Labour Lens

Pottery Barn

Lacks transparency

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

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

US retailer of furniture, bedding and decor.

Pottery Barn can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

Better-graded furniture

Graded higher than Pottery Barn, selling the same kinds of things.

JardanMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made sofas and furniturePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedKoskelaMissing: where its earlier stages happen, a named supplier list and traced raw materials · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made furniture and homewaresPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedPlyroomMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesPlywood furniture and storagePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

None of the furniture brands we know to make furniture or bedding and towels is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Le Klint is Good, but we don't know that it makes furniture or bedding and towels.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 2 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 2 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 India.
  • 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
  • Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
  • Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather and timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: timber

Red flags 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good:
StarAwarded for
Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

These are Williams-Sonoma's countries across all its brands; Pottery Barn doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China29%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Vietnam16%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
India14%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
United States14%Systematic violationsBelow a living wageLow
IndonesiaNot givenNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
CambodiaNot givenNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
PolandUsual for the industry3%Regular violationsClose to a living wageModerate
MalaysiaUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Modern slavery statement
  • Independent social audits of all its main factories
  • Invests in worker and farming communities
  • Makes part of its range in its own factories
  • Doesn't show where its timber comes from. Timber is linked to illegal logging linked to forced labour, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
  • Uses leather 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.
  • Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Pottery Barn designs its products and buys most from independent factories. Its parent, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., made 19% of group products in the US in fiscal 2025 (mainly upholstery and lighting in its own plants) and bought about 19% from China, 16% from Vietnam and 15% from India, across 53 countries including Cambodia and Indonesia; there is no Pottery Barn split or factory list. Higher-risk factories get annual semi-announced third-party audits and some lines are Fair Trade USA certified. There is no living wage commitment. Group cotton was 96% responsibly sourced in FY22; wood and leather origins are not published.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterListedCovered by Williams-Sonoma Australia's 2024-25 modern slavery statement: 82% of purchases from overseas vendors, mainly in Asia and Europe; third-party audits graded A to D; no cases disclosed. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedWilliams-Sonoma's company profile lists no labour abuse allegations or response requests. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion and Electronics reports do not assess homewares brands like Pottery Barn. View
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)CertifiedWilliams-Sonoma, Inc. sells thousands of Fair Trade USA certified products across its brands, including some Pottery Barn lines; most products are not certified. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Williams-Sonoma - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · Company profile lists no labour allegations or response requests
  2. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 · search the archive · Group: 19% of products made in US; purchases about 19% China, 16% Vietnam, 15% India; own upholstery and lighting plants; 13 AU stores
  3. Pottery Barn - Sustainability Tracker · search the archive · Pottery Barn lists Fair Trade, FSC, GOTS and Leather Working Group products; sells wood furniture and leather pieces

Published by Pottery Barn or its owner

  1. Williams-Sonoma Australia Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2024-2025 · search the archive · 82% of FY2024 purchases from overseas vendors (Asia, Europe); third-party audits graded A-D; own US upholstery plants; 14 AU stores
  2. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. - Sustainability · search the archive · Thousands of Fair Trade Certified products; responsibly sourced wood and cotton policies; no supplier list or living wage commitment
  3. Williams-Sonoma Inc 2023 Impact Report summary (FY22) · search the archive · 96% of cotton responsibly sourced in FY22
  4. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 2025 Impact Report · search the archive · Sourcing across 53 countries incl. India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia; 49 Fair Trade Certified factories; annual third-party audits

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Pottery Barn ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pottery-barn, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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