Li-Ning
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 9 sources
Chinese sportswear company selling sports shoes, clothing and badminton gear.
In 2022, US customs detained Li-Ning's goods after finding North Korean labour in its supply chain.
Also worth knowing
Li-Ning hasn't put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. 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 2022.
Good requirements 0 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 China, 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
- Not 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: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Li-Ning says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Li-Ning's 2021 ESG report lists 357 suppliers, 355 of them in mainland China, and it is building its own Guangxi Supply Base for production, so nearly all its products are made in China; it publishes no factory list. About 60 suppliers had third-party social audits in 2021. Li-Ning is not a Better Cotton member and has said Xinjiang is an important raw material source, and it rejected US findings of North Korean labour in its supply chain. It has not been rated in Australia's Ethical Fashion Report.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Problem found | From 14 March 2022 US Customs detained goods made by Li-Ning Sporting Goods under sanctions law, citing North Korean labour in its supply chain. View |
| KnowTheChain | Unclear | Assessed in the 2023 KnowTheChain apparel and footwear benchmark, where the sector average was 21/100; its own score is not stated here. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US Customs and Border Protection ordered goods made by Li-Ning Sporting Goods detained at all US ports from 14 March 2022, after finding the company uses North Korean labour in its supply chain (CBP notice via Homeland Security Today, 2022). Source · archived copy | NoLi-Ning called the US statement incorrect and misleading, said it had found no forced labour among its suppliers and would not respond to the allegations individually. |
| 2021 | Link through a supplierNorway's Council on Ethics recommended excluding Li-Ning from the state pension fund in 2021 over the risk of forced labour at Xinjiang Jinfujie Clothing, reported as its production base since 2017, which employs Uyghur workers through state programmes and allegedly makes goods inside an internment camp. Source · archived copy | NoLi-Ning did not answer the Council on Ethics, which found no sign it had investigated the risk; it said Xinjiang is an important raw material source for it. |
| 2020 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 report named Li-Ning as a buyer from Changji Esquel Textile and Victory City International, both linked to forced labour in Xinjiang (cited by Norway's Council on Ethics, 2021). Source · archived copy | NoLi-Ning said in 2021 that Xinjiang is an important raw material producing area in its supply chain; no exit from these suppliers has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- 2023 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark (BHRRC) · search the archive · Li-Ning is among the benchmarked companies; sector average 21/100
- Li Ning Company Limited 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance Report · search the archive · 357 suppliers at end of 2021, 355 in mainland China and 2 elsewhere; about 60 suppliers had third-party social responsibility audits
- Council on Ethics: Recommendation to exclude Li Ning Co Ltd (2021) · archived copy · Forced labour risk at Xinjiang Jinfujie Clothing, its reported production base; ASPI 2020 named it as a buyer from Changji Esquel and Victory City; Li-Ning did not reply
- CBP Enforces Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act Against Li-Ning Sporting Goods · archived copy · From 14 March 2022 CBP detained goods made by Li-Ning Sporting Goods, finding it uses North Korean labour in its supply chain
- Li Ning Company Limited clarification announcement, 16 March 2022 · search the archive · Li-Ning called the US statement incorrect and misleading and said it had found no forced labour in its supplier management system
- Li Ning Company says Xinjiang cotton important (The Standard, 2021) · search the archive · Li-Ning said it is not a Better Cotton member and that Xinjiang is an important raw material producing area in its supply chain
- Li-Ning Yun Ting badminton shoes - Gem Sports · search the archive · Li-Ning shoes sold in AUD by an Australian retailer with a store in Eight Mile Plains, Queensland
Published by Li-Ning or its owner
- Li Ning Company Limited Annual Report 2023 · search the archive · Building its own Guangxi supply chain base for producing and packaging sports products; staff at headquarters, Guangxi Supply Base and retail subsidiaries
- Li Ning Co Ltd 2024 Sustainability Report summary · search the archive · Workforce of 5,022 employees in 2024
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 5,022
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Li-Ning ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/li-ning, last researched 30 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded activewear
14 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and SWOP Clothing Exchange and 12 more · See them allGoodDK ActiveMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Clothing & footwearWomen's activewear and athleisurePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verifiedWinterluxeMissing: traced raw materials · Clothing & footwearThermal tights and winter activewearPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackVerifiedNimble ActivewearMissing: where its earlier stages happen and a named supplier list · Clothing & footwearWomen's activewear and loungewear.Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified
No activewear brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are 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 Li-Ning.