Manfrotto
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Italian maker of camera tripods, bags and lighting.
There's no proof Manfrotto pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Manfrotto? Send a right of reply.
Compare Manfrotto with another brand
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 Cambodia, 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
Manfrotto says it makes products in Italy. Videndum's figures name China, Costa Rica, Cambodia and Vietnam. 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 |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Videndum makes about 80% of the camera supports for its Media Solutions division, which includes Manfrotto, at its own factory in Feltre, Italy, and around 75% of group products in-house. Its modern slavery statement names Costa Rica, China, Vietnam and Cambodia as lower-cost countries it makes or sources in, with on-site inspections of a sample of suppliers. It publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment, and no split by country for Manfrotto. Videndum's going-concern warning remained in place in August 2026.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Videndum plc publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement covering its group, including Manfrotto (December 2025). View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Videndum H1 2026 results (CineD, Aug 2026) · search the archive · Going-concern warning stays in place after H1 2026 results
- Manfrotto camera accessories at Ted's Cameras · search the archive · Manfrotto tripods and accessories sold by Ted's Cameras, which has stores across Australia
Published by Manfrotto or its owner
- Videndum: Investing in sourcing and manufacturing excellence · search the archive · Feltre, Italy makes 80% of Media Solutions supports; c.75% of group products made in-house; Befree moved from China to Italy in 2017
- Videndum Modern Slavery Statement (December 2025) · search the archive · Lower-cost countries Costa Rica, China, Vietnam and Cambodia; sample on-site supplier inspections; no results published; about 1,300 staff
Company details
- Owned by
- Videndum plc
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Manfrotto ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/manfrotto, last researched 3 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 Manfrotto.