Humanscale
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
New York maker of ergonomic chairs, desks and monitor arms.
There's no proof Humanscale pays more than the legal minimum, which in Mexico and the United States is below a living wage.
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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, 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 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 the United States, China and Vietnam.
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
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 Humanscale's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below 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 |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
Research notes Humanscale makes products in its own factories in Piscataway, New Jersey, and Nogales, Mexico, where it opened a die-casting plant in 2025 to bring monitor-arm production to North America; no split by country or supplier list is published. Its California supply chain disclosure relies on periodic supplier surveys and a right to inspect, with no independent audits or results reported. It is a certified B Corp (2024), but there is no living wage commitment for factory workers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Certified B Corporation since March 2024, overall score 87.9 (workers section 12.5). View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Humanscale statement on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Furniture makers are not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report (latest edition 2024). (2024 edition; latest is 2026) View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Humanscale profile lists no labour abuse allegations or response requests. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Humanscale boosts North American production with high-tech die-casting plant (The Manufacturer, 2025) · search the archive · July 2025: Nogales plant makes over one million parts a month; such parts usually outsourced to China
- Humanscale opens landmark Sydney showroom (Design Insider) · search the archive · Humanscale showroom in the Royal Exchange Assurance Building, Pitt Street, Sydney
Published by Humanscale or its owner
- How we're pioneering sustainable firsts (Humanscale) · search the archive · Production in Piscataway, NJ and Nogales, Mexico; B Corp certified in 2024
- Die-cast sustainable manufacturing at Humanscale Mexico · search the archive · Humanscale's own Nogales factory adds die-casting; products cast and assembled in Mexico
- California Transparency in Supply Chain Act Disclosure (Humanscale) · search the archive · Periodic supplier surveys and right to inspect; no independent audits described
- Humanscale (About) · search the archive · Headquartered in New York, founded 1983 by CEO Bob King; ergonomic seating, desks, monitor arms
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Humanscale ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/humanscale, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded furniture
None of the furniture brands we know to make furniture is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Le Klint is Good, but we don't know that it makes furniture.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Humanscale.