Huawei
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Chinese company making phones, wearables and network equipment.
Huawei's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 5 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 0 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 Malaysia, 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
- Not 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 5
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 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
From press and retailer reports; Huawei doesn't say where its products are made. 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 |
| 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.
- 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 Huawei makes its devices in China, in its own plants and through contract manufacturers such as Foxconn and BYD, but does not disclose production locations, shares or a supplier list. It has been an RBA member since 2018, rates over 1,600 major suppliers for risk and carried out 213 on-site supplier audits in 2024, reporting no child or forced labour, but publishes few details of what audits find. It has a 3TG, cobalt and mica sourcing programme and makes no living wage commitment. No share of production is disclosed for China.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Huawei Technologies (UK) publishes annual statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act, most recently for 2025. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Huawei Technologies (Australia) has published modern slavery statements under the Australian Act. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded D+ in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Ethical Electronics Guide and marked as not responding; no current rating. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | SACOM (2016) documented excessive overtime and injuries at Biel Crystal, a phone glass maker naming Huawei as a major client. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute found Uyghur workers transferred under conditions strongly suggesting forced labour to O-Film Technology, Dongguan Yidong Electronic and BOE screen maker Highbroad, which name Huawei as a customer (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownHuawei said it was looking into the report and requires suppliers to meet international labour standards (Reuters, 2020). |
| 2016 | SACOM found workers at Biel Crystal in Huizhou, which named Huawei as a major client for phone glass, worked up to 140 overtime hours a month, had social insurance underpaid and suffered about 30 injuries a month (SACOM, 2016). Source · search the archive | Not known |
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.
- Amnesty International traced cobalt mined in the DRC, including by children, to battery component makers whose records listed Huawei as a customer, and in November 2017 Amnesty rated Huawei as taking no action (Amnesty International, 2016 and 2017). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Huawei Technologies (Shop Ethical!) · search the archive · D+ in Baptist World Aid's 2016 electronics guide; RBA and Responsible Minerals Initiative member
- Child labor behind smartphone and electric car batteries exposed (Amnesty, 2016) · search the archive · Huawei listed as customer of battery makers using Huayou cobalt from DRC artisanal mines
- Biel Crystal Re-visiting Report (SACOM, 2016) · search the archive · Biel Crystal Huizhou lists Huawei as major client; 82-140 overtime hours a month; underpaid insurance; ~30 injuries a month
- Uyghurs for Sale (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2020) · search the archive · Uyghur workers transferred to O-Film, Dongguan Yidong/Hubei Yihong and Highbroad/Fuying (BOE), which list Huawei as a customer
- Foxconn, BYD pick up slack as Huawei strikes Flex from supply chain (Yicai Global) · search the archive · Foxconn and BYD assemble Huawei devices
Published by Huawei or its owner
- Huawei UK Modern Slavery Act Statement 2024 · search the archive · RBA member since 2018; ~208,000 staff; 1,600+ suppliers risk-rated; 213 on-site CSR audits in 2024; 3TG, cobalt and mica programme
- Huawei Technologies (Australia) Modern Slavery Statement 2020 · search the archive · 319 supplier audits in 2020, 27.8% of issues on labour standards; no child or forced labour found
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 208,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Huawei ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/huawei, 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 Huawei.