Labour Lens

Oura

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Electronics

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources

Finnish-founded, San Francisco-based maker of the Oura smart ring.

Until Oura 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 1 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.

How grades are decided

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 South Korea and China, 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 3

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
  • 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

Oura says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
FinlandStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
EstoniaStrong protectionsNot ratedModerate
MexicoRegular violationsBelow a living wageModerate
South KoreaNo guarantee of rightsClose to a living wageLow
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
NetherlandsStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow

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.
  • 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 Oura does not make its own rings; it relies on a small number of third-party contract manufacturers, which it does not name. Its 2026 IPO filing says ring components and finished units are produced in Estonia, Finland, Mexico, South Korea, China and the Netherlands, with some manufacturing in Asia, but gives no split, so no shares are shown. It announced a Fort Worth, Texas site in 2025 to fill US defence contracts. No supplier list, modern slavery statement, audit results, smelter list or living wage commitment is published, and no labour abuses linked to its suppliers are recorded.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
KnowTheChainNot coveredNot among the large ICT companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreUnclearNo labour allegations against Oura or its suppliers were found on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Oura Inc. Form S-1 (SEC, September 2026) · search the archive · Uses a few contract manufacturers; parts and finished rings made in Estonia, Finland, Mexico, South Korea, China, Netherlands
  2. ŌURA announces U.S. manufacturing operations (Business Wire, Aug 2025) · search the archive · Plans manufacturing operations in Fort Worth, Texas, opening 2026, to fulfil defense contracts
  3. Oura files for IPO (TechNews, September 2026) · search the archive · Founded 2013 in Finland, now headquartered in San Francisco; filed for Nasdaq listing; US$1.21bn revenue in nine months to June 2026
  4. Oura Ring 4 (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · Oura Ring 4 sold by JB Hi-Fi in Australia
  5. Oura Ring 4 Black Size 7 (Harvey Norman) · search the archive · Oura Ring 4 sold by Harvey Norman in Australia

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Oura ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/oura, 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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