abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Story

15 Jan 2016

India: Poor working & living conditions reported on Assam tea estates supplying British tea brands; incl. co. comments

In September 2015, an investigation by Radio 4's File on Four and BBC News in Assam found dire living and working conditions in tea estates supplying Britain's biggest tea brands, including PG Tips, Tetleys, and Twinings.

The investigation found workers living in broken houses with poor sanitation, including no toilets, open and clogged drains, and no electricity, as well as malnutrition due to extremely low wages, child labour, and exposure to chemicals.

Estates investigated include the Doomur Dullung estate owned by Assam Company, supplying Twinings, Yorkshire Tea, Harrods and Fortnum and Mason, and McLeod Russel estates, which supply tea to companies that own PG Tips, Liptons, Tetley and Twinings.

All the estates had been certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

In response, Harrods stopped selling tea products from Doomur Dullung and noted that it hadn't bought any tea for the garden that year.

In January 2016, It was reported that the Rainforest Alliance had stripped its certification from the Assam Company. Twinings, Taylors of Harrogate and Fortnum & Mason also reported they had suspended business with the company.

Company comments can be found below.

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.