Cooler Master
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Taiwanese maker of PC cases, coolers and power supplies.
There's no proof Cooler Master pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Better-graded laptops and computers
Graded higher than Cooler Master, 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 Cooler Master? 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, 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
Cooler Master names some of the countries it makes in: 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Cooler Master runs its own factory complex in Huizhou, China, making cases and coolers, and is building a plant in Bac Ninh, Vietnam, for server and data-centre cooling, but it does not say what share of its consumer products it makes itself or name other suppliers. Its ESG page covers carbon targets and a supplier ESG evaluation but no supplier code, audit results, human rights policy, conflict-minerals report, RBA membership or living wage commitment. No labour abuses linked to its products have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Cooler Master is not in Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report, whose last edition was in 2016 and covered larger brands. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Cooler Master is not among the companies assessed in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark, which covers the largest ICT companies. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Bac Ninh: Chairman receives Cooler Master Group · search the archive · US$200M Gia Binh plant for AI server and data-centre cooling, operations planned from early 2026
- Cooler Master factory tour (Hexus, 2007) · search the archive · Own Huizhou complex assembles coolers and cases and makes heat pipes
- PLE Computers - Cooler Master cases · search the archive · Sold by PLE Computers, which has stores in Western Australia
- Cooler Master (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Private company founded 1992, based in Neihu, Taipei
Published by Cooler Master or its owner
- Cooler Master ESG · search the archive · Carbon targets and supplier ESG evaluation; mentions its factories; no supplier code, audits, RBA or human rights policy
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Cooler Master ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cooler-master, 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 Cooler Master.