Midea
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Chinese maker of air conditioners, fridges and appliances.
In 2025, Factories Midea runs in China took part in state transfers of Uyghur workers from Xinjiang.
Also worth knowing
Midea hasn't put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 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 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 2025.
Good requirements 2 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 Thailand, 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
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 3
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Midea'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 homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Midea makes its appliances mostly in its own factories: it reports 65 main manufacturing bases, naming sites across China and in Thailand, but does not split output by country or say which plants supply Australia. In 2025 the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found evidence that factories run by Midea and two of its suppliers took part in Uyghur labour transfers; Midea did not respond. Its 2025 Canadian forced labour report says 2,396 suppliers had labour audits. It publishes no supplier list and has no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Carries the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's 2025 report finding that factories run by Midea took part in Uyghur labour transfers; Midea is not recorded as responding. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (2025) reported evidence of forced labour at plants owned by Midea and at a Midea supplier; Midea did not respond. View |
Confirmed issues 2
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 | The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found evidence of forced labour at factories run by Midea in China that took part in the state programme transferring Uyghur workers from Xinjiang, though it did not name the plants (TBIJ, 2025). Source · search the archive | NoMidea did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and no remedy for affected workers has been reported. |
| 2025 | Link through a supplierThe Bureau of Investigative Journalism found Xinjiang workers living in an onsite dormitory at Wuhan Honghai Technology, a supplier to Midea, and linked a plastics factory supplying Midea to China's Uyghur labour transfer programme (TBIJ, 2025). Source · search the archive | Not knownMidea did not respond to the Bureau's requests for comment; no action on the suppliers has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- China's economy runs on Uyghur forced labour (TBIJ, 2025) · search the archive · Factories run by Midea took part in Uyghur labour transfers; a plastics factory supplying Midea linked; Midea did not respond
- How big brands and foreign money prop up Chinese forced labour (TBIJ, 2025) · search the archive · Evidence of forced labour at plants owned by Midea; Xinjiang workers at supplier Wuhan Honghai Technology; Midea did not respond
- ACCC waves through Midea grab for Residentia (ChannelNews, 2026) · search the archive · Midea makes appliances for Toshiba, Kogan, Samsung, Electrolux and LG; buying 60% of Residentia
- Midea at The Good Guys · search the archive · Midea appliances sold through The Good Guys stores
Published by Midea or its owner
- Midea Group 2025 ESG Report · search the archive · 65 main manufacturing bases; factories named in China (Guangdong, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hefei, Wuhu, Handan) and Thailand
- Midea Canada Forced Labour Report (2025) · search the archive · 2,396 suppliers given labour audits; 23 non-conformities, mainly safety, all corrected; no forced or child labour cases reported
- Midea Launches in Australia (Midea, 2024) · search the archive · Melbourne office opened in 2024; sells air conditioners, fridges, laundry and kitchen appliances in Australia
Company details
- Owned by
- Midea Group Co., Ltd. (China)
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Midea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/midea, 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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