Nintendo
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Kyoto video game company making the Switch consoles.
Nintendo's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it has only partly acted on, 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 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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. Nintendo 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. Other problems on its record count against the grade: child labour in 2012 and a forced labour link in 2019. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 0 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 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
- Not 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 4
- 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: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to 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 3 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
From press and retailer reports; Nintendo doesn't say where its products are made. 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 |
| 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.
- 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 Nintendo owns no factories and has its consoles made by production partners, which it does not name; Switch consoles are reported to be built mainly in China, with some in Vietnam. It joined the RBA in July 2024 and uses third-party audits of main partners, which found long overtime and fire safety gaps in FY2025, but publishes no supplier list, audit counts or smelter list. It makes no living wage commitment and was not in KnowTheChain's 2025 benchmark, after scoring 11/100 in 2022.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark of 45 companies; scored 11/100 in the 2022 edition. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nintendo publishes a group Modern Slavery Transparency Statement covering FY2025. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. View |
Confirmed issues 3
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 | Third-party audits of Nintendo's main production partners found long overtime and fire safety gaps (Nintendo Modern Slavery Transparency Statement, 2025). 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. | PartlyRequired corrective actions and continues to monitor working hours. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute named Nintendo among 83 brands whose supply chains were linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour (ASPI, Uyghurs for Sale, 2020). Source · search the archive | PartlyNintendo said in 2021 it investigated and could not confirm the named factory as a business partner. |
| 2012 | Foxconn admitted employing underage interns at a Chinese factory making Wii U parts, which Nintendo confirmed broke its supplier guidelines (TweakTown, 2012). Source · search the archive | PartlyNintendo investigated and Foxconn removed the underage interns; Nintendo said it would continue on-site inspections. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Uyghurs for Sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · Nintendo among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers
- Nintendo Co Ltd company page (Ethical Consumers Australia) · search the archive · Scored 11/100 in the 2022 KnowTheChain benchmark and 10.3% in the 2022 CHRB (2022 edition; latest is 2026)
- Where Are Nintendo Switches Built? (SlashGear) · search the archive · Switch consoles built mainly in China and Vietnam; Hosiden builds in Vietnam
- Nintendo acknowledges underage workers at Foxconn (TweakTown, 2012) · search the archive · Foxconn underage interns at a factory making Wii U parts; Nintendo said this broke its guidelines
- Nintendo investigated report of forced Uighur labor (Kotaku, 2021) · search the archive · Nintendo investigated the ASPI-named factory and could not confirm it as a business partner
Published by Nintendo or its owner
- Nintendo Modern Slavery Transparency Statement (FY2025) · search the archive · Fabless model; RBA member since July 2024; third-party audits found long overtime and fire safety gaps
- Nintendo's CSR Procurement · search the archive · Production partners in Japan and around the world; guidelines based on RBA standards
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Nintendo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nintendo, 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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Nintendo.