Thorntons
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
British chocolate brand selling boxed chocolates.
Thorntons can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded chocolate
Graded higher than Thorntons, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags, 2 of which set the grade: 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: the most serious problem on its record (child labour link, last recorded in 2024) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Thorntons looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found child labour in 2024 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: a unpaid or underpaid wages link in 2019. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in Ecuador, Nigeria 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found child labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
- 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
- Met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts and palm oil) where they're a major part of its rangeAlso traces or certifies: hazelnuts and palm oil
Red flags 3
- 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
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its cocoa is grown
From Ferrero Group's supplier list, which covers Thorntons and its sister brands. Thorntons publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for chocolate: finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces or certifies its hazelnuts and palm oil.
- Publishes supplier list
- Traces high-risk raw materials to the mine or farm and fixes problems found
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Modern slavery statement
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its hazelnuts. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its palm oil. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Thorntons chocolates are made in Derbyshire, UK, from ingredients bought by parent Ferrero, which sources most of its cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, plus Ecuador and Nigeria, without giving shares, and most of its hazelnuts from Türkiye. Ferrero publishes its cocoa supplier and farmer-group list and reports 98% of cocoa, 97% of hazelnuts and 98.6% of palm oil traced to farm or plantation, with all palm oil RSPO certified. Thorntons products contain hazelnuts and palm oil, carry no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance label, and Thorntons publishes no separate sourcing data.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Not rated separately; parent Ferrero took part in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition) and scored 58% overall in 2025, in the 'starting to develop good policies' band. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Thorntons Limited has published a UK modern slavery statement, covered by Ferrero's supplier code and audits. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and hazelnuts from Turkey, Ferrero's main sources, are on the US DOL child labour list. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | No Fairtrade label is shown on Thorntons chocolates such as the Continental collection. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Link through a supplierFerrero's 2024 sustainability report states that 3,020 children were identified working on hazelnut farms in its Turkish supply chain and referred to schools and social support, working with the ILO. Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyChildren referred to schools and social support with the ILO. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierA 2019 New York Times investigation found Syrian refugees, including children, earning as little as US$8 a day harvesting Turkish hazelnuts for Ferrero and other buyers, and the Fair Labor Association said six years of monitoring had not found a single Turkish hazelnut farm meeting all of its decent work standards. Source · search the archive | Not known |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Thorntons Limited modern slavery statement snapshot (BHRRC) · search the archive · Thorntons statement for FY to Aug 2016; factory and head office at Thornton Park, Alfreton; covered by Ferrero supplier audits
- Thorntons Continental Collection (Ocado) · search the archive · Ingredients include palm and palm kernel fat and hazelnuts; made in UK; no sourcing certification shown
- Ferrero Group 2025 Sustainability Report release · search the archive · Hazelnuts 97% traceable to farmer, palm oil 98.6% to plantation and 100% RSPO certified, cocoa 98% traced
- Children identified in Ferrero hazelnut supply chain · search the archive · Ferrero 2024 report: 3,020 children found on Turkish hazelnut farms, referred to schools and support with ILO
- Thorntons Continental Collection (McGrocer) · search the archive · UK online grocer delivering Thorntons to over 120 countries
- Syrian refugees exploited harvesting hazelnuts for chocolate giants · search the archive · 2019 NYT reporting: Syrian refugees and children earned as little as $8 a day on Turkish hazelnut farms supplying Ferrero
Published by Thorntons or its owner
- Ferrero Australia: Cocoa · search the archive · Cocoa mainly from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana plus Ecuador and Nigeria; annual supplier list; community programmes
Company details
- Owned by
- Ferrero Group
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Thorntons ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/thorntons, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Thorntons.