Nikon
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Japanese maker of cameras, lenses and binoculars.
Until Nikon traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- 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. Nikon 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 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 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
- 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
- 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 trace
- 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
From Nikon's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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 Nikon makes most of its cameras in its own factory in Ayutthaya, Thailand, having moved camera assembly out of Japan in 2021, and buys components and a small share of finished products from suppliers mainly in Japan, China and Southeast Asia; it does not disclose production shares or publish a supplier list. It has been an RBA member since 2018, relies mostly on self-assessments, audited five suppliers in 2025 and surveys 3TG and cobalt sourcing. It makes no living wage commitment. Production is shown as Thailand only, its main camera plant.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nikon Corporation publishes annual statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Graded C, the median grade, in Baptist World Aid's 2016 Electronics Industry Trends report; no current rating. 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 | Nikon's own CSR audits of five suppliers in 2025 found long working hours and workers not given one day off a week (Nikon Group Modern Slavery Statement, 2026).Found 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. | PartlyNikon required improvement plans and confirmed fixes were complete at two suppliers audited the previous year. |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Nikon's Production Move (Thom Hogan, 2020) · search the archive · Camera assembly consolidated at Nikon's own Ayutthaya, Thailand plant by end of 2021; Sendai, Japan plant keeps making parts
- Baptist World Aid Electronics Industry Trends report coverage (Inside Imaging) · search the archive · Nikon graded C in Baptist World Aid's 2016 electronics report
Published by Nikon or its owner
- Nikon Group Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement (FY ended March 2026) · search the archive · RBA since 2018; 5 supplier audits found long hours and missing weekly rest; small share of finished goods bought in; 3TG and cobalt surveys
- Nikon Corporation modern slavery statement summary (UK registry, 2025) · search the archive · Nikon publishes statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Nikon ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nikon, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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