Audio-Technica
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Japanese audio company making headphones, microphones and turntables.
Until Audio-Technica traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 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, 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 rightsSome 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 partly 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 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
Audio-Technica names some of the countries it makes in: Japan, Taiwan and 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 |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 Audio-Technica runs its own factories in Japan (including Audio-Technica Fukui), Taiwan and China, where its Haining plant opened in 2020 as its largest production base; no country shares or supplier list are published, so no shares are shown. Its modern slavery statement, last approved in 2021, relies on supplier contract terms and staff interviews, with no supplier audits reported. It asks suppliers to follow the RMI conflict minerals process, but makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Audio-Technica Corporation publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement approved in October 2021, describing measures from April 2017 to March 2018 and some from April 2021. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Audio-Technica new factories in Taiwan and China (Phile Web, 2019) · search the archive · Taiwan factory finished 2018; Haining, China plant due 2020 as the group's largest production base.
- Audio-Technica (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Private company founded 1962, headquartered in Machida, Tokyo; Taiwan subsidiary since 1988.
Published by Audio-Technica or its owner
- Audio-Technica environmental and sourcing policies · search the archive · Audio-Technica Fukui makes headphones and microphones; responsible minerals policy using RMI's RMAP.
- Audio-Technica Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement · search the archive · Approved October 2021; covers April 2017 to March 2018 plus some later activity; relies on contract terms and staff interviews; no audits.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Audio-Technica ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/audio-technica, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other TV and audio brands
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