Mitsubishi Electric
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Japanese group selling air conditioners in Australia.
Union rights were breached in Mitsubishi Electric's supply chain in 2019, which it has only partly put right, and it doesn't name the factories its Responsible Business Alliance audits cover.
Better-graded appliances
Graded higher than Mitsubishi Electric, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (union rights breach, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 2 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: union rights breach, last recorded in 2019
- 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
- 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: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Mitsubishi Electric names some of the countries it makes in: Thailand, Italy and Japan. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
Research notes Mitsubishi Electric's Australian heating and cooling products are mainly made in group factories in Thailand, Italy and Japan, and about 80% of its Australian purchases come from group companies, mostly in Thailand; no country shares are given. The group joined the Responsible Business Alliance in 2022 and uses its self-assessment questionnaires for its Japanese sites and suppliers, with overseas suppliers still to come. Its Thai air conditioner plant was found to have discriminated against union members in 2018-19. It has no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Mitsubishi Electric Australia lodges annual modern slavery statements, most recently for April 2024 to March 2025. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report (last edition 2016) did not cover air conditioner makers. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Thailand's Labour Relations Committee found anti-union discrimination at Mitsubishi Electric Consumer Products Thailand, an air conditioner plant that dismissed union members after a 2017 lockout (IndustriALL, 2019). Source · search the archive | PartlyA 2018 agreement reinstated locked-out workers, but on conditions; 24 union members were dismissed and later contracts required workers to confirm they were not union members. |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- IndustriALL files complaint against Tokyo 2020 partner Mitsubishi Electric · search the archive · Labour Relations Committee found anti-union discrimination at Mitsubishi Electric Consumer Products Thailand (2019)
- Dispute at Mitsubishi sees locked-out workers (ITUC Survey) · search the archive · 1,800 locked out in 2017; Jan 2018 reinstatement deal; 24 dismissed; non-union contracts
- Mitsubishi Electric joins the Responsible Business Alliance (March 2022) · search the archive · Joined the RBA in March 2022 and will align operations and suppliers with its code
- Mitsubishi Electric split system at Harvey Norman · search the archive · Sold in Australian stores through Harvey Norman
Published by Mitsubishi Electric or its owner
- Mitsubishi Electric Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Heating and cooling products mainly from group factories in Thailand, Italy, Japan; ~80% of purchases via group; RBA SAQ for Japan suppliers
Company details
- Owned by
- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Mitsubishi Electric ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mitsubishi-electric, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Mitsubishi Electric.