Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Rakuten's brand of e-readers and ebook store.
Until Kobo traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
Better-graded laptops and computers
Graded higher than Kobo, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
No laptops and computers brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- 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 trace
- 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; Kobo doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 Kobo does not say where its e-readers are made. Most Kobo devices have been made by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Netronix, whose factories are in Taiwan and China (Dongguan, Yangzhou); one recent Clara BW revision is made by Top Victory Electronics. Rakuten's group statement describes a supplier code, self-assessments and audits with worker interviews, but reports no results, and Kobo publishes no supplier list, audit findings, conflict minerals report or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Parent Rakuten Group publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement (2024) that mentions e-reader procurement but does not name Kobo. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Neither Kobo nor Rakuten is among the companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report ended in 2016 and did not cover Kobo. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Australian modern slavery statement from Kobo or Rakuten was found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Netronix company profile · search the archive · Netronix factories in Taiwan and China (Dongguan, Yangzhou)
- Kobo Clara Colour (Black) - JB Hi-Fi · search the archive · Kobo e-readers sold by JB Hi-Fi, an Australian store chain
- FCC ID ARS-P365 (fcc.report) · search the archive · FCC grantee for Kobo product code P365 is Top Victory Electronics (Taiwan) Co Ltd, New Taipei City; granted Dec 2024
- Kobo eReader (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Kobo is Toronto-based, owned by Rakuten since 2012
Published by Kobo or its owner
- Rakuten Group Modern Slavery Statement 2024 · search the archive · Supplier code since 2022; self-assessments and audits; e-readers named as a procured product; no findings reported
Company details
- Owned by
- Rakuten Group, Inc. (Japan)
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kobo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kobo, 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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