Nescafé
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Nestlé's instant coffee brand.
In 2023, Brazilian inspectors freed workers from slave-like conditions and debt bondage on a farm supplying one of Nestlé's direct suppliers.
Also worth knowing
Nescafé has only partly put 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 that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2023.
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
These are its parent group's coffee origins across all its brands; Nescafé doesn't say where its own coffee is grown. 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 |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far 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 Nescafé gets about 90% of its coffee from Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Honduras and Côte d'Ivoire; Nestlé gives no share per country. Mostly smallholders grow it. Nestlé reports 94.3% of its coffee (excluding Nespresso) as responsibly sourced in 2025, mostly 4C verified, and in November 2025 began a two-year ILO project on fair recruitment in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. It has no time-bound living income or living wage commitment for coffee farmers or workers. KnowTheChain scored Nestlé 26/100 in 2026.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Nestlé Australia lodges annual modern slavery statements covering its Australian operations, including Nescafé. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nestlé UK lodges a modern slavery statement (2026). View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Côte d'Ivoire for child labour. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Public Eye (2025) linked a slave-labour case at a Brazilian farm in 2023 to Nescafé Plan supplier Cooabriel. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Nescafé coffee is sourced mainly through the Nescafé Plan and 4C, not Fairtrade. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Nestlé scored 26/100 (9th of 45) in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark, down 10 points from 2023, with no remedy for supply chain workers disclosed. View |
Confirmed issues 2
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 | Brazilian inspectors freed workers from slave-like conditions and debt bondage in 2023 at Mata Verde, a 4C farm supplying Cooabriel, a direct Nestlé supplier in the Nescafé Plan (Public Eye, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlySupplier Cooabriel dropped the farm in May 2023 and 4C removed it; workers got about €900 each in severance. Nestlé says it does not buy from the farm. |
| 2015 | Nestlé admitted to Danwatch in 2016 that it had bought coffee from two Brazilian plantations where authorities freed workers from slavery-like conditions in July 2015. Source · search the archive | Not knownNestlé admitted buying from the two plantations and said it would work with suppliers on the problem; no remedy for workers was reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A 2025 petition by Coffee Watch to US Customs says the Brazilian cooperative Cooxupé sold coffee grown partly with forced labour to Nestlé and Starbucks (Mongabay, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Brazilian workers enslaved by Nestlé's coffee suppliers (Public Eye, 2025) · archived copy · Mata Verde slave-labour case 2023; Cooabriel is a Nescafé Plan supplier; 4C requirement; severance paid; Nestlé response
- Nestlé statement to Public Eye on modern slavery (2025) · search the archive · Nestlé says it no longer buys from the farms named and works with Cooabriel on conditions
- You may be drinking coffee picked by slaves (Danwatch, 2016) · search the archive · Nestlé admitted buying from two plantations where workers were freed in July 2015
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage scorecard: Nestlé · search the archive · Nestlé scored 26/100, ranked 9 of 45; no remedy outcomes disclosed for supply chain workers
- Nestlé partners with ILO to strengthen labour rights in coffee supply chains (2026) · search the archive · April 2026 two-year Nestlé-ILO fair recruitment project in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico under the Nescafé Plan 2030
Published by Nescafé or its owner
- Nestlé responsible sourcing: coffee · search the archive · 90% of Nescafé coffee from seven named origins; 94.3% responsibly sourced in 2025; links a coffee supply chain disclosure
- Nestlé Australia modern slavery · search the archive · Nestlé Australia publishes annual modern slavery statements
Company details
- Owned by
- Nestlé
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Nescafé ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nescafe, 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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