Panasonic
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Japanese maker of TVs, cameras and appliances.
Panasonic's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and it scored 10/100 in the 2025 KnowTheChain benchmark.
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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 a failing or very low rating (KnowTheChain 10/100 in 2025). 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 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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: KnowTheChain 10/100 (2025)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
These are Panasonic Holdings' countries across all its brands; Panasonic doesn't say where its own 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 |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses high-risk raw materials such as tanned leather, mica or artisanal gold.
- It publishes its smelters or uses some recycled or responsibly mined metals, but can't yet trace its cobalt and gold to the mine.
Research notes Panasonic is an RBA member with about 12,500 direct materials suppliers (March 2026). It publishes no supplier list or breakdown of where its products are assembled; the countries shown are where Panasonic group companies have bases, with no split. It has audited 409 suppliers since 2024, only 29 by third parties, notes that supplier overtime is self-reported, and about 70% of its smelters were RMI-conformant in FY2025. It makes no living wage commitment and scored 10/100 in KnowTheChain's 2025 benchmark.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Problem found | Scored 10/100, 34th of 45, in KnowTheChain's 2025 ICT benchmark (average 20). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Tracks the Kawaguchi Manufacturing case in Malaysia, where Panasonic ended the relationship and reached a settlement with workers' advocates in 2025. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Panasonic reached a significant settlement with International Rights Advocates over 250 unpaid Bangladeshi workers at its supplier Kawaguchi in 2025. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Panasonic UK and other Panasonic subsidiaries publish modern slavery statements. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | More than 250 Bangladeshi migrant workers at Kawaguchi Manufacturing, a Panasonic component supplier in Malaysia, went unpaid for months and had paid recruitment fees, a case raised by activists and the RBA (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024-2025). Source · search the archivePut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesEnded the supplier relationship; through the RBA helped repay recruitment fees, then reached a settlement in 2025 covering unpaid wages, worker debt and compensation. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute named Panasonic 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 | Not knownPanasonic said it had no direct contracts with the named factories; no further action 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.
- Nepalese workers at a supplier in Panasonic's Malaysian supply chain reported passport confiscation, recruitment fees of up to GBP 1,000 and 14-hour shifts; Panasonic launched an investigation (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2016). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- 2nd letter from RBA: repayment of worker recruitment fees, Kawaguchi Manufacturing (BHRRC) · search the archive · Panasonic and Sony ended business with Kawaguchi; RBA repaying about US$1.1m in recruitment fees
- Uyghurs for Sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · Panasonic among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers; said it had no direct contracts
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT Benchmark key findings · search the archive · Panasonic scored 10/100 (average 20) among 45 ICT companies
- Supply Chain (Panasonic Holdings sustainability) · search the archive · RBA member; about 12,500 suppliers (March 2026); 409 audits since FY2024, 29 third-party; overtime self-reported; about 70% smelters conformant
- Panasonic, rights group reach settlement over 250 unpaid foreign workers (Free Malaysia Today, 2025) · search the archive · Kawaguchi supplier workers unpaid for seven months; Panasonic settlement covering wages, recruitment fees and compensation
Published by Panasonic or its owner
- Panasonic Industry: list of bases · search the archive · Bases in Japan, China (12), Thailand (4), Indonesia (3), Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Mexico, Germany, Czech Republic etc.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Panasonic ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/panasonic, 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 Panasonic.