Mulberry

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

British luxury brand best known for leather handbags.

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

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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.

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, Vietnam and Türkiye.
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 listPublishes its supplier list
Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather

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

Certified B CorpSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Where it's made

From Mulberry's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
United Kingdom	35%	Regular violations	Close to a living wage	Low
China	Not given	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Vietnam	Not given	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Türkiye	Not given	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Italy	Not given	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
BangladeshUsual for the industry	6%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
IndiaUsual for the industry	3%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
CambodiaUsual for the industry	2%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	2%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PakistanUsual for the industry	1%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Publishes supplier list
Modern slavery statement
Independent social audits of all its main factories
Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Uses cotton in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Mulberry makes about half of its bags in its two own factories in Somerset, England; the rest are made by 27 tier 1 suppliers in 9 countries, named as Italy, Turkey, China, Vietnam and a few others, with no shares given. It publishes a list of its tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers, and suppliers get announced or semi-announced independent social audits. It makes no living wage commitment. Leather comes mainly from European tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group; mapping of farms and abattoirs is at an early stage. A 2015 union-busting dispute at its Turkish supplier SF Leather ended with sacked workers compensated.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
B Corp directory	Certified	Certified B Corp since September 2024 (score 87.1); certified under B Lab's new version 2.2 standards in 2026. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	Publishes an annual UK modern slavery statement; for 2025-26 it reports 27 tier 1 suppliers in 9 countries and 51 tier 2 suppliers in 10 countries, and no confirmed cases of forced or child labour. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Turkish workers win case targeting handbag producer Mulberry (Clean Clothes Campaign) · search the archive · 2015 union dispute at Turkish supplier SF Leather ended with workers compensated and union rights recognised
Mulberry gets B Corp certification with 87.1 score (FashionNetwork) · search the archive · B Corp certified in September 2024, score 87.1; all leather from environmentally accredited tanneries
Mulberry certifies under new B Corp standards (RetailBoss, 2026) · search the archive · B Lab directory lists Mulberry Group PLC certified under version 2.2 standards (Sept 2026)

Published by Mulberry or its owner

Mulberry Modern Slavery Act Statement 2026 · search the archive · About 50% of bags made in own Somerset factories; 27 tier 1 suppliers in 9 countries incl. Italy, Turkey, China, Vietnam; audits; 930 staff
Mulberry - Sourcing · search the archive · LWG member since 2012; most leather from the EU; 48% of SS20 leather traceable to country of origin; Better Cotton since 2020
Mulberry: The Family · search the archive · Mulberry's factories are The Rookery in Somerset and The Willows in Bridgwater, Somerset (opened 2014)
Mulberry - Made to Last: Craft · search the archive · Publishes a tier 1 and tier 2 supplier list (2024 list); two Somerset factories; partners in UK, Europe and Asia

Company details

Owned by: Mulberry Group plc (AIM-listed; Challice Limited majority shareholder, Frasers Group a large minority)
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Employees: About 930
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Mulberry ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mulberry, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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