Kogan
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources
Kogan.com's own range of budget TVs, audio and appliances.
There's no proof Kogan pays more than the legal minimum, which in China 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
Kogan names some of the countries it makes in: 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 |
| 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 Kogan's own-brand products are made by contract factories; its audits are at Chinese manufacturing sites, but it gives no factory list or shares by country, and its FY25 statement lists suppliers in 13 countries without saying which make Kogan-brand goods. It requires amfori BSCI audits for new key suppliers and carried out 45 on-site audits in China in FY25, reporting no modern slavery cases. It publishes no audit findings or wage data and makes no living wage commitment. It received one of the lowest grades in Baptist World Aid's 2016 electronics report, the last edition of that series.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Kogan.com publishes annual statements under the Australian Modern Slavery Act; the FY25 statement reports 45 on-site audits at Chinese factories and no cases found. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Kogan was among the worst performers in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report (D- or F grade, non-responsive); the series ended and there is no edition since 2016. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Electronics sector failing to make the grade (Inside Retail, 2016) · search the archive · Kogan, Soniq and Palsonic among the worst performers with D- and F grades
- Electronics Industry Trends 2016 (Baptist World Aid Australia) · search the archive · Kogan graded and marked non-responsive; among the worst performers
Published by Kogan or its owner
- Kogan.com Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · FY25: 45 on-site audits at Chinese manufacturing sites; BSCI audits for new key suppliers; no cases found; about 160 AU and 270 NZ staff
- Kogan.com Modern Slavery Statement FY24 · search the archive · Suppliers across 16 countries led by China; SGS audits of key suppliers; no wage information
Company details
- Owned by
- Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 430
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kogan ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kogan, last researched 2 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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kogan.