D-Link
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Taiwanese networking company selling Wi-Fi routers and switches.
Until D-Link traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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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 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 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
D-Link names some of the countries it makes in: China and Taiwan. 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 |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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.
- 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 D-Link says it has moved production towards Taiwan since 2018, with Tainan its main production site and some parts still from China, but it publishes no factory list or country split. Its supplier code is based on the RBA Code and it promises supplier CSR audits, but it is not an RBA member and reports only an ESG self-assessment survey of 38 suppliers, with no audit results. Suppliers must sign conflict-free minerals declarations and supply CMRT reports, but no smelter list is published, and there is no living wage commitment. No source gives a production split, so Taiwan and China are listed without shares.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No D-Link statement was found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | D-Link was not rated in Baptist World Aid's last Electronics Industry Report (2016); the series has ended. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | D-Link is not among the companies in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse reports involving D-Link or its suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- D-Link Taiwan price, revenue and demand (DigiTimes, May 2025) · search the archive · Shift to Taiwan manufacturing since 2018; Tainan main production site; some parts from China
- D-Link M30 mesh Wi-Fi router (Officeworks) · search the archive · Officeworks sells D-Link routers in Australia
- D-Link DSL245GE modem router (Kmart) · search the archive · Kmart sells D-Link modem routers in Australia
Published by D-Link or its owner
- D-Link Supplier Code of Conduct and sustainable procurement · search the archive · Code based on RBA; promised supplier CSR audits; 38 suppliers sent ESG self-assessments in 2024; conflict minerals declarations and CMRT
- D-Link Corp 2024 Sustainability Report · search the archive · 1,460 employees worldwide in 2024
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Employees
- About 1,460
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is D-Link ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/d-link, 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 D-Link.