Pandora
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Danish jewellery company best known for charm bracelets.
Union rights were breached in Pandora's supply chain in 2019, which it has only partly put right, and unions are heavily restricted in Thailand, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 4 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: clear breaches of labour conditions and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (union rights breach, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually unprotected.
Good requirements 4 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: proven (wage evidence from its main factories)
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: union rights breach, last recorded in 2019
- 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 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: Conflict-free: diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough)
Red flags 2
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- 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
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Pandora's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Rings, Engagement & wedding rings, Necklaces & pendants, Earrings, Bracelets: Lacks transparency, the same as Pandora overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Pandora's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 66% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Not given | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| SwitzerlandUsual for the industry | 3% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for jewellery and watches: conflict-free diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough).
- Owns or runs its own production
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
- Uses lab-grown diamonds or gemstones
- Living wage commitment with evidence
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Pandora crafts about 90% of its jewellery in its own facilities in Thailand (Bangkok and Lamphun), and a large new facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, opened in October 2026; the rest comes from 128 suppliers, many in and around Thailand. Since 2024 all its silver and gold is recycled, from RJC Chain of Custody certified refiners, and it uses only lab-grown diamonds and man-made stones. It says 99.9% of its employees are paid at or above an adequate wage, but only 11% of supplier spend was audited in 2025, it left the Responsible Jewellery Council in 2022 and it does not name suppliers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Pandora's group Transparency in Supply Chains Statement is made for its Australian entities, including Pandora Jewellery Pty Limited, under the Modern Slavery Act; earlier statements are on the register. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Pandora Jewellery UK Limited lodges modern slavery statements on the UK registry (2025). View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | The Worker Rights Consortium found unlawful dismissals of union members at Pandora's Bangkok factory in 2018-2019. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No Business & Human Rights Resource Centre allegations involving this brand were identified. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Worker Rights Consortium found that Pandora Production in Bangkok unlawfully dismissed about 73 workers, mostly union leaders and activists, in 2018 and further union members in 2019, and Thai labour authorities ruled the 2018 dismissals unlawful (WRC, 2019). Source · search the archive | PartlyPandora paid court-ordered damages and settlements to some dismissed workers but reinstated none of them and told the Worker Rights Consortium it considered the matter closed. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Worker Rights Consortium – Code Violations at Pandora Production (Thailand) · search the archive · Unlawful termination of 73 workers in 2018 and 19 in 2019 at Pandora's Bangkok factory; Thai authorities ruled dismissals unlawful; no reinstatement; small compensation; company said matter closed.
- Worker Rights Consortium memo on Pandora Production Co., Ltd. (2019) · search the archive · Details of 2018–2019 dismissals of union members at the Gemopolis factory, Labor Relations Committee reinstatement order, partial settlements and damages paid.
Published by Pandora or its owner
- Pandora – Transparency in Supply Chains Statement 2025 · search the archive · FY2025: 90% of jewellery crafted in own Thai facilities; about 39,000 employees; 128 suppliers; 11% of spend SMETA-audited; 99.9% paid adequate wage; recycled metals.
- Pandora – Recycled silver and gold · search the archive · All jewellery crafted with 100% recycled silver and gold since August 2024.
- Pandora – Craftsmanship · search the archive · Crafting facilities in Bangkok, Lamphun and Gemopolis, Thailand, with more than 12,000 people; Vietnam facility to employ about 7,000.
- Pandora opens world's largest fine jewellery crafting facility · search the archive · Ho Chi Minh City facility opened 1 October 2026, its first production site outside Thailand, adding 50% capacity.
- Pandora leaves trade association RJC · search the archive · Pandora ended its 12-year Responsible Jewellery Council membership in 2022 because the council did not suspend Russian members.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Denmark
- Employees
- About 39,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Pandora ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pandora, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other fashion jewellery brands
Nothing we've rated in fashion jewellery is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Pandora.