Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Taiwanese brand selling monitors, projectors and ZOWIE esports gear.
There's no proof BenQ 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, 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
Press and retailer reports name China and Vietnam. 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 |
| Vietnam | 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 BenQ runs no production lines; its products come from about 23 key suppliers, including OEMs such as parent Qisda, mostly in the Greater China region, and Qisda also has a plant in Vietnam. No split by country is given. BenQ reports 89% of supplier factories third-party audited against the RBA code and 100% conflict-free smelters, but publishes no supplier list, smelter list, audit findings or wage data for factory workers. No labour abuse findings were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid has published no Electronics Industry Report since 2016, so there is no current rating. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Qisda to move some Suzhou capacity to Vietnam (Digitimes, May 2022) · search the archive · Qisda moving part of production from its Suzhou, China factory to Vietnam from the second half of 2022
- BenQ at Officeworks · search the archive · BenQ products sold by Officeworks, an Australian store chain
Published by BenQ or its owner
- BenQ 2025 ESG Report · search the archive · No manufacturing production lines of its own; 1,921 employees worldwide at December 2025
- BenQ 2024 Sustainability Report, chapter 8 · search the archive · About 23 key suppliers mostly in Greater China; 89% of factories third-party audited (RBA); no supplier or smelter list published
- BenQ Sustainable Procurement Policy · search the archive · Follows the RBA Code; requires RMAP-verified smelters; risk-based on-site audits; bans forced and child labour
Company details
- Owned by
- Qisda Corporation (Taiwan)
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Employees
- About 1,921
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is BenQ ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/benq, 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 BenQ.