CUCKOO
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
South Korean maker of rice cookers and water and air purifiers.
We couldn't confirm where it makes the rest, and most homewares and appliances are made in countries such as China and Vietnam, where the legal minimum is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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 3 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 South Korea and 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
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 2
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From CUCKOO'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 homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
Research notes CUCKOO began as a contract maker of rice cookers for LG and other firms before launching its own brand in 1998. It makes its appliances in its own South Korean plants at Yangsan and Siheung, and Australian retail listings give Korea as country of origin. It publishes no supplier list, social audit results, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment, so conditions for workers at its plants and component suppliers are not independently reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not assessed in Baptist World Aid's reports; the Electronics Industry Report ended in 2016 and did not cover kitchen appliance makers. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Cuckoo Electronics to build RM100m factory in Malaysia (New Straits Times, 2018) · search the archive · Cuckoo's two plants are at Yangsan and Siheung, South Korea, with capacity of over 4.5 million sets a year
- Cuckoo brings local media to Yangsan factory in Busan (Borneo Insiders Guide, 2018) · search the archive · Yangsan factory makes CUCKOO multi-cookers and other kitchen appliances
- Cuckoo Commercial Rice Cooker 35 Cups CR-3521 (Hello Kitchen) · search the archive · Australian listing states the rice cooker is made in Korea
- South Korea's rice cooker billionaire (Free Malaysia Today, 2018) · search the archive · Koo family controls Cuckoo Holdings; firm made rice cookers for LG before launching own brand in 1998
- Cuckoo Rice Cookers (Harvey Norman Australia) · search the archive · Cuckoo rice cookers sold by Harvey Norman in Australia
Company details
- Headquarters
- South Korea
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is CUCKOO ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cuckoo, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent CUCKOO.