LG Electronics
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
South Korean maker of TVs, fridges, washing machines and aircon.
In 2024, Factories LG Electronics owns in China used Uyghur workers sent under state forced labour transfer schemes.
Also worth knowing
LG Electronics hasn't put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it hasn't put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2024.
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 rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2016
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- 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
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From LG Electronics's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. 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 |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| South Korea | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | 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 |
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)
- Modern slavery statement
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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 LG makes most of its products at 30 of its own production sites, about 56% of them in Asia (Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand), plus India, Brazil and Mexico, but does not disclose how production is split. In 2025 investigators found two LG-run appliance plants in China used Uyghur workers sent under state labour transfers. It is an RBA member and runs supplier audits, but does not publish a supplier list. It scored 24/100 in KnowTheChain's 2025 benchmark, with gaps on recruitment fees, purchasing practices and union rights, and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | LG Electronics Australia publishes modern slavery statements under the Australian Act. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | LG Electronics UK publishes an anti-slavery and human trafficking statement under the UK Act. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded B+ in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records allegations about LG suppliers, including Uyghur forced labour links and methanol poisoning in Korea; LG responded to all six requests. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Reports that LG directly operates a Chinese factory linked to Xinjiang labour transfers (TBIJ, 2025). View |
Confirmed issues 4
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, with the New York Times and Der Spiegel, found LG's Jiangsu washing machine joint venture LG Panda and a second LG fridge plant took Xinjiang workers under state labour transfers from 2019, including recruiting at an internment camp in 2022, with workers still there in 2024 (TBIJ, 2025). Source · search the archive | NoLG did not respond to the findings; it says it bans forced labour and stopped buying from a different Chinese factory in 2020. |
| 2022 | LG's own 16 external supplier audits in 2022 found 165 non-conformities, including 39 on working hours and 16 on wages and benefits (LG Electronics Australia Modern Slavery Statement, 2023). Source · search the archiveFound by the company, fix not shown The company found and published this itself but hasn't shown it is fixing it, so it counts against the grade. | Not known |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierASPI's Uyghurs for Sale report linked LG Electronics to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred under government labour programmes (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not known |
| 2016 | At least six young workers were blinded or injured by methanol poisoning at a Korean phone parts subcontractor supplying Samsung and LG (GoodElectronics, 2017). Source · search the archive | NoVictims received no compensation and the lead brands denied responsibility. |
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.
- A UN human rights letter to South Korea named LG Electronics and LG Display among companies in supply chains using Uyghur forced labour (ChannelNews, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT Benchmark scorecard: LG Electronics · search the archive · 24/100, ranked 12th of 45; no first-tier supplier list; one Uyghur forced labour allegation
- 83 major brands implicated in ASPI forced labour report (BHRRC, 2020) · search the archive · LG Electronics among brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers
- How big brands and foreign money prop up Chinese forced labour (TBIJ, 2025) · search the archive · LG Panda and a second LG plant in Jiangsu took Xinjiang transfer workers from 2019 to at least 2024; LG did not respond
- CHiQ and LG appliances tainted by slave labour claims (ChannelNews, 2024) · search the archive · UN letter names LG Electronics and LG Display; LG says it monitors suppliers
- The Blind: methanol poisoning in Samsung and LG supply chains (GoodElectronics) · search the archive · At least six workers poisoned 2015-2016; no compensation; brands deny responsibility
Published by LG Electronics or its owner
- LG Electronics Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2023 · search the archive · 30 LG production sites, mostly in developing countries; RBA member; 165 audit non-conformities in 2022
- LG Electronics Sustainability Report 2025-2026 · search the archive · 30 production sites (5 in Korea); about 56% in Asia incl. Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand; India and Brazil subsidiaries
Company details
- Headquarters
- South Korea
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is LG Electronics ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lg, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent LG Electronics.