Labour Lens

COROS

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Electronics

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources

Chinese maker of GPS multisport watches and bike computers.

There's no proof COROS pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

Better-graded phones

Graded higher than COROS, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

3 refurbished sellers, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Frank Mobile, Back Market and Reebelo · See them allGoodFairphoneMissing: living wage proof, worker rights protections and traced raw materials · ElectronicsModular, repairable smartphones and earbudsPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

No phones 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.

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Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent COROS? 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.

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 rightsMost of its products are made in China, 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

COROS says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate

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 COROS's own product declarations name Guangdong COROS Sports Technology in Dongguan, China, as the manufacturer of its watches, and its parent YF Tech is based there; it does not say whether assembly is in its own or its parent's factories, and publishes no factory list. No supplier code, social audits, modern slavery statement, conflict minerals report or living wage commitment was found, and no confirmed labour abuses were found.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
KnowTheChainNot coveredNot among the large ICT companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Who owns COROS? (LegalClarity) · search the archive · Owned by Dongguan Yuanfeng Technology (YF Tech); production in Songshan Lake Hi-Tech Zone, Dongguan
  2. The rise of COROS with CEO Lewis Wu (Believe in the Run) · search the archive · Majority investor is China-based YF Tech
  3. COROS (Wild Earth) · search the archive · COROS watches sold by Australian outdoor retailer Wild Earth, which has physical stores

Published by COROS or its owner

  1. COROS VERTIX 2S EU declaration of conformity (Nov 2025) · search the archive · Manufacturer named as Guangdong COROS Sports Technology Co., Ltd., Dongguan, China
  2. COROS Careers · search the archive · Product engineering and hardware development are based in China

Company details

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

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