Fitbit
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Google-owned brand of fitness trackers and smartwatches.
Until Fitbit 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 rightsWhere electronics are usually made, such as China and Malaysia, 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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: Probably 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 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
We couldn't confirm where Fitbit makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 55% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | 10% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Malaysia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South Korea | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | 5% | 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
- 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 Fitbit devices are made by contract manufacturers in Asia; they were assembled in China until Fitbit began moving production out in 2020, and Google does not disclose current locations, shares or a supplier list. Fitbit is covered by Google's supplier code, RBA membership, supplier assessments (236 sites in 2025, reported only as group-wide conformance rates) and annual modern slavery statement, but Google publishes no Fitbit-specific audit results and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Fitbit is covered by Google's annual statement against modern slavery lodged on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Google's annual statement against modern slavery, which covers its consumer hardware including Fitbit, is issued under the UK Modern Slavery Act; the latest covers 2025. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC appear on the US DOL list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- The Australian Strategic Policy Institute named parent company Google among 83 brands whose supply chains included Chinese factories using transferred Uyghur workers; Fitbit products were not named (ASPI, 2020). Source
- Google's 236 supplier site assessments in 2025, across a hardware supply chain that includes Fitbit, found only 35% of sites met its working hours rules and 52% its wage rules before corrective action, without saying which products were affected (Google Supplier Responsibility Report, 2026). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Uyghurs for Sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · Lists Google among brands linked to Uyghur labour transfers; Fitbit not named
- Fitbit Inc. Form 10-K for 2019 (SEC) · search the archive · Products made by contract manufacturers primarily in Asia and assembled in China
- Google Modern Slavery Statement 2024 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Covers consumer hardware incl. Fitbit; 131 supplier audits in 2024 with hours, wage and recruitment fee findings
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Lists electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC
- Fitbit Is Moving Out of China (IndustryWeek, 2019) · search the archive · Fitbit moving tracker and smartwatch production out of China from January 2020
- RBA Members · search the archive · Alphabet Inc. is a Regular member of the Responsible Business Alliance
Published by Fitbit or its owner
- Google 2026 Supplier Responsibility Report · search the archive · Covers Pixel, Nest and Fitbit hardware; 236 site assessments in 2025; hours 35%, wages 52% conformance before corrective action
Company details
- Owned by
- Google (Alphabet Inc.)
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Fitbit ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/fitbit, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded phones
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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Fitbit.