ADATA
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Taiwanese maker of computer memory, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards.
There's no proof ADATA pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Brazil 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 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Malaysia, 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
- 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: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- 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 press and retailer reports; ADATA doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 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.
- 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 ADATA runs its own factory in Suzhou, China, and plants in Sao Paulo (2016) and Manaus (2021), Brazil; about 90% of Brazilian output goes to the Brazilian market, and Manaus is doubling its floor area and adding server assembly for Giga Computing from December 2026. No source gives a split of output between countries, and whether it also assembles in Taiwan is not stated. It publishes sustainability reports on environment and staff welfare, but no supplier list, RBA membership, factory audit results, smelter list or wage data. No labour abuse reports were found.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- ADATA Suzhou plant opening (DigiTimes, 2006) · search the archive · ADATA opened its Suzhou, China plant with eight SMT lines
- ADATA sustainability news (XPG, July 2024) · search the archive · Solar power installed at the company's factory in Suzhou, China; no labour audit information
- ADATA and Giga Computing server line in Brazil (HWBusters, 2025) · search the archive · ADATA opened plants in Sao Paulo in 2016 and Manaus in 2021
- ADATA dobra area fabril em Manaus (TIInside, Sept 2026) · search the archive · Manaus plant doubled in size; DRAM and SSD assembly since 2021; 90% of Brazilian output sold domestically
- ADATA at Scorptec · search the archive · Scorptec, which has Australian stores, stocks ADATA and XPG products
Published by ADATA or its owner
- ADATA 2023 Sustainability Report · search the archive · 1,915 group employees in 2023; operations in Taiwan, Suzhou and Brazil
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Employees
- About 1,915
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is ADATA ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/adata, 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 ADATA.