Pure Leaf
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
US premium tea brand best known for bottled iced tea.
Pure Leaf can't show that the people who grow its tea in India and Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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.
Good requirements 1 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its tea is grown in India and Indonesia, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- 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
- 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: 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 Pure Leaf'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.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its tea is grown
Pure Leaf says which countries its tea comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: 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) Source
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Pure Leaf says every product uses tea from Rainforest Alliance certified estates and names its origins as ten gardens in Assam (India), one estate in Kericho (Kenya), four gardens in Java (Indonesia) and high-grown Sri Lankan gardens, but gives no shares and names no suppliers. It is run by the PepsiCo and Unilever joint venture Pepsi Lipton, separate from the CVC-owned LIPTON Teas and Infusions. PepsiCo publishes modern slavery statements, but Pure Leaf has no living wage commitment. No current Australian stockist was identified.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor lists tea from India for forced labour and tea from Kenya for child labour; Pure Leaf sources from both. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | Tracks the 2023 BBC exposé of abuse on Kericho tea estates; Pure Leaf's Kericho estate is not named. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Pure Leaf relies on Rainforest Alliance rather than Fairtrade certification. View |
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.
- Pure Leaf says its Kenyan tea comes from a single Kericho estate bordering the Mau Forest and employing 11,000 people; a 2023 BBC investigation found supervisors sexually exploited women on large Kericho estates, including those then owned by Lipton's tea business, and Rainforest Alliance suspended their certificates until July 2023. Pure Leaf does not name its estate. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Unilever's response to allegations of sexual abuse on Kenyan tea plantations (BHRRC) · search the archive · 2023 BBC investigation into sexual exploitation on Kericho tea estates
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US DOL) · search the archive · Tea from India listed for forced labour; tea from Kenya listed for child labour
- Unilever is offloading its food businesses but keeping ice tea (FoodNavigator, 2026) · search the archive · Pepsi Lipton stays a Unilever and PepsiCo joint venture managing Pure Leaf; Lipton hot tea was sold to CVC in 2021
- About us (PepsiCo / Pure Leaf) · search the archive · Pepsi Lipton Tea partnership is a PepsiCo and Unilever joint venture including Pure Leaf
- Beverage market still expanding (Foodservice Rep) · search the archive · Unilever Food Solutions launched Pure Leaf tea in Australian foodservice
Published by Pure Leaf or its owner
- Sustainability (Pure Leaf) · search the archive · All products use Rainforest Alliance tea; origins Assam, Kericho estate, Java, Sri Lanka; site copyright PepsiCo
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Pure Leaf ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pure-leaf, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Pure Leaf.