HONOR
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Shenzhen maker of smartphones, laptops, tablets and earbuds.
There's no proof HONOR 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 countries such as China and Egypt, 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
HONOR says it makes products in China. Press and retailer reports name Egypt. 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 |
| Egypt | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| 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 HONOR assembles phones at its own Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Shenzhen, China and has used contract makers such as BYD Electronics; in 2026 its first factory outside China, in Egypt with local partner Etisal, was in trial operation. It gives no production shares or supplier list. It has a supplier code banning child and forced labour, says third-party CSR audits cover all key category suppliers and has a 3TG and cobalt due diligence statement, but publishes no audit findings. It is not an RBA member, makes no living wage commitment and has no modern slavery statement on the Australian register.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Lists electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC
- Honor unveils its Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Shenzhen (GSMArena, 2021) · search the archive · HONOR assembles smartphones at its Shenzhen park
- Honor 50 series models were assembled by BYD Electronics (Gizmochina, 2021) · search the archive · BYD Electronics assembled the Honor 50 series and earlier Honor models
- Honor expands mobile phones manufacturing in Egypt (ITWeb, 2026) · search the archive · Honor's first factory outside China, built with Etisal Trading in Egypt, in trial operation in April 2026; 3m units a year capacity
Published by HONOR or its owner
- Supplier Responsibility (HONOR) · search the archive · Supplier CSR code; third-party on-site audits; 100% key category suppliers audited by end 2025; 3TG and cobalt due diligence; no findings
- Policy and Business Reporting (HONOR) · search the archive · ESG reports 2021-2025, child and forced labour policies, responsible mineral statement; no modern slavery statement
- HONOR ESG Report 2025 · search the archive · Shenzhen HONOR Smart Machine Co. (Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park) is HONOR's own factory
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is HONOR ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/honor, 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 HONOR.