Nescafé Dolce Gusto
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Nestlé's capsule coffee system of machines and pods.
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 Dolce Gusto has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Nescafé Dolce Gusto? Send a right of reply.
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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 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage 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 rightsJudged on where coffee is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- 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
We couldn't confirm where Nescafé Dolce Gusto gets most of its coffee, so this shows where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 35% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | 7% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Uganda | 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | 5% | 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 Dolce Gusto says its coffee comes through the Nescafé Plan, traceable to farm groups that meet outside standards, mostly 4C. Nescafé coffee comes about 90% from Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Honduras and Côte d'Ivoire, but Nestlé gives no shares for Dolce Gusto. A Nescafé Plan supplier's farm in Brazil was found using slave labour in 2023. In November 2025 Nestlé began a two-year project with the ILO on fair recruitment in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, but it has no time-bound living income or living wage commitment for coffee farmers or harvest workers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Nestlé Australia lodges annual modern slavery statements covering its Australian operations. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Parent Nestlé scored 26 out of 100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark (9th of 45), 10 points lower than in 2023; it discloses no remedy outcomes for supply-chain workers. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nestlé UK, which runs the Tutbury Dolce Gusto capsule factory, 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 | Dolce Gusto coffee is sourced through the Nescafé Plan, not Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance. 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 | 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. |
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.
- Nestlé admitted to Danwatch in 2016 that it had bought coffee from two Brazilian plantations where workers were freed from slavery-like conditions in 2015; the report listed Dolce Gusto among Nestlé's brands but did not link the coffee to it. Source
- 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; severance paid; Nestlé response.
- You may be drinking coffee grown under slavery-like conditions (Danwatch, 2016) · search the archive · Nestlé admitted buying from two plantations; Dolce Gusto listed among Nestlé brands.
- Nestlé, ILO ink partnership to support labor rights in coffee supply chains (ESG Dive, 2026) · search the archive · March 2026: two-year Nestlé-ILO fair recruitment and labour rights project in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico coffee.
- Mongabay reports fuel petition to block US import of coffee tied to slave labor (2025) · search the archive · Coffee Watch petition names Nestlé as a buyer from Cooxupé.
Published by Nescafé Dolce Gusto or its owner
- Nescafé Dolce Gusto: Sustainability · search the archive · Coffee sourced via the Nescafé Plan, traceable to farm groups meeting external sustainability standards.
- Nestlé responsible sourcing: coffee · search the archive · 90% of Nescafé coffee from seven named origins; 94.3% responsibly sourced in 2025, mostly 4C.
- 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 Dolce Gusto ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nescafe-dolce-gusto, 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 capsules and pods
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Nescafé Dolce Gusto.