Pukka Herbs
VerifiedPukka Herbs is on the right track: Fair for Life certification covers wages and conditions across its supply chain. What's missing is publishing where its products are made.
Last researched 9 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 4 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made: not disclosed
Showing where tea products are usually made instead.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India 30% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
| Kenya 25% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka 20% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China 15% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi 5% | Some protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Fair for Life: Fair trade certification covering the whole supply chain, including hired workers.
- Certified organic: Organic certification has no labour criteria beyond basics.
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Pukka Herbs is no longer owned by Unilever: it was part of the tea business Unilever sold to CVC Capital Partners in 2022, now called Lipton Teas and Infusions, and was folded into that company in late 2023. All its teas are certified Fair for Life and its herbs are organic, though Fair for Life only requires at least 20% of each blend to be fair-certified, and the brand lost its B Corp certification after the integration. Pukka has named India, China, Turkey and several European and Central Asian countries as herb origins, but does not publish current shares by country or a list of growers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No longer a certified B Corp; B Lab confirmed the certification ended after the brand was integrated into Lipton Teas and Infusions. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Found | Lodged a modern slavery statement for 2022 on the UK registry. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Australian modern slavery statement in Pukka's own name was found; its parent group's Australian reporting was not confirmed. View ↗ |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Pukka uses Fair for Life rather than Fairtrade certification. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | The 2024 US Department of Labor list includes tea from some countries but names no companies, and Pukka is not named. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations against Pukka Herbs were found on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. View ↗ |
| Wikidata | Unclear | Ownership was checked against Wikipedia, which lists Pukka as a Lipton Teas and Infusions brand. View ↗ |
Sources (8)
- Lipton Teas and Infusions - Wikipedia · archived copy · Unilever sold its tea business to CVC Capital Partners (completed July 2022), renamed Lipton Teas and Infusions; Pukka is among its brands; HQ Amsterdam.
- Pukka Herbs loses B Corp accreditation after Lipton integration - The Grocer · archived copy · B Lab confirmed Pukka Herbs is no longer a B Corp after full integration into Lipton Teas and Infusions; Bristol office closed and HR and sourcing centralised in Amsterdam.
- Pukka Herbs suffers mass redundancies as PE owner integrates brand into Lipton Teas - The Grocer · archived copy · Most of Pukka's roughly 120 Bristol staff lost their roles as the brand was integrated into Lipton Teas and Infusions in late 2023.
- Ethical Consumer Guide (Australia) - Herbal teas · archived copy · Pukka is owned via Lipton Teas & Infusions BV by CVC Capital Partners; products are Soil Association certified organic; previously B Corp but no longer certified.
- Why we are certified Fair for Life - Pukka Herbs · archived copy · All Pukka teas are certified Fair for Life.
- As Fairtrade falters, an alternative standard is championing ethical trading - Positive News (2017) · archived copy · Fair for Life requires at least 20% of each blend to be fair-certified; over 40% of herbs bought in 2016 were certified fair; herbs sourced from India, Turkey, China, Bosnia, Hungary, Spain, Georgia,
- Pukka Herbs and Eden Project each mark 25 years during Organic September - Grocery Gazette (2026) · archived copy · In 2026 Pukka still cites Fair for Life and FairWild-certified sourcing standards as central to the business.
- Pukka Modern Slavery Act statement 2022 - UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry · archived copy · Pukka lodged a 2022 modern slavery statement on the UK registry.
Last researched 9 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.