Wagh Bakri
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
One of India's largest packaged tea brands.
Wagh Bakri can't show that the people who grow its tea in India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Wagh Bakri? Send a right of reply.
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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 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 1 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its tea is grown in 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
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
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Wagh Bakri'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
Wagh Bakri says which countries its tea comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
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).
Research notes Wagh Bakri owns no tea estates or bought-leaf factories; it buys Indian tea mainly through government e-auctions and established producers and packs it in Gujarat. It names no estates or regions beyond an Assam blend. It funds the Indian trustea code, and its Mili and premium teas carry trustea verification, which has basic labour checks but is not an independent certification like Fairtrade. It publishes no supplier code, audits, wage data or living wage commitment. Low wages and poor housing are widely reported across Assam tea estates, but none have been linked to Wagh Bakri's suppliers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Wagh Bakri teas are not Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified; the company links its premium brands to the Indian trustea code instead. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | Wagh Bakri is not named in the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre tea transparency tracker, and no labour allegations against it are recorded. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Wagh Bakri modern slavery statement is on the Australian register. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Wagh Bakri Premium Assam Tea 200 g (BigBasket) · search the archive · Wagh Bakri sells an Assam tea blend
- Wagh Bakri Masala Chai Tea Bags (Woolworths) · search the archive · Sold by Woolworths in Australia; labelled Product of India
Published by Wagh Bakri or its owner
- SustainabiliTea (Wagh Bakri Tea Group) · search the archive · Owns no tea estates; buys via government e-auctions and established producers; premium brands linked to trustea
- Trustea - for a Better and Sustainable Future (Wagh Bakri) · search the archive · Wagh Bakri funded trustea with Rs 32.18 lakh in FY2019-20; trustea is an IDH initiative run with the Tea Research Association
- Wagh Bakri Mili (Wagh Bakri Tea Group) · search the archive · Mili sourced from Indian tea gardens and trustea certified
- About us (Wagh Bakri Tea Group) · search the archive · In the tea business since 1892; turnover over Rs 2,000 crore; over 50 million kg of tea distributed
Company details
- Headquarters
- India
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Wagh Bakri ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/wagh-bakri, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded tea
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Wagh Bakri.