Labour Lens

Robert Welch

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 2 November 2026 · 4 sources

Family-run British company selling stainless cutlery and kitchenware.

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

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 3 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 3 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
  • Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range

Red flags 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From product labels; Robert Welch doesn't say where its 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
ChinaUsual for the industry35%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
VietnamNot givenSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
TaiwanNot givenStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
IndiaUsual for the industry7%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
PolandUsual for the industry7%Regular violationsClose to a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industry6%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
MalaysiaUsual for the industry5%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
  • Independent social audits of all its main factories

Research notes Robert Welch designs its products in Chipping Campden, England, and has them made by overseas factories that it does not name. Retailer listings show cutlery made in Vietnam and Signature knives made in Taiwan. The company says suppliers follow a code based on the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code and are checked by independent auditors, and that it pays its own UK staff the Real Living Wage. It publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage plan for factory workers.

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Robert Welch Radford Cutlery Set - John Lewis · search the archive · Retailer lists country of origin as Vietnam
  2. Robert Welch Signature Cook's Knife - John Lewis · search the archive · Retailer lists country of origin as Taiwan
  3. Robert Welch Malvern Cutlery Set - David Jones · search the archive · Robert Welch sold at David Jones in Australia

Published by Robert Welch or its owner

  1. Social & Ethical Policy - Robert Welch · search the archive · Supplier code based on ETI Base Code; independent third-party audits; family-owned; no factory countries named

Company details

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Robert Welch ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/robert-welch, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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