Ringtons
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 8 sources
Family-run Newcastle tea and coffee merchant.
Ringtons can't show that the people who grow its tea in India and Sri Lanka earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Ringtons? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 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 2 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its tea is grown in India and China, 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listNames its suppliers
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly 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 Ringtons'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
From Ringtons's own disclosure: it names its suppliers.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Rwanda | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | Strong protections | Far 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). Source
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Ringtons publishes a list of about 100 tea estates, factories and producer groups in India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, Japan, Rwanda and Malawi, which it says covers all its teas, and says it buys from Ethical Tea Partnership producers. It gives no volumes by country. Only some teas are Fairtrade certified, and it publishes no audit results, wage data or living wage commitment. It reports under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Ringtons Limited publishes annual modern slavery statements; its site lists one for FY2024-25. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company page records 154 tea plantations and factories disclosed in Ringtons' supply chain (reviewed November 2022); no lawsuits are recorded. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Only some Ringtons teas are Fairtrade certified; the main range is not. 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.
- In a 2021 UK High Court claim, women workers alleged systemic rape and sexual harassment at Lujeri Tea Estates in Malawi, which Ringtons lists as a supplier; Lujeri's Fairtrade certification was suspended pending investigation and the claims are unproven. Source
- The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre raised wage and union rights allegations at Sri Lankan estates supplying Ringtons, including Alton and Vellaioya; Ringtons said suppliers paid the Rs 1,000 legal minimum, conceded this is below a living wage, and reviewed their grievance procedures. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 8
Show all 8 sources
- Response to BHRRC: Ringtons · search the archive · Response on Sri Lankan estate wage and union allegations; stopped buying from Nalani (2016) and Somerset (2017)
- Women claim systemic sex abuse on tea plantations (Leigh Day, 2021) · search the archive · High Court claim against Lujeri and PGI; Ringtons among brands listing Lujeri as a supplier
Published by Ringtons or its owner
- Pride in our supply base (Ringtons) · search the archive · Supplier list covering all its teas: about 100 estates and factories in India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, Japan, Rwanda, Malawi
- Ethical trade (Ringtons) · search the archive · Active ETP member buying from ETP producers; tea mainly from India and Africa, over 200 estates and smallholder groups
- Meet Our Tea Sourcing Director (Ringtons, 2025) · search the archive · Tea buyer sits on the ETP board; origins include India, China, Kenya, Rwanda and Malawi
- Our story (Ringtons) · search the archive · Founded 1907 in Newcastle; fifth-generation family business; own tea bag factory; online store delivers worldwide
- Ringtons Fairtrade English Breakfast tea bags · search the archive · Fairtrade certified tea sold as a separate line, not the whole range
- Modern Slavery Statement (Ringtons) · search the archive · Statement page lists a FY2024-25 statement
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ringtons ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ringtons, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded tea
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Ringtons.