Swarovski
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Family-owned Austrian crystal and jewellery company.
There's no proof Swarovski pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in China, India and Thailand, 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
- Met: Conflict-free: diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough)
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 Swarovski'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.
Rings, Necklaces & pendants, Earrings, Bracelets, Watches: Lacks transparency, the same as Swarovski 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
Swarovski names some of the countries it makes in: Austria, China, India, Serbia, Thailand and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Austria | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Serbia | Systematic violations | Not rated | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| SwitzerlandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for jewellery and watches: conflict-free diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough).
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
- Uses lab-grown diamonds or gemstones
- Modern slavery statement
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
Research notes Swarovski makes its crystal and much of its jewellery at six of its own sites in Austria, Serbia, India, Thailand and Vietnam, and also buys from outside manufacturers, mostly in China (73 of its 96 social audits in 2024 were there); it gives no split between own and outside production. Its jewellery is mainly plated brass with its own crystal (glass) and lab-grown Created Diamonds; in 2024, 96% of base metal was recycled. It ran 140 supplier audits in 2025 and found no forced or child labour, but publishes no supplier list or living wage commitment and left the Responsible Jewellery Council in 2022.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Swarovski publishes a value chain due diligence statement covering the Australian Modern Slavery Act, most recently for 2025. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | The only reported case found was a 2006 Observer report of children sewing Swarovski beads onto saris in Delhi workshops of third-party buyers, which is too old to count. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- RJC – Resigned members · search the archive · Daniel Swarovski Corporation AG resigned from the RJC on 31 March 2022.
Published by Swarovski or its owner
- Swarovski 2024 Sustainability Report · search the archive · Six own sites incl. Wattens, Pune, Thailand and Vietnam; 96 social audits in 2024 (73 in China); 96% recycled base metal; Created Diamonds; no supplier list or living wage.
- Swarovski 2025 Value Chain Due Diligence Statement · search the archive · Six production sites in Austria, Serbia, India, Thailand and Vietnam; 140 supplier audits in 2025 (110 social); no non-conformances related to forced or child labour; no living wage commitment.
- Swarovski – Transparency statement (Australia) · search the archive · Statement made under the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018, linking to the 2025 Value Chain Due Diligence Statement.
- Swarovski – Promote fairness and celebrate individuality · search the archive · Owned sites certified or audited against SA8000, SMETA and ISO 45001; WeShine programme at owned sites in India, Thailand and Vietnam; Sedex member since 2022.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Austria
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Swarovski ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/swarovski, 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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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Swarovski.