Labour Lens

iRobot

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources

US company selling Roomba robot vacuums and Braava mops.

There's no proof iRobot pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Malaysia 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 2 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 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 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
  • 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
  • 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 2

  • 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

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

iRobot says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
MalaysiaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
VietnamSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate

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.
  • Modern slavery statement

Research notes iRobot owns no factories: Roombas are made by contract manufacturers in southern China, Vietnam and Malaysia, and mainly by Picea, its main contract maker, which took full ownership after a court-supervised sale in January 2026 and has factories in China and Vietnam; no country shares or supplier list are published. It still sells Roombas and launched new models in 2026. It says it runs announced internal audits and unannounced visits to key factories and periodically obtains third-party audits, but reports no findings and makes no living wage commitment.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListediRobot UK published a modern slavery statement in 2019 describing announced internal audits and unannounced visits to key manufacturers, with no findings reported. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. iRobot Form 10-K FY2024 (SEC) · search the archive · Contract manufacturers in southern China, Vietnam and Malaysia; Picea main partner from 2025; 541 employees
  2. iRobot just unveiled 8 new Roombas at once (T3, May 2026) · search the archive · iRobot launched eight new Roomba models in May 2026, so the brand still trades after the Picea takeover.

Published by iRobot or its owner

  1. iRobot Completes Court-Supervised Transaction with Picea (iRobot, January 2026) · search the archive · Picea acquired 100% of iRobot (January 2026), now privately held; Picea has manufacturing in China and Vietnam.
  2. California Transparency in Supply Chains Act disclosure (iRobot) · search the archive · Announced internal audits, unannounced oversight visits from Guangzhou, periodic third-party audits of key manufacturers
  3. Our Policies on Slavery and Human Trafficking (iRobot UK, 2019) · search the archive · UK modern slavery statement approved February 2019; no audit findings reported

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Employees
About 541
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is iRobot ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/irobot, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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