teapigs
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Tata-owned London premium tea brand.
teapigs 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.
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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 rightsSome of its tea is grown in India, China 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 partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using teapigs'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
teapigs says its tea comes from Rwanda. Product labels show India and Sri Lanka. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| 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 |
| KenyaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Rwanda | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalawiUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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). Source
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes teapigs does not publish where most of its teas are grown or name its estates; its Everyday Brew comes mainly from Gisenyi, Rwanda, and retail listings show English Breakfast blending Rwandan, Assam (India) and Sri Lankan tea. Its owner says 49% of its tea was Rainforest Alliance certified in 2024-25, aiming for all of it. It is packed by one contract packer in Germany. It donates to the Point Foundation in Rwanda per pack of Everyday Brew, but publishes no wage data or living wage plan. No labour abuses linked to it have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Certified B Corp since 2019 with a B Impact Score of 81.4; the company still states it is certified. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Tata Consumer Products GB publishes a UK slavery and human trafficking statement for the year to March 2025, covering Tetley and teapigs. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against teapigs are recorded. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Tata Consumer Products BRSR 2025-26 · search the archive · Teapigs Ltd and Teapigs US LLC are 100% subsidiaries; no living wage commitment.
- Cotswold Fayre: teapigs · search the archive · B Impact Score 81.4; Everyday Brew from Rwanda; Point Foundation donations.
- Good Eggs: teapigs English Breakfast · search the archive · Black tea from Rwanda, Assam (India) and Sri Lanka
Published by teapigs or its owner
- Teapigs Australia · search the archive · Australian online store in AUD with a Melbourne address; part of Tata Consumer Products.
- Tata Consumer Products GB slavery and human trafficking statement FY2024-25 · search the archive · teapigs supply chain 49% Rainforest Alliance certified, 100% expected; Everyday Brew certified; packed by Halssen & Lyon in Germany; Point Foundation.
- Tetley International Sustainability Impact Report 2025: working in partnership · search the archive · teapigs working towards 100% Rainforest Alliance certified teas.
- teapigs ethical scheme · search the archive · Everyday Brew tea mostly from Gisenyi, Rwanda; donation to the Point Foundation per pack; over GBP 750,000 raised; no estates named.
Company details
- Owned by
- Tata Consumer Products
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Employees
- About 41
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is teapigs ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/teapigs, 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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