Tramontina
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned Brazilian maker of cookware and cutlery.
There's no proof Tramontina pays more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil and 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 a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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 and India, 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: High-risk raw materials (timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: timber
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Tramontina says it makes products in Brazil. Product labels show China. Press and retailer reports name India.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Uses timber in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its timber comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
Research notes Tramontina makes most of its range in its own factories in Brazil (eight or nine, by different counts), mainly in Rio Grande do Sul, with about 10,000 staff; it gives no production shares. Some lines are made elsewhere: glass-lid Tri-Ply Clad sets sold in the US are made in China, and since 2025 a joint venture with Aequs runs its first factory outside Brazil, in Hubballi, India. It publishes an ethics manual and grievance channel but no supplier list, modern slavery statement, social audit results or wage data, and no labour abuse findings against it have been reported.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Tramontina anuncia primeira fabrica fora do Brasil (Mercado & Consumo, 2025) · search the archive · JV with Aequs in Hubballi, Karnataka, India is Tramontina's first factory outside Brazil; makes cookware; 80 staff
- Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad cookware review (The Rational Kitchen) · search the archive · Tri-Ply Clad sets with steel lids made in Brazil, sets with glass lids made in China
- Tramontina FSC teak wood breadboard (Jashanmal) · search the archive · Timber used in a minority of lines such as boards and furniture; some boards FSC labelled
- Tramontina collection (Robins Kitchen) · search the archive · Sold in Australia as an online-exclusive brand at Robins Kitchen
- IstoE Dinheiro: Tramontina reopens factories in RS (2024) · search the archive · Tramontina has two factories in Carlos Barbosa, one in Belem (PA), one in Recife (PE) and five more in Rio Grande do Sul; 10,000 employees
Published by Tramontina or its owner
- About Tramontina (Tramontina USA) · search the archive · 8 manufacturing facilities producing throughout Brazil; more than 10,000 employees; sold in 120+ countries
- About Tramontina (global site) · search the archive · Founded 1911 in southern Brazil; 22,000+ items incl. cookware, cutlery, furniture; ethics manual and ethics channel
Company details
- Headquarters
- Brazil
- Employees
- About 10,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Tramontina ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/tramontina, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded cookware and tableware
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Tramontina.