Anker
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Chinese electronics company best known for chargers, power banks and cables.
There's no proof Anker 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 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production 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: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- 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
Anker names some of the countries it makes in: China. 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 |
| 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.
- 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 Anker designs its products and outsources manufacturing to contract electronics makers; its UK modern slavery statement (about 2019-2020) says its supply chain is mainly in mainland China, and it names no factories or country shares. Its supplier code bans child and forced labour and requires wages in line with local law, and it collects conflict-minerals data for tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold and cobalt but does not publish its smelter list. It is not an RBA member, publishes no supplier list or audit results, and makes no living wage commitment. No confirmed labour abuses linked to its suppliers were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Anker's UK subsidiary has published a statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act, describing its supply chain as mainly in mainland China. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations recorded for Anker; it is not named in the 2025 NYT/TBIJ/Der Spiegel Uyghur labour transfer investigation. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ethical.org.au company page: Anker · search the archive · Modern slavery statement on the company website (2020); overall rating C- (updated April 2025)
- Anker - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · No labour allegations or response requests recorded for Anker (checked November 2026)
- Anker UK Modern Slavery Act Statement (about 2019-2020) · search the archive · Production by electronics manufacturing suppliers, mainly in mainland China; no audit results reported
- U.S. Probe and Power Bank Recalls Hit Anker Innovations (TMTPost) · search the archive · Anker keeps R&D and marketing in-house and outsources production to OEMs
Published by Anker or its owner
- Anker Innovations: Sustainable Supply Chain (2025) · search the archive · Supplier code bans child and forced labour; wages per local law; RMI-based conflict minerals policy covering 3TG and cobalt
- Anker Innovations Supplier Code of Conduct (2025) · search the archive · Supplier code of conduct referencing ILO core conventions
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Anker ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/anker, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded phones
No phones 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 Anker.