Lenovo
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Chinese-founded tech company selling laptops, PCs and Motorola phones.
There's no proof Lenovo pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2020) was a link through a supplier, which the company has acted on.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Lenovo looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: unpaid or underpaid wages in 2014. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, India and Brazil.
- 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, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2020, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade. An unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put right
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Lenovo's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Hungary | Systematic violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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 |
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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Uses high-risk raw materials such as tanned leather, mica or artisanal gold.
- It publishes its smelters or uses some recycled or responsibly mined metals, but can't yet trace its cobalt and gold to the mine.
Research notes Lenovo uses a mix of its own factories and contract manufacturers, with over 30 production bases in countries including China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Hungary, Japan and the US, but does not disclose how production is split. It has been an RBA member since 2006 and publishes supplier audit results: in 2025 most audited suppliers breached working-hours limits and about half broke wage rules, mostly in China. Its public site and supplier list date from 2020. It has said little publicly about its links to Uyghur forced labour and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Lenovo Group publishes annual modern slavery statements under the Australian Act covering Lenovo and Motorola. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded D+ in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records allegations about Lenovo suppliers, including Uyghur forced labour links (2020) and a Myanmar bag factory (2024). View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Supplier Hefei Bitland was added to the US Entity List in 2020 over Uyghur forced labour. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark of 45 companies. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lenovo's 2025 supplier audits found major or priority breaches on working hours at 73% and on wages and benefits at 52% of audited facilities, plus 5 forced labour breaches, mostly in China (Lenovo Supplier Audit and CAR report, 2026). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyLenovo requires corrective action plans within 60 days and closure audits within 3-6 months for priority findings; no closure rate published. |
| 2020 | Link through a supplierASPI found Uyghur workers transferred under Chinese government labour programmes at Hefei Bitland, a Lenovo laptop supplier, which the US added to its Entity List for forced labour (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archiveActed on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesLenovo removed or replaced Hefei Bitland components before delivering orders in 2020; no remedy for affected workers was reported. |
| 2014 | China Labor Watch found student workers on Lenovo lines at supplier HEG Electronics were denied overtime pay, worked over 100 overtime hours a month and were not paid wages owed (China Labor Watch, 2014). Source · search the archive | Not known |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Workers at Yichang Handbag in Myanmar, a factory reported to make Lenovo bags, described forced overtime, pay cuts for leave, verbal abuse and unsafe water (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- School laptops made with Uyghur forced labour (The Intercept, 2020) · search the archive · ASPI named Hefei Bitland, a Lenovo supplier; US Entity List July 2020
- PC makers face human abuse bans (ChannelNews, 2020) · search the archive · Lenovo removed Hefei Bitland components; Baolongda Forging allegations
- Lenovo's hybrid manufacturing model (China Daily, 2025) · search the archive · Over 30 production bases; mix of own factories and ODM/OEM partners
- Samsung, Lenovo supplier HEG violates rights of students (GoodElectronics, 2014) · search the archive · China Labor Watch: student workers on Lenovo lines unpaid overtime and wages owed
Published by Lenovo or its owner
- Lenovo Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement FY2025/26 · search the archive · About 73,500 staff; RBA member since 2006; biennial RBA audits of own sites and 95% of supplier spend; publishes site and supplier list
- List of Lenovo manufacturing sites and suppliers · search the archive · Own sites in China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan and US; list covers 95% of production spend
- Lenovo Supplier Audit and CAR report (CY2025) · search the archive · 97 audits in 2025; working-hours breaches at 73%, wage breaches at 52% of facilities; 5 forced labour breaches; findings mostly in China
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 73,500
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lenovo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lenovo, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Lenovo.