal of a manager for sexual harassment. Source · archived copy | PartlySuspended named staff and dismissed a manager in 2023 (upheld in court in 2025); sold the estates to Browns in 2024. No compensation for the women affected has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Unilever's response to allegations of sexual abuse on Kenyan tea plantations (BHRRC) · archived copy · 2023 BBC investigation into sexual exploitation on Kericho estates owned by the group
- Lyons Original Blend 80 Tea Bags (Tesco Ireland) · search the archive · Black tea Rainforest Alliance certified; tea from Africa; PEFC box; Lyons, Rotterdam address
- Lyons (LIPTON Teas and Infusions brand portfolio) · search the archive · Lyons listed in LIPTON Teas and Infusions' brand portfolio; founded in Dublin in 1902
- Lyons Original Blend tea (desertcart Australia) · search the archive · Lyons Original Blend tea bags offered online with shipping to Australia
- Better livelihoods (LIPTON Teas and Infusions) · search the archive · Almost 98% of group tea Rainforest Alliance certified; tea supplier list published
- Court upholds Lipton Teas' manager dismissal over sexual harassment (Capital FM, Dec 2025) · search the archive · Manager dismissed in May 2023 for sexual harassment; dismissal upheld by Kenyan court in December 2025
- Browns Investments completes acquisition of Lipton tea businesses in Africa (Daily FT, 2024) · search the archive · Browns completed its purchase of the group's Kenyan and Rwandan tea businesses on 30 July 2024
Company details
- Headquarters
- Ireland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lyons Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lyons-tea, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded tea
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Lyons Tea.