Fronius
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Austrian family firm making solar inverters, batteries and welding gear.
Until Fronius traces the metals in its batteries to the mine, it can't show that the people who dig and refine them are free and fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on battery metals it can't trace to the mine. 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 the silicon in its panels to the smelter or quartz mine, outside Xinjiang (for batteries and inverters: traces its battery metals to the mine)
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Relies on battery metals it can't trace to the mine
- 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
Fronius names some of the countries it makes in: Austria. The rest is shown as where solar panels and batteries are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Strong protections | About 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 |
| 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 |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery cells and inverters rely on cobalt, lithium, graphite and nickel from mines and refineries linked to child and forced labour in DR Congo, Indonesia and Xinjiang.
- Sells no crystalline-silicon solar panels (batteries, inverters or thin-film panels only)
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on cobalt, lithium, graphite and nickel from mines and refineries linked to child and forced labour in DR Congo, Indonesia and Xinjiang. It hasn't shown any steps to trace the metals in its batteries to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Fronius makes most of its products at its own Austrian plants, with inverters made at Sattledt, and also uses external manufacturing partners and OEM suppliers it doesn't name. Its Australian modern slavery statement reports spot checks and audits of those partners, a code of conduct for business partners and about 1,200 suppliers in about 30 countries, and rates forced labour risk in its own manufacturing as low. It publishes no supplier list and no smelter or refiner list. No labour abuses were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Fronius Australia Pty Ltd lodges modern slavery statements every year from 2020 to 2025. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Fronius is not on the US forced labour (UFLPA) Entity List (checked November 2026). View |
| Solar Stewardship Initiative certified sites | Not listed | Fronius has no site on the Solar Stewardship Initiative's list of certified sites (checked November 2026). View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Solar Stewardship Initiative certified sites · search the archive · Fronius not among certified sites
- UFLPA Entity List (US Department of Homeland Security) · search the archive · Fronius not listed
- Fronius doubles its Austrian inverter production facility (EcoGeneration) · search the archive · Inverters made at Sattledt, Austria
Published by Fronius or its owner
- Fronius modern slavery statement (March 2026) · search the archive · Most manufacturing in Austria; external partners unnamed; audits, code of conduct, 1,200 suppliers
- Fronius Australia modern slavery statements · search the archive · Statements 2020 to 2025
Company details
- Headquarters
- Austria
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Fronius ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/fronius, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other inverters brands
Nothing we've rated in inverters is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Fronius.