Canon
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Japanese company making cameras, lenses, printers and copiers.
There's no proof Canon pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it doesn't name the factories its Responsible Business Alliance audits cover.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Canon? Send a right of reply.
Compare Canon with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production 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 2 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- 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 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
From Canon's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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 Canon says most of its products are assembled in its own factories, in Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US and Europe, but it does not disclose how production is split or publish a supplier list. It joined the Responsible Business Alliance in 2019; 64 sites completed RBA self-assessments and 22 had RBA audits in 2024, which found working hours and wage issues. Supplier checks rely mainly on questionnaires. It scored 13/100 in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Canon Australia publishes annual modern slavery statements under the Australian Act, covering Canon Oceania. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded D+ in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report; no current rating. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Profile records KnowTheChain ICT benchmark scores of 14/100 in 2020 and 13/100 in 2025. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | RBA audits of 22 Canon Group production sites in 2024 found problems with working hours and wages, alongside fire exit and safety signage issues (Canon Australia Modern Slavery Statement, 2025). Source · search the archiveFound by the company, fix not shown The company found and published this itself but hasn't shown it is fixing it, so it counts against the grade. | Not known |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Canon company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · KnowTheChain ICT benchmark scores of 14/100 (2020) and 13/100 (2025)
- Canon Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2025 (Australian register) · search the archive · Most products assembled by Canon Group factories in 9 regions; RBA since 2019; 22 site audits found hours and wage issues
- Canon Supply Chain Management · search the archive · Joined the RBA in 2019; annual supplier survey; suppliers asked to follow Canon Sustainability Supplier Guidelines
- Baptist World Aid Electronics Industry Trends report coverage (Inside Imaging) · search the archive · Canon graded D+ and Nikon C in Baptist World Aid's 2016 electronics report
Published by Canon or its owner
- Canon Sustainability Report 2026 · search the archive · 165,547 group employees in 2025; 99.5% of major suppliers completed self-assessment questionnaires; RBA and RMI participant
- Canon Annual Report 2023: principal subsidiaries · search the archive · Manufacturing subsidiaries in Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, US and Europe
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Employees
- About 165,547
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Canon ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/canon, 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 Canon.