Hyundai
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 16 sources
Korean carmaker selling SUVs, hatchbacks and electric cars such as the Ioniq 5.
In 2022, a 13-year-old worked up to 60 hours a week pressing car body parts at a Hyundai-controlled parts plant in Alabama.
Also worth knowing
Hyundai has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Hyundai? Send a right of reply.
Compare Hyundai with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 6 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown and battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelter. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: child labour, last recorded in 2022.
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 rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2022
- 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
- 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
- Not met: Traces its battery metals to the mine and its aluminium to smelters outside Xinjiang
Red flags 6
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- 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 battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelterShown 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. Hyundai makes its products in its own factories, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet. The rest is shown as where cars and bikes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 64% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| JapanUsual for the industry | 7% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| GermanyUsual for the industry | 1% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| SpainUsual for the industry | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| MexicoUsual for the industry | 1% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery metals, aluminium and steel link carmakers to state-imposed forced labour in Xinjiang, child and forced labour in DR Congo's cobalt mines and deadly nickel smelters in Indonesia; aluminium auto parts and lithium-ion batteries from China are on the US forced labour list. Source
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on battery metals such as cobalt and nickel from mines and smelters where workers, including children, face deadly collapses and explosions, and on aluminium that may come from Xinjiang, where the state forces Uyghur workers into mines and smelters that audits can't reach. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its battery metals to the mine or its aluminium to the smelter, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Most Hyundais sold in Australia are built in South Korea (Palisade, Kona and others), with the i20 N from Türkiye; the Korean share is a rough estimate. Hyundai assembles them in its own plants. Hyundai Motor Group has a supplier code and a responsible minerals policy covering cobalt, lithium, nickel and graphite, has asked key suppliers for mine origins and has published a conflict minerals report since 2022, but it isn't an IRMA member, publishes no battery mine or aluminium smelter tracing, and Lead the Charge found no progress on minerals sourcing in 2026. Hyundai Australia's statement describes questionnaires and supplier code terms without audit results.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lead the Charge auto supply chain leaderboard | Listed | Hyundai scored 25% on Human Rights & Responsible Sourcing in the Lead the Charge 2026 auto supply chain leaderboard (23% overall, 9th of 18); it doesn't require suppliers to respect all human rights, has no supply chain grievance mechanism and made no progress on minerals sourcing. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Amnesty International's Recharge for Rights ranking (October 2024, the only edition) scored Hyundai 21 out of 90 on battery supply chain human rights due diligence, 11th of 13, saying its commitments lack depth and evidence of implementation. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Hyundai Motor Company Australia lodges its own modern slavery statements (2025 statement on the register); they describe group supplier codes and questionnaires but give no audit numbers or tracing of cobalt, lithium or aluminium. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Hyundai's UK business publishes a modern slavery statement. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list names aluminium from China and the auto parts made with it as produced with forced labour; South Korea, where most Hyundais sold in Australia are built, has no vehicle entries. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Hyundai is not on the UFLPA Entity List (October 2026). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records the 2024 US Department of Labor child labour suit, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's 2025 Xinjiang findings with Hyundai's response, its non-response to the Sheffield Hallam report and its 2026 response on Raja Ampat nickel mining. View |
Confirmed issues 5
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 | Link through a supplierThe Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported Uyghur workers at Chinese wiring harness factories in Shandong that supply Hyundai's Korean plants (TBIJ via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlyHyundai said it found no record of Xinjiang ethnic minority workers at the suppliers identified and that it requires suppliers to meet strict human rights requirements. |
| 2022 | The US Department of Labor sued Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, its parts maker SMART Alabama and a staffing agency in 2024 for jointly employing a 13-year-old for 50-60 hours a week on a line pressing sheet metal into car body parts from July 2021 to February 2022 (US Department of Labor, 2024). Source · archived copy | PartlyHyundai says its suppliers cut ties with the staffing agencies and it now requires verified labour audits of Alabama suppliers, but it disputes liability and no remedy for the child is reported. |
| 2022 | The US Department of Labor found that SL Alabama, which makes headlights, rear lights and side mirrors for Hyundai and Kia, illegally employed 13- to 15-year-olds in hazardous manufacturing work; it paid a penalty and was put under a court consent judgment in 2022 (US Department of Labor, 2022). Source · archived copy | PartlySL Alabama paid a US$30,076 penalty and accepted a court order; Hyundai says it now requires independently verified labour audits of its Alabama suppliers. No remedy for the children was reported. |
| 2022 | Korea's Supreme Court ruled in October 2022 that subcontracted workers at Hyundai and Kia plants were illegally dispatched and must be directly employed and paid the wage difference, upholding the Kia ruling and sending Hyundai's case of 159 back for three of them to be retried; in 2025 it ruled the same for 16 Hyundai test drivers (Asia Economy, 2022; Financial News, 2025). Source · search the archive | Not knownThe court ordered direct employment and payment of wage differences, about 10.7 billion won in total for Hyundai and Kia plaintiffs; no source shows how far Hyundai has complied. |
| 2022 | Link through a supplierSheffield Hallam University and NomoGaia's Driving Force report traced supply chains from companies involved in Uyghur forced labour in steel, aluminium and copper to major car brands, including Hyundai (Sheffield Hallam University, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownHyundai Motor Group did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre's request for a response on Hyundai and Kia. |
Sources and actions
Sources 16
Show all 16 sources
- China: More than 30 automobile brands have products with Xinjiang forced labour risks (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025) · archived copy · TBIJ investigation naming Hyundai and Kia
- Report traces supply chain from companies involved in Uyghur abuses to major car brands (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023) · archived copy · Hyundai Group did not respond on Hyundai and Kia
- Hyundai scorecard 2026 (Lead the Charge) · search the archive · 23% overall, 25% human rights; no supplier human rights requirement or grievance mechanism; no minerals progress
- Human rights ranking of the electric vehicle industry (Amnesty International, 2024) · search the archive · Hyundai's commitments lack depth and information about implementation
- Hyundai's response to allegations on Raja Ampat nickel mining (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2026) · search the archive · Responsible Minerals Sourcing Policy updated 2025 covering cobalt, lithium, nickel and graphite
- IRMA members and partners · search the archive · Hyundai is not an IRMA member
- US Department of Labor sues Hyundai, SMART Alabama and staffing agency (2024) · archived copy · 13-year-old worked 50-60 hours a week on a sheet metal press line, July 2021 to February 2022; joint employment alleged
- SL Alabama child labor consent judgment (US Department of Labor, 2022) · archived copy · 13- to 15-year-olds employed; US$30,076 penalty; makes lights and mirrors for Hyundai and Kia
- Hyundai Australia modern slavery statement 2025 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Hyundai Motor Company Australia statement for 2025; no audit numbers or minerals mapping
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor, 2024) · search the archive · Aluminium from China and auto parts made with it
- The most popular new cars in Australia by country of origin (Chasing Cars, August 2025) · search the archive · Hyundai Palisade and Kona from South Korea; i20 N from Türkiye
- Hyundai sued by Labor Department over child labor in Alabama (CBS News) · search the archive · Hyundai's response: suppliers ended staffing agency ties; independently verified audits of Alabama suppliers; disputes liability
- Supreme Court: Hyundai and Kia must directly employ in-house partner company workers (Asia Economy, 2022) · search the archive · 430 subcontracted workers (159 Hyundai, 271 Kia) in a dispatch relationship; direct employment and about 10.7 billion won in wage differences
- Did coerced labour build your car? (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 2025) · search the archive · Uyghur workers at Shandong wiring harness suppliers to Hyundai's Korean plants; Hyundai's response
- Supreme Court upholds illegal dispatch ruling at Hyundai's Namyang Research Center (Financial News, 2025) · search the archive · 16 subcontracted test drivers found illegally dispatched; Hyundai's appeal dismissed
- Hyundai Motor to expand mineral tracking to meet ESG standards (Zum News) · search the archive · Asked key suppliers for mine origins of battery minerals; conflict minerals report since 2022
Company details
- Headquarters
- South Korea
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Hyundai ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hyundai, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Other cars and suvs brands
Nothing we've rated in cars and suvs 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 Hyundai.