Labour Lens

Zwilling J.A. Henckels

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources

Solingen maker of knives and cookware.

There's no proof Zwilling J.A.

Also worth knowing

Henckels pays more than the legal minimum, which in 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 doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
  • 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.

How grades are decided

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 rightsSome of its products are made in countries such as 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
  • 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: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Zwilling J.A. Henckels names some of the countries it makes in: Belgium, China, Germany, France, India, Italy and Japan. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
BelgiumRegular violationsAbout a living wageLow
GermanyStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
FranceRegular violationsAbout a living wageLow
ItalyStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
JapanStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
VietnamUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
PolandUsual for the industryRegular violationsClose to a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
MalaysiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate

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.
  • Modern slavery statement

Research notes Zwilling runs its own plants in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, China, India and Japan and also buys merchandise from about 400 suppliers, mainly in Asia, but publishes no country shares or supplier list. Parent Werhahn's 2025 statement says Zwilling is an amfori BSCI member with mostly third-party supplier audits, but reports no results; in 2020 BSCI audits covered 84% of relevant purchasing volume. It targets sustainable wood for knife blocks and boards but has no living wage commitment.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedCovered by the Werhahn Group's UK Modern Slavery Act statement for 2025 (dated May 2026), which covers its Zwilling consumer goods division and reports no cases. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid does not rate cookware brands. View

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.

  • China Labor Watch found forced overtime with fines for refusing, unpaid overtime premiums, faked pay records and poor safety gear at Guangdong Master Group, a Chinese cookware factory listing Zwilling as a client; investigators did not confirm Zwilling goods were being made there (China Labor Watch, 2016). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Dirty Frying Pans (China Labor Watch, 2016) · search the archive · 2015 investigation of Guangdong Master Group, listing Zwilling as a client: forced overtime, fake pay stubs, safety gaps

Published by Zwilling J.A. Henckels or its owner

  1. Zwilling Sustainability Report 2020 · search the archive · Own plants in DE, BE, IT, FR, CN, IN, JP; BSCI audit coverage; wood target for knife blocks and boards; 3,751 staff
  2. Werhahn Group UK Modern Slavery Act statement 2025 · search the archive · FY2025 statement (May 2026): consumer goods made in DE, FR, BE, IT, JP, IN, CN; amfori BSCI member; third-party audits; no living wage commitment
  3. Zwilling: Sustainable supply chain · search the archive · About 400 suppliers; amfori BSCI and BEPI participation; risk management system since 2022
  4. Zwilling: The home of craftsmanship · search the archive · Knife production in Solingen and Ballarini cookware in Rivarolo Mantovano, Italy

Company details

Headquarters
Germany
Employees
About 3,751
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Zwilling J.A. Henckels ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/zwilling, 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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