Nissan
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Japanese carmaker selling the X-Trail, Patrol and Navara ute.
Nissan's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2025, and it scored 17/100 in the 2026 Lead the Charge leaderboard.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 5 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, a failing or very low rating (Lead the Charge 17/100 in 2026) and battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelter. 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 2025) was a link through a supplier, not a finding against the company itself.
- 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome 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
- 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
- Not met: Traces its battery metals to the mine and its aluminium to smelters outside Xinjiang
Red flags 5
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Made partly 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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Lead the Charge 17/100 (2026)
- Red flag: Relies on battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelterShown 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 Nissan's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery metals, aluminium and steel link carmakers to state-imposed forced labour in Xinjiang, child and forced labour in DR Congo's cobalt mines and deadly nickel smelters in Indonesia; aluminium auto parts and lithium-ion batteries from China are on the US forced labour list. Source
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on battery metals such as cobalt and nickel from mines and smelters where workers, including children, face deadly collapses and explosions, and on aluminium that may come from Xinjiang, where the state forces Uyghur workers into mines and smelters that audits can't reach. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its battery metals to the mine or its aluminium to the smelter, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Nissan Australia says all its vehicles are imported from plants run by Nissan affiliates in Japan, Thailand, the UK and the USA (X-Trail and Patrol from Japan, Navara from Thailand, per Chasing Cars). Its 2024 action plan promises third-party supplier evaluations and cobalt checks, and a new sourcing policy requires OECD minerals due diligence, but it publishes no smelter list, isn't an IRMA member and shows no tracing of battery metals or aluminium. Lead the Charge ranks it 13th of 18.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lead the Charge auto supply chain leaderboard | Problem found | Nissan scored 17% on Human Rights & Responsible Sourcing in the Lead the Charge 2026 leaderboard (15% overall on its scorecard), 13th of 18; it has no clear grievance channel along its supply chain. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Nissan Australia's joint modern slavery statement (April 2024 to March 2025) says its vehicles are made in plants of Nissan affiliates in Japan, Thailand, the UK and the USA; it names aluminium ingots as the main casting risk. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list names aluminium and aluminium auto parts from China as made with forced labour; it shows no vehicle entry for the countries where Nissan builds its Australian cars. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Nissan isn't on the UFLPA Entity List (November 2026). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Lists Nissan in the Sheffield Hallam (2022) and Bureau of Investigative Journalism (2025) investigations of Uyghur forced labour in car supply chains, and a 2024 Nissan action plan on forced labour. 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 | Link through a supplierThe Bureau of Investigative Journalism listed Nissan as a buyer from supply chains with Xinjiang forced labour risks, linking engine-parts maker Jinrui to a Geely factory that helps build Nissans (TBIJ via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source · search the archive | Not knownNissan said it regularly inspects for human rights issues; no source shows it acted on this link. |
| 2022 | Link through a supplierSheffield Hallam University and NomoGaia's Driving Force report named Nissan among carmakers with supply chain exposure to metals, batteries, wiring and wheels linked to Uyghur forced labour (Sheffield Hallam University, 2022). Source · search the archive | Not knownNissan gave the report's authors a statement; no source shows it ended any link. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Nissan scorecard 2026 (Lead the Charge) · search the archive · 17% human rights, 13th of 18; new responsible materials policy; no clear grievance channel
- Japan: Nissan formulates new action plan to prevent human rights violations (BHRRC, 2024) · search the archive · Plan for third-party supplier evaluation and cobalt checks
- Report: Driving Force: automotive supply chains and forced labor in the Uyghur Region (BHRRC) · search the archive · Sheffield Hallam and NomoGaia (2022) named Nissan
- China: More than 30 automobile brands have products with Xinjiang forced labour risks (BHRRC, 2025) · search the archive · TBIJ lists Nissan as a buyer; Jinrui linked to a Geely factory building Nissans
- IRMA members and partners · search the archive · Nissan isn't among IRMA's purchasing members
- Nissan Australia modern slavery statement 2025 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Vehicles made by Nissan affiliates in Japan, Thailand, UK, USA; aluminium ingot risk
- The most popular new cars in Australia by country of origin (Chasing Cars, August 2025) · search the archive · X-Trail from Japan, Navara from Thailand
Company details
- Owned by
- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Nissan ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nissan, 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 Nissan.