Bowers & Wilkins
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
British hi-fi brand making loudspeakers, headphones and earbuds.
Until Bowers & Wilkins traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Bowers & Wilkins? Send a right of reply.
Compare Bowers & Wilkins with another brand
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 rights57% 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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 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 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
Bowers & Wilkins names some of the countries it makes in: China and the United Kingdom. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 52% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United Kingdom | 35% | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Bowers & Wilkins builds its 800 Series and Nautilus speakers at its own Worthing factory in the UK, and its 600 and 700 Series at a factory in Zhenhai, China; shares count these two named sites, and makers of its headphones are not named. Supplier checks rely on self-assessment questionnaires, with no third-party audits or findings published, and no living wage commitment. Owner Harman has been an RBA affiliate member since 2022, but its RBA audits cover only its own automotive plants.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | B&W Group Ltd publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement (June 2024). View |
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.
- KnowTheChain recorded two unresolved allegations linking ultimate parent Samsung Electronics' supply chain to Uyghur forced labour, not tied to Bowers & Wilkins products (KnowTheChain, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT scorecard: Samsung Electronics · search the archive · Two unresolved Uyghur forced labour allegations in Samsung's supply chain.
- Harman now owns Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz and Denon as Masimo deal completes (What Hi-Fi, 2025) · search the archive · Harman, owned by Samsung since 2016, completed its purchase of Sound United from Masimo in September 2025.
- Bowers & Wilkins factory visit, Worthing (Hifigear) · search the archive · 800 Series and Nautilus built in the UK; 600 and 700 Series moved to the Rotel factory in China.
- Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5: inside the English factory (AVCesar, 2026) · search the archive · Worthing factory in England; second factory at Zhenhai, China, makes the 600 and 700 Series and in-wall speakers
Published by Bowers & Wilkins or its owner
- B&W Group Modern Slavery Statement (June 2024) · search the archive · Manufacturing sites in the UK and China; annual self-assessment questionnaires for key suppliers; no audits reported.
- HARMAN 2025 Sustainability Report · search the archive · RBA affiliate member since 2022; RBA VAP audits only at its own automotive plants; no living wage commitment
- Bowers & Wilkins CA Compliance (Sound United) · search the archive · Sound United does not currently verify, audit or require certification from suppliers on slavery and trafficking
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bowers & Wilkins ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bowers-and-wilkins, 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
Nothing we've rated in TV and audio is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Bowers & Wilkins.