Kodak
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Photography brand of film and Kodak-licensed cameras.
Until Kodak traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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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
Kodak names some of the countries it makes in: the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan and China. 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 |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Canada | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Germany | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| 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
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Eastman Kodak makes film in Rochester, USA, and print products in its own plants in the US, Canada, Germany, Japan and China, but most Kodak-branded cameras and photo printers are made by licensees whose factories are not disclosed. Kodak requires suppliers to follow the RBA Code but is not an RBA member and publishes no supplier list or audit results. Its 2025 conflict minerals report lists 489 smelters, only 46% of them RMAP-conformant, and it makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Kodak Limited publishes UK Modern Slavery Act reports; the 2025 report claims zero cases of forced or child labour but names no suppliers or audit results. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Eastman Kodak statement was found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Kodak was not rated in Baptist World Aid's last Electronics Industry Report (2016); the series has ended. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Eastman Kodak is not among the companies in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse reports involving Kodak or its licensees' factories were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Eastman Kodak Form 10-K FY2025 · search the archive · About 3,500 staff; plants in US, Canada, Germany, Japan, China; cameras and printers made by brand licensees
- Kodak digital cameras (Harvey Norman) · search the archive · Harvey Norman sells Kodak cameras in Australia
- Focus Nordic press release: starts to distribute Eastman Kodak films · search the archive · Aug 2026: Eastman Kodak makes photographic film in Rochester, NY; launched its own direct-to-distributor still film range in late 2025
Published by Kodak or its owner
- Kodak Limited UK Modern Slavery Report 2025 · search the archive · Suppliers must follow RBA Code; third-party ESG screening; zero incidents reported; no living wage mention
- Eastman Kodak 2025 Conflict Minerals Report · search the archive · Lists 489 smelters, 46% RMAP compliant or in audit; products 'DRC conflict undeterminable'
- Kodak and JK Imaging brand licensing agreement (2013) · search the archive · JK Imaging makes and sells Kodak-branded consumer digital cameras under licence
Company details
- Owned by
- Eastman Kodak Company
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 3,500
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kodak ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kodak, 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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