ASUS
Partly verified✓ Checks its own supply chain. ASUS actively looks for problems such as child or forced labour, publishes what it finds and works to fix it. That openness is uncommon, so problems it finds and reports itself are shown below but don't count against its grade.
ASUS isn't doing enough to protect workers: there's no proof workers earn a living wage, and unions and workers' rights are heavily restricted in China and Vietnam. It does have some safeguards, as its suppliers face industry audits.
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 3 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 0 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 1
- Failing or very low scores on independent ratings
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 56% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam 19% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand 11% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan 8% | Some protections | Slightly below a living wage | Low |
| Indonesia 3% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India 3% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Responsible Business Alliance: Electronics industry code with third-party audits. Members set their own pace.
- Conflict-free minerals programme: Responsible sourcing for tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold or cobalt.
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
- Uses high-risk raw materials (e.g. leather tanning, mica, artisanal gold)
- Low or failing score on an independent rating
ASUS does not run its own assembly lines; its products are made by contract manufacturers such as Pegatron, Compal, Quanta, Wistron, Inventec and Huaqin, and its published FY2024 supplier list shows most final assembly sites in mainland China, with others in Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia and India. It is a full RBA member, audits high-risk suppliers, publishes its smelter lists and reports sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold and cobalt from qualified smelters, and added mica to its due diligence in 2023, but tracing stops at the smelter rather than the mine and recycled metals made up only 8% of metal use in 2025. It publishes no living wage commitment or evidence, and independent benchmarks rate its social performance as weak.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | ASUS is not among the 45 companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark, where the average score was 20/100. View ↗ |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Found | Scored 25.9/100 in the World Benchmarking Alliance Social Benchmark (2026). View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Australian modern slavery statement from ASUS has been identified on the register. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Unclear | ASUS publishes an undated UK Modern Slavery Act statement on its own website; its listing on the UK registry is not established. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Electronics from China (child and forced labour) and Malaysia (forced labour) are on the US Department of Labor list, covering countries where ASUS's suppliers operate. View ↗ |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Neither ASUS nor its main assemblers (Pegatron, Compal, Quanta, Wistron, Inventec, Huaqin, Qisda) are on the UFLPA Entity List. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Tracks ASUS under forced labour, migrant worker and wage theft issues, with a 50% response rate (2 of 4 requests). View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ASUS's own supplier audits in 2025 found 1,069 nonconformities, mainly in labour practices and safety at assembly and component factories, and excessive working hours remained unresolved at some suppliers (ASUS ESG disclosures, 2025). Found and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade, because the company found and published it itself. | Partly Corrective action under way; some excessive-hours cases unresolved. |
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.
- A 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report named ASUS among dozens of electronics brands whose supply chains were linked to factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang under government labour programmes; no specific ASUS supplier factory was identified in coverage of the report (ASPI, 2020). Source ↗
- China Labor Watch reported in 2013 that a 14-year-old worker hired with false identity papers died after 12-hour shifts at 3CEMS in Dongguan, a factory it said made ASUS products; ASUS neither confirmed nor denied the supplier link and said it sent staff to investigate (PCWorld, 2013). Source ↗
Sources (12)
- ASUS Supplier List (FY2024) · archived copy · 142 supplier sites (106 in mainland China, 16 Taiwan, 11 Vietnam, 4 Thailand, others in Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia); final assembly factories include Pegatron, Compal, Quanta, Wistron, Inventec
- Sustainable Procurement - ASUS ESG · archived copy · 599 suppliers; 2025 audits found 1,069 nonconformities with 90% corrected and remaining working-hour issues under monitoring
- Responsible Manufacturing - ASUS ESG · archived copy · Full RBA member; 100% of high-risk suppliers completed ESG audits; goal of third-party audits of all key suppliers by 2030; 3TG and cobalt from qualified smelters
- Responsible Minerals - ASUS ESG · archived copy · 3TG and cobalt from RMAP-qualified smelters; smelter lists published; mica added to due diligence in 2023; recycled metals 8.0% of metal use in 2025
- ASUS laptops for a better tomorrow: ethical minerals and materials · archived copy · Some Zenbook models use recycled aluminium, magnesium-aluminium alloy and recycled plastics
- TCO Product Policy - ASUS · archived copy · Some ASUS products are TCO Certified; share of range not disclosed
- Asus - Shop Ethical! · archived copy · Rated D+; WBA Social Benchmark 25.9/100 (2026); cites ASPI 2020 forced labour report
- Wikirate: ASUS modern slavery statement · archived copy · ASUS publishes an undated UK Modern Slavery Act statement
- Apple, Foxconn and 81 others are accused of using Uighur forced labor - VentureBeat · archived copy · ASPI 2020 report names ASUS among linked brands
- 14-year-old worker found dead at possible Asus supplier in China - PCWorld · archived copy · China Labor Watch 2013 allegation about 3CEMS Dongguan; ASUS did not confirm the link
- Asus - Wikipedia · archived copy · Headquartered in Taipei, about 17,000 employees; spun off Pegatron in 2010
- Speed Up! Addressing forced labor risks in Taiwan's industries - BHRRC · archived copy · 2025 report on recruitment-fee debt bondage at Pegatron subsidiary Pegavision; ASUS responded that it has been separate from Pegatron since 2008
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.