Mitre 10
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Australian hardware banner of independently owned stores.
There's no proof Mitre 10 pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Thailand 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: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour, last recorded in 2024) has been put right.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Mitre 10 looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2024 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 Thailand, 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
- 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 (timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: timber
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly 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
These are Metcash's countries across all its brands; Mitre 10 doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for homewares and appliances: traces or certifies its timber.
- Modern slavery statement
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its timber. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Graded on Mitre 10's private-label range, made by suppliers Metcash's Independent Hardware Group mapped in FY25: 64 sites, 19 in Australia and 45 overseas, mainly China, with Thailand also named; no split by country is given. Metcash's FY26 statement says audit reports came from about 45% of overseas hardware suppliers and that audits are now mandatory for overseas private-label sites. No factory list or living wage commitment is published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Metcash's FY25 modern slavery statement: IHG mapped all 64 private-label manufacturing sites (45 overseas, 19 in Australia); 90% of overseas sites gave audits or self-assessments. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Monash University's 2024 ranking of ASX100 modern slavery statements gave Metcash a B for disclosure quality. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report (2024) or Electronics Industry Report, which do not cover hardware retailers. (2024 edition; latest is 2026) 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A September 2024 audit of a Thai factory making private-label homewares for Metcash's hardware business found migrant workers had paid recruitment fees and had identity documents held (Metcash Modern Slavery Statement FY25). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | YesFactory stopped charging fees, repaid workers, returned their documents and changed its recruitment; a January 2025 follow-up audit confirmed the fixes (Metcash FY25 statement). |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Total Tools / Metcash - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Metcash graded B in Monash University's 2024 ASX100 modern slavery disclosure ranking
Published by Mitre 10 or its owner
- Metcash Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · IHG 64 private-label sites (45 overseas, 19 AU); Thai factory recruitment fees found Sept 2024, fixed Jan 2025; hardware sourcing policy March 2025
- Metcash Modern Slavery Statement 2026 · search the archive · FY26: Hardware audit reports from about 45% of overseas suppliers; audits mandatory for overseas private-label sites; no new Hardware findings
- Metcash Modern Slavery Statement FY24 · search the archive · IHG vendors source mainly from China and Australia; about 90% of IHG timber sales FSC/PEFC certified
- Our brand - Mitre 10 · search the archive · Mitre 10 sells privately owned brands from drills to garden equipment and outdoor furniture
- Hardware - Metcash · search the archive · Mitre 10 is a Metcash hardware banner with over 300 independent stores
Company details
- Owned by
- Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS)
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Mitre 10 ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mitre-10, 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?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Mitre 10.