Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Chinese smartphone maker selling phones and earbuds.
OPPO's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent OPPO? Send a right of reply.
Compare OPPO with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 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) 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 1 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 India, 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 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
OPPO says it makes products in China and Türkiye. Press and retailer reports name India. 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 |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 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 |
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.
- 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 OPPO makes its phones in its own manufacturing centres, including Dongguan and Chongqing in China, Greater Noida in India and Istanbul in Turkey, but does not disclose how production is split by country or publish a supplier list. Its 2025 sustainability report claims on-site social audits of all key suppliers and human rights risk assessments at all its factories, but gives no audit findings; it has no living wage commitment and no modern slavery statement. It scored 4.6/100 on the 2026 World Benchmarking Alliance Social Benchmark.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC appear on the US DOL list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No OPPO statement appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. 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 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute found Uyghur workers transferred under conditions strongly suggesting forced labour to Dongguan Yidong Electronic and O-Film Technology, which name OPPO as a customer (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownNo public response from OPPO to the findings has been reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Shop Ethical (2023), citing China Labor Watch, reported excessive hours, illegal use of student interns, wage arrears, verbal abuse and sexual harassment at factories supplying OPPO; the underlying China Labor Watch report has not been traced. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications (Shop Ethical!) · search the archive · China Labor Watch 2023 abuses at suppliers; WBA Social Benchmark 2026 score 4.6/100; ASPI 2020 link
- Uyghurs for Sale (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2020) · search the archive · Uyghur workers sent to Dongguan Yidong/Hubei Yihong (OPPO listed as end customer) and O-Film (OPPO a strategic partner)
- Protest held against Chinese products outside OPPO factory in Greater Noida (Deccan Herald) · search the archive · OPPO operates a factory in Greater Noida, India
Published by OPPO or its owner
- OPPO 2025 Sustainability Report · search the archive · Covers 2025; Dongguan and Chongqing bases; 100% key suppliers audited on site; human rights risk assessments at all sites; no audit findings
- About OPPO · search the archive · Over 40,000 employees and 9 manufacturing centres worldwide; sold in 90+ countries
- OPPO Türkiye press release: Turkish factory starts production · search the archive · OPPO says it has built ten factories, in China, India and elsewhere, and its own Tuzla, Istanbul factory makes A Series and Reno Lite phones
- OPPO global journey fun facts · search the archive · Greater Noida super factory in India makes one phone every 3 seconds
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 40,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is OPPO ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/oppo, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded phones
No phones 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 OPPO.