Yorkshire Tea
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Black tea brand blended by Taylors of Harrogate.
In 2023, workers on 10 certified Sri Lankan estates that supply Yorkshire Tea went hungry on poverty wages and lived in squalid housing.
Also worth knowing
Yorkshire Tea has only partly put this right.
Better-graded tea
Graded higher than Yorkshire Tea, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2023.
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
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- 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
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: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its tea is grown
From Yorkshire Tea's own disclosure: it names its suppliers. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Rwanda | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing) Source
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Yorkshire Tea names Kenya, Rwanda and Assam (India) as its main origins and has published its full tea and coffee supplier list since 2019, but gives no volume shares. Its core range is Rainforest Alliance certified, which the company itself says gives limited human rights protection. Since 2024 it has run a living wage pilot with IDH and other buyers on four estates in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Malawi, paying voluntary top-ups, but publishes no wage figures against a living wage and no deadline. It funds Ethical Tea Partnership programmes in Assam and Malawi.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Unclear | No B Corp certification is claimed in Bettys & Taylors' 2025 annual review or on its websites; the directory itself could not be checked. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Yorkshire Tea's core range does not carry the Fairtrade mark; the company relies on Rainforest Alliance. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists 156 tea suppliers disclosed (reviewed November 2022) and responses on Sri Lanka and Kenya allegations in 2023. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Bettys & Taylors Group publishes a modern slavery statement each year; the latest is for 2025. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | A 2023 Guardian investigation of 10 certified Sri Lankan estates that supply Yorkshire Tea found workers going hungry on poverty wages, squalid housing, unpaid wages and verbal abuse by supervisors. Source · search the archive | PartlyTaylors said it bought little from the named estate in 2022 and none in 2023, and funds IDH living wage benchmarking and a wage-gap pilot; no action against the other estates. |
| 2015 | A 2015 BBC investigation found a 14-year-old girl picking tea full time, broken housing and poor sanitation at Doomur Dullung estate in Assam, India, which supplied Yorkshire Tea, and unprotected pesticide spraying at another Assam Company estate. Source · archived copy | PartlyTaylors said it was investigating urgently and suspended business with the Assam Company in 2016 while saying it would support improvements on its estates. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In 2023 reports shared by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said workers at Sri Lankan estates that supplied Taylors in 2022 (including the Alton and Katukelle estates) were dismissed after protesting new picking targets and wage systems; the estate companies disputed the reports and Taylors took no action against them. Source
- In 2021 women workers sued Lujeri Tea Estates in Malawi, a supplier on Bettys & Taylors' published list, alleging systemic sexual harassment and rape by male supervisors; the case was settled confidentially without admission of liability, and Bettys & Taylors kept buying while working with the supplier (Leigh Day, 2021). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- BHRRC: Taylors of Harrogate's response to allegations of rights abuses on Sri Lankan tea plantations · search the archive · Bought a small amount from the estate in 2022 and none this year; IDH wage benchmarking; Rainforest Alliance offers limited protection.
- BHRRC: BBC investigates inhumane working conditions in tea plantations in Assam · archived copy · September 2015 BBC findings at Doomur Dullung estate supplying Yorkshire Tea, including a 14-year-old picker and poor housing; Taylors investigating.
- BHRRC: 3 UK tea brands drop Indian supplier over work conditions · search the archive · January 2016: Taylors suspended business with the Assam Company after BBC found unprotected spraying at Hajua estate
- Woolworths: Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea Bags 100 pack · search the archive · Sold in Australia through Woolworths.
- Bettys & Taylors Group Annual Review 2025 · search the archive · 1,608 staff; investment by origin: Kenya 45%, India 21%, Malawi 11%, Rwanda 10%; IDH living wage pilot on four estates since 2024
- Bettys & Taylors: Statement of our tea buying practices, July 2025 · search the archive · Full supplier list on Taylors Impact; prices cover cost of production; Rainforest Alliance gives limited human rights protection
- Guardian investigation via Human Trafficking Search: Sri Lanka's tea pickers say they go hungry and live in squalor · search the archive · May 2023 Guardian probe of 10 certified estates supplying Yorkshire Tea: hunger, squalor, unpaid wages, verbal abuse
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Employees
- About 1,608
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Yorkshire Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/yorkshire-tea, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 Yorkshire Tea.