Smeg
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 3 sources
Family-owned Italian maker of ovens, fridges and retro appliances.
Smeg makes most of its cooking and kitchen appliances in its own factories in Italy, where legal wages are close to a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It has amfori BSCI audits at its factories and publishes a modern slavery statement.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Italy are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics
- 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 listMakes its products in its own factories
- 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 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 1
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Smeg'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.
Appliances, Pots & pans: On Track, the same as Smeg overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Smeg's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 93% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | 1% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- "Made in Italy" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
Research notes Smeg makes most of its large appliances in five group-owned factories in Italy (Guastalla, Bonferraro, San Giovanni Teatino, Chieri and La Pavoni), and Smeg Australia says about 93% of its finished goods came from group factories in FY2020. It does not say who makes the rest, including some small appliances, or where; its 2025 report requires SMETA audit reports from key suppliers in China. The Italian plants are SMETA audited and ISO 45001 certified, but Smeg publishes no supplier list, audit findings or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Smeg Australia's FY2020 statement says about 93% of finished goods came from Smeg Group factories in Italy and 6.7% from 12 other suppliers whose countries are not named. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
Published by Smeg or its owner
- Smeg Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · 2,663 employees; five Italian plants, SMETA audited via Sedex; SMETA required of key China suppliers; ISO 45001; 76% of spend in Italy
- Smeg Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2020 · search the archive · About 93% of finished goods from Smeg Group (Italian plants); 6.7% from 12 other suppliers, countries not named; no audit results reported
- Smeg UK Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2026 · search the archive · 2026 statement: parent based in Guastalla, Italy; SMETA audited; endorses ETI code; no audit findings or living wage disclosed.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 2,663
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Smeg ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/smeg, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track 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 Smeg.