Kelvinator
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Electrolux-owned budget brand of fridges and air conditioners.
Kelvinator's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and union rights were breached in its supply chain in 2013, which it has only partly put right.
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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: clear breaches of labour conditions, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one (proven for only part of its supply chain)
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: union rights breach, last recorded in 2013
- 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
- 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 3
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From product labels; Kelvinator doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Proves a living wage for part of its supply chain only
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
Research notes Kelvinator fridges sold in Australia are listed as made in Thailand, where Electrolux runs its own Rayong fridge plant, while its air conditioners are listed as made in China by an unnamed maker; no shares are disclosed. Electrolux audits higher-risk suppliers, has a global union agreement and says no direct employee is paid below a living wage benchmark, but this does not cover suppliers such as air conditioner makers. It publishes no supplier list.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Electrolux lodges modern slavery statements on the Australian register, including a 2022 group statement. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Electrolux's group statement on slavery and human trafficking is lodged on the UK registry. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Electrolux was graded B- in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Report, the last edition of that series; it is in no current Baptist World Aid report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records the 2013 dismissal of union members at Electrolux Thailand and Electrolux's listing in ASPI's 2020 Uyghur labour report. 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 named Electrolux among 83 brands linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang in conditions strongly suggesting forced labour (ASPI via BHRRC, 2020). Source | Not knownElectrolux told Radio Sweden it has no suppliers in Xinjiang and that the named supplier denied using forced labour; no other action reported. |
| 2013 | Electrolux's Rayong factory in Thailand, which makes fridges for the Australian market, dismissed more than 100 union members after a 2012-2013 wage dispute (IndustriALL, 2013). Source · search the archive | PartlyElectrolux agreed with union IF Metall in 2013 to reinstate dismissed workers and drop court cases, but unions said most were not taken back. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Inside Electrolux's global living wage rollout (WageIndicator, 2025) · search the archive · No direct employees paid below living wage benchmark from 2024; suppliers not covered
- IndustriALL and IF Metall working for solution at Electrolux Thailand (2013) · search the archive · Union members at the Rayong factory dismissed in 2013; reinstatement not implemented locally
- Kelvinator 256L Top Mount Fridge KTB2802WB-R (Appliances Online) · search the archive · Country of origin Thailand (checked Nov 2026); sold by Australian retailer
- Kelvinator KSV35HRH split system (Appliances Online) · search the archive · Country of origin China
- Orange manager to run Thailand manufacturing (Appliance Retailer, 2016) · search the archive · Electrolux Rayong washer and fridge plants make products for the Australian market
- Electrolux response on Uyghur forced labour (Sveriges Radio) · search the archive · Electrolux says it has no suppliers in Xinjiang; the accused supplier denies using forced labour
Published by Kelvinator or its owner
- Electrolux Group Modern Slavery Statement 2022 · search the archive · 40 factories, 51,000 employees; 306 supplier audits in 2022; 3 cases of withheld pay remediated
Company details
- Owned by
- AB Electrolux (Electrolux Group)
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Employees
- About 51,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kelvinator ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kelvinator, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kelvinator.