Fractal Design
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 3 sources
Swedish brand designing PC cases, coolers and power supplies.
There's no proof Fractal Design pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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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 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
Fractal Design says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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 Fractal Design says all its production takes place at contract manufacturers in China, but it does not name them. Suppliers must sign a code of conduct requiring a fair, legal wage and legal working hours; it audited nine suppliers in 2025 with an average score of 95.4% and no serious findings, without saying who carried out the audits. It says its products are free of conflict minerals but publishes no smelter list, and has no 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 | Fractal Design is not in Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report, whose last edition was in 2016 and covered larger brands. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Fractal Design is not among the companies assessed in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark, which covers the largest ICT companies. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
- PLE Computers - Fractal Design cases · search the archive · Sold by PLE Computers, which has stores in Western Australia
Published by Fractal Design or its owner
- Fractal Gaming Group Annual and Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · All manufacturing in China; 9 supplier audits in 2025, average 95.4%, up from 88.7%; 118 staff; Wallin 29.3%
- Fractal Gaming Group - Sustainability · search the archive · Designed in Gothenburg, made by contract partners primarily in China; suppliers must sign a code of conduct
Company details
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Employees
- About 118
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Fractal Design ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/fractal-design, 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 Fractal Design.