Labour Lens

BOOX

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Shows little about where or how its products are made.

Electronics

Little disclosed: what this means

We researched BOOX but found little about where or how its products are made. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources · How we check

Chinese brand selling e-readers and Android e-ink tablets.

We couldn't find where BOOX makes most of its e-ink tablets and e-readers, 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 BOOX, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

2 refurbished sellers, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Back Market and Reebelo · See them allGood

Nothing new in laptops and computers that we've rated is better than Lacks transparency yet. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

See every laptops and computers brand

See 3 better-graded brands in laptops and computers

Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent BOOX? Send a right of reply.

Compare BOOX with another brand

Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements, with 3 red flags.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags, 2 of which set the grade: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production, probably in high-risk countries. 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.

How grades are decided

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

Not confirmed
Where its industry usually makes its goods: China 55%, Vietnam 15%, Taiwan 10% and 3 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made

We couldn't confirm where BOOX makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China55%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Vietnam15%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Taiwan10%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Malaysia8%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
South Korea7%No guarantee of rightsClose to a living wageLow
India5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh

Evidence

2 things we found and what 1 independent source says.Open the evidenceClose the 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 BOOX does not say where or by whom its devices are assembled; the company is based in Guangzhou, China, and buys its e-ink screens mainly from Taiwan's E Ink Holdings, which owns 4.9%. Its founders and an employee vehicle control about 84% of the company, which filed for a Hong Kong IPO in 2026. No supplier list, supplier code of conduct, audit results, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment was found, and no labour abuse findings were found for the brand.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNo statement foundNo statement from Onyx International or BOOX is on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View

Sources and actions

6 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Australian Modern Slavery Register search: Onyx · search the archive · No statement from Onyx International or BOOX; matches are unrelated construction entities
  2. How BOOX rewrote books (TechNode, October 2026) · search the archive · Onyx International set up in Guangzhou in 2008; buys screens and chips from suppliers; E Ink Holdings a supplier and shareholder; Hong Kong IPO filed
  3. Onyx sells e-readers (The Bamboo Works) · search the archive · Guangzhou-based; Hong Kong IPO filing in September 2026; co-founder and chairwoman Dan Yuting; Lenovo-controlled investor deal in 2024
  4. BOOX IPO profile (36Kr) · search the archive · Founders and employee vehicle hold about 84.1%; E Ink Holdings largest supplier; started from OEM contract work
  5. BOOX sells in over 100 countries (36Kr Europe) · search the archive · Sold in over 100 countries; E Ink Holdings holds 4.9% via a subsidiary and is the largest supplier

Published by BOOX or its owner

  1. BOOX Australia online store · search the archive · BOOX runs an Australian-region online store; no Australian shop stockists named

Company details

Headquarters
China
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is BOOX ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/boox, 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 BOOX.

Send evidenceSend a right of reply

Choose a better-graded brand

3 brands in laptops and computers are graded higher than BOOX.

See 3 better-graded brands in laptops and computersSearch another brand