be quiet!
Lacks transparency. Shows little about where or how its products are made.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
German brand of quiet PC power supplies, coolers, fans and cases.
We couldn't find where be quiet! makes most of its PC power supplies, coolers and cases, a certification covering its range or a list of its suppliers.
Also worth knowing
Most electronics are made in countries such as China and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.
Better-graded laptops and computers
Graded higher than be quiet!, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
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.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent be quiet!? Send a right of reply.
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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, probably 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 rightsWhere electronics are usually made, such as China and Malaysia, 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: Probably 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
We couldn't confirm where be quiet! makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 55% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | 10% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Malaysia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South Korea | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | 5% | 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 be quiet! designs its products in Germany and does final quality control near Hamburg, but does not say where they are made or name its factories. Reviews show its power supplies are built by Asian contract manufacturers such as FSP and CWT (Dark Power 14). Listan has sites in Germany, Poland, Taiwan and the USA. No supplier code of conduct, audit results, modern slavery statement or conflict minerals report is published, and no labour abuse reports were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not rated by Baptist World Aid; the Electronics Industry Report ended in 2016 and did not include be quiet! or Listan. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Not in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark, which covers 45 of the largest electronics companies. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No Australian entity large enough to report under the Modern Slavery Act; no statement on the register. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Founders of Listan sell to Afinum (Unternehmeredition, 2020) · search the archive · Afinum bought a majority of Listan in 2020; over 100 staff in Germany, Poland, Taiwan and the USA
- be quiet! Dark Power 14 850W review (Hardware Busters) · search the archive · Dark Power 14 made by OEM CWT; earlier Dark Power models made by FSP
- be quiet! power supplies (PC Case Gear) · search the archive · be quiet! power supplies sold online by Australian retailer PC Case Gear
Published by be quiet! or its owner
- be quiet! About us · search the archive · be quiet! is a Listan GmbH trademark; design in Germany, final quality control near Hamburg; works with an Asian office
- Listan company page · search the archive · Listan GmbH, Glinde; offices in Germany, Poland, Taiwan and the USA; 130 employees; no supply chain or ESG disclosure
Company details
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Employees
- About 130
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is be quiet! ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/be-quiet, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent be quiet!.