Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
US company selling laptops, PCs, monitors, printers and ink.
There's no proof HP pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
Better-graded laptops and computers
Graded higher than HP, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
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.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour, last recorded in 2019) has been put right.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. HP looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and India.
- 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found signs of forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade. Forced labour was found in its supply chain in 2019, which it has since put right. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade. Unconfirmed reports of forced labour are listed below. They don't affect the grade.
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From HP's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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 |
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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Uses recycled metals or fibres
- Uses high-risk raw materials such as tanned leather, mica or artisanal gold.
- It publishes its smelters or uses some recycled or responsibly mined metals, but can't yet trace its cobalt and gold to the mine.
Research notes HP does not run its own assembly lines for most products; outsourced manufacturers make them, mainly in China, with HP shifting North American production to Vietnam, Thailand, India, Mexico and the US in 2025. It publishes a supplier list covering 95% of production spending but does not give production by country. It audits suppliers mostly through independent auditors, enforces a no-fee recruitment rule and reports repaying over US$9 million in fees to more than 12,000 workers since 2018. It ranked 4th of 45 in KnowTheChain's 2025 benchmark, with gaps on purchasing practices and union rights, and has no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | HP Inc.'s FY25 Modern Slavery Transparency Statement reports 322 labour audits and assessments and remedy for over 12,000 supply chain workers since 2018. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | HP Inc UK publishes statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act, naming migrant workers in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan as the main risk. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded in the B band in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report, with no living wage found. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records Electronics Watch and MWRN findings on recruitment fees at HP supplier Cal-Comp Electronics in Thailand, with HP's response. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Scored 48/100, 4th of 45, in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | HP's own FY25 audits found modern slavery indicators at 11 suppliers in China, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore and Thailand, including prohibited fees and withheld wages (HP Modern Slavery Statement, 2026). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyRemedy confirmed for over 1,300 workers, including US$0.69 million in fee repayments; 4 of 11 findings closed, 7 still being closed. |
| 2019 | Electronics Watch and the Migrant Worker Rights Network found Myanmar migrants at Cal-Comp Electronics in Thailand, an HP supplier, paid illegal recruitment fees, a forced labour risk (2016-2019). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesAfter HP and other brands investigated, Cal-Comp repaid recruitment fees to at least 10,000 Myanmar migrant workers in 2019, about US$10 million in total. |
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.
- KnowTheChain recorded two allegations of forced labour in HP's supply chains and found HP did not disclose what it did about them or any remedy for workers (KnowTheChain, 2025). Source
- Hefei Bitland, a Chinese laptop component maker reported to supply HP, was accused of using Uyghur workers transferred under government programmes and was added to the US Entity List in July 2020 (ChannelNews, 2020). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Thailand: NGOs allege recruitment fees at supplier to global electronics brands (BHRRC) · search the archive · Electronics Watch and MWRN documented illegal recruitment fees at Cal-Comp Thailand 2016-2018; HP named and investigating
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT Benchmark scorecard: HP Inc. · search the archive · Scored 48/100, 4th of 45; first-tier supplier list; no-fee policy; two forced labour allegations without disclosed remedy
- HP Inc. Modern Slavery Transparency Statement FY25 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · 322 audits; 11 suppliers with modern slavery indicators; 1,300+ workers remedied (US$0.69m) in FY25; US$9m+ to 12,000+ workers since 2018
- HP Inc. Form 10-K FY2025 · search the archive · HP uses outsourced manufacturers worldwide; about 55,000 employees
- Thai electronics firm compensates exploited workers in rare award (Thomson Reuters Foundation) · search the archive · Cal-Comp repaid fees to at least 10,000 Burmese migrants, about US$10m; HP named as a customer
- HP Q2 2025 earnings call transcript (MarketBeat) · search the archive · Nearly all North American products to be built outside China by June 2025; more production in Vietnam, Thailand, India, Mexico, US
Published by HP or its owner
- Does your company release a list of its suppliers? (HP Sustainability) · search the archive · HP supplier list covers 95% of spend on materials, manufacturing and assembly; includes final assembly site addresses
Company details
- Owned by
- HP Inc.
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 55,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is HP ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hp, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent HP.