Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Japanese electronics brand selling headphones and car audio.
There's no proof JVC pays more than the legal minimum, which in 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 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. 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.
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 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
- 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 3
- 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: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 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
These are its parent group's countries across all its brands; JVC doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| 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 JVCKenwood makes electronics in its own factories in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand (car navigation moved to Nagano in 2022), but gives no share by country, does not say where JVC headphones are made and publishes no supplier list. Suppliers fill in self-assessment questionnaires on forced and child labour; no on-site audits or living wage commitment are reported. JVC TVs sold in Australia are made under licence by Yale Prima (Nu-World Industries), which discloses nothing on factories.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | JVCKenwood says it publishes annual UK Modern Slavery Act statements. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- JVC deals (OzBargain) · search the archive · JVC TVs sold at BIG W (2023-2026); JVC car audio at Autobarn and Bankstown Sound stores
Published by JVC or its owner
- JVCKENWOOD Canada Annual Forced Labour and Child Labour Report (June 2024) · search the archive · JVCKenwood produces electronics at its factories in countries including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia; no shares given
- JVCKENWOOD Manufacturing Reforms · search the archive · Own production in Nagano, Yamagata and Yokosuka (Japan) and Thailand; Shanghai base closed 2023; no shares by country
- JVCKENWOOD Sustainability: Human Rights · search the archive · Supplier SAQs since FY2021; on-site audits under consideration; JaCER member; UK Modern Slavery Act statements published
- JVC Australia Support · search the archive · JVC TVs in Australia made, distributed and warranted by Yale Prima (Nu-World Industries) under licence from JVCKenwood
- JVCKENWOOD Human Rights Policy · search the archive · Group human rights policy banning forced and child labour in operations and supply chain
Company details
- Owned by
- JVCKenwood Corporation; Australian JVC TVs made under licence by Nu-World Industries (Yale Prima)
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is JVC ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/jvc, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other TV and audio brands
Nothing we've rated in TV and audio is better than Lacks transparency yet.
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