MSI (Micro-Star International)
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Taiwanese maker of gaming laptops and PC components.
There's no proof MSI (Micro-Star International) pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it doesn't name the factories its Responsible Business Alliance audits cover.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. MSI (Micro-Star International) looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 rights78% of its products are made in countries such as China and Malaysia, 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 2
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
MSI (Micro-Star International) names some of the countries it makes in: China and Taiwan. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 73% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | 17% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | 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
- Publishes its mineral smelter list and uses independently audited smelters (RMAP) for tin, tantalum, tungsten and 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 MSI makes part of its range in its own plants in Shenzhen and Kunshan, China, and New Taipei, Taiwan, which pass RBA validated audits; it joined the RBA in 2023. Its 2024 supplier list names eight final assembly sites, all in China, six run by outside makers such as Compal. Its audits found working-hour and wage breaches at China suppliers. It publishes a smelter list for 3TG and cobalt (209 of 216 3TG smelters audited) but no mine-level tracing or living wage commitment. Shares count named sites (8 China, 2 Taiwan).
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not among the 45 companies in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MSI's own audits of prioritised suppliers in 2024-2025, all in China, found major breaches on working hours at component and final assembly suppliers and on wages and benefits at component suppliers (MSI audit summaries, FY2024 and FY2025). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyMSI reports corrective action plans addressed, requiring working-hour records, overtime alert systems, itemised payslips and wage-rights training. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 2025 KnowTheChain ICT Benchmark (BHRRC) · search the archive · MSI is not among the 45 companies assessed in 2025
- MSI gaming laptops (Harvey Norman) · search the archive · MSI laptops sold by Harvey Norman in Australia
Published by MSI (Micro-Star International) or its owner
- MSI 2025 Sustainability Report · search the archive · Own plants in New Taipei (Taiwan), Shenzhen and Kunshan (China); RBA member since 2023; RBA VAP audits passed in 2024
- MSI FY2025 Summary of Audit and Corrective Actions for Prioritized Supplier Facilities · search the archive · Working-hour and wage non-conformities at China suppliers, 2024-2025; corrective action plans reported addressed
- MSI FY2024 Summary of Audits for Prioritized Supplier Facilities · search the archive · 70% of direct suppliers audited; major working-hour and wage findings at China suppliers
- MSI: Supplier list 2024 · search the archive · Eight final assembly sites, all in China: MSIS (Shenzhen), MSIK (Kunshan), Compal Kunshan, TPV, HKC, Moka, RAKEN
- MSI Responsible Minerals Report 2026 · search the archive · 2025 smelter list: 209 of 216 3TG and 53 of 58 cobalt smelters audited; no mine-level tracing
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is MSI (Micro-Star International) ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/msi, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
No laptops and computers brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent MSI (Micro-Star International).