Opinel
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned French maker of wooden-handled folding knives.
Opinel makes its wooden-handled folding and kitchen knives in its own factories in France, where legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It uses FSC or PEFC certified timber, and shows where its materials and parts come from.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in France are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneEarlier stages shown
- 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 listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: timber
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Opinel's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for homewares and appliances: traces or certifies its timber.
- FSC or PEFC certified timber: Forest certification that includes core labour rights for forest workers.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Shows where its earlier production stages happen (materials and components), and they're in low-risk countries or independently audited
- 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 Opinel makes its knives at its own site in Chambéry, Savoie, France, with about 180 staff, and uses some French subcontractors that it plans to reduce. It says 95% of its wooden handles use French wood and its steel is European, and since 2024 its beech and hornbeam, used in its core ranges, has been PEFC certified from Jura and Vercors forests. As a French-made brand it does not publish a supplier list or labour audits. No labour abuses tied to Opinel have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion and Electronics reports do not assess knife makers like Opinel. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Opinel, le grand défi (L'Essentiel de l'Éco) · search the archive · Family aims to make everything in Chambéry and reduce subcontracting; family-owned holding; 160-180 staff
- Opinel - Paddy Pallin · search the archive · Opinel knives sold by Paddy Pallin stores in Australia
- Opinel: French Knives & Utensils - David Jones · search the archive · Opinel sold by David Jones in Australia
Published by Opinel or its owner
- Who we are - Opinel · search the archive · Made in Savoie, France; 180 employees; 95% of wooden handles from French forests; blade steel of European origin.
- Opinel: PEFC-certified beech and hornbeam · search the archive · PEFC certified in 2024 for beech and hornbeam from Jura and Vercors forests, used in Tradition and other core ranges
- Opinel: Corporate news · search the archive · About 6.5 million knives a year and about 180 employees, still based in Chambéry, Savoie; 2025 gender equality index 94/100.
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Employees
- About 180
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Opinel ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/opinel, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded cookware and tableware
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Opinel.