Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Taiwanese computer brand selling laptops, desktops, monitors and gaming gear.
Until Acer traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
Also worth knowing
Acer's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Acer looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: a forced labour link in 2019. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and Malaysia.
- 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 listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Acer's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 87% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread.
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on metals such as cobalt, gold and tin from artisanal mines where miners, including children, face toxic dust, mercury exposure and deadly tunnel collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Acer outsources assembly to contract manufacturers. Its latest published supplier list (2022) names 37 major suppliers, and all 12 final assembly sites are in China; shares are by site count. It also names supplier sites in Taiwan, Southeast Asia, India, Brazil and Hungary, and a partner plant in Puducherry, India began making Acer laptops in 2025. It is an RBA member and audited 69 tier-1 suppliers on site in 2025, finding excessive overtime and wage and social insurance problems. It makes no living wage commitment and reports no recruitment fee repayments.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Acer publishes an annual Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement covering its RBA membership and 111 on-site supplier audits in 2024. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Acer is not among the 45 companies in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Acer's own on-site audits of 69 tier-1 suppliers in 2025 found excessive overtime as the main problem, plus issues with attendance bonuses, agency labour and social insurance; one supplier was disqualified (Acer on-site audit disclosure, 2025). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyRequired corrective action plans with tracking and disqualified one supplier. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute named Acer among 83 brands whose supply chains were linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour (ASPI, Uyghurs for Sale, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownNo action by Acer on the ASPI findings has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Uyghurs for Sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · Acer among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers
- Acer opens new laptop manufacturing facility in Puducherry (Free Press Journal, 2025) · search the archive · Plant built with Plumage Solutions began making Acer laptops in India in 2025, 300,000 units a year
Published by Acer or its owner
- Acer Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2024 · search the archive · RBA member; 111 on-site audits in 2024 covering 230,000 workers; China is the primary production base
- Acer supplier list · search the archive · 2022 list: 37 major suppliers; all 12 final assembly sites (Compal, Quanta, Wistron and others) in China
- Acer Supply Chain (Acer ESG) · search the archive · Manufacturing suppliers in Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, India, Brazil and Hungary; China is the primary base
- On-site Audits (Acer ESG) · search the archive · 2025: 69 tier-1 suppliers audited on site; excessive overtime, bonus, agency labour and social insurance issues; one supplier disqualified
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Acer ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/acer, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
No laptops and computers brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Acer.