Polar
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Finnish maker of sports watches and heart-rate sensors.
There's no proof Polar pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Malaysia is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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.
Good requirements 2 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 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
- 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 3
- 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: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 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 Polar's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | 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.
- 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 Polar designs and tests its watches in Kempele, Finland, but says it makes them in its own two factories in China and Malaysia; packaging reads 'Designed in Finland, Made by Polar in China'. It does not say how production is split between them. Its supplier code requires wages at least at the legal minimum or collective agreement but does not mention a living wage, and it says it uses regular third-party audits and follows EU conflict minerals rules, without publishing audit results, a supplier list, a smelter list or a modern slavery statement. Polar names China and Malaysia but gives no split, so shares are left unstated.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No Polar statement found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register; Polar's revenue is likely below the reporting threshold. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Not among the large companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Electronics from China and Malaysia, where Polar has its two factories, are on the US DOL list of goods made with forced labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Lists electronics from China and Malaysia, and cobalt from the DRC.
- Polar - Made in Finland or China (the5krunner, 2025) · search the archive · Recent Polar watches labelled Made in China; Vantage V3 box says 'Designed in Finland, Made by Polar in China'.
- Polar Vantage V3 prices (BuyWisely Australia) · search the archive · Sold in Australia by JB Hi-Fi, Woolworths, Amazon and Polar's own site.
Published by Polar or its owner
- Polar sustainability page · search the archive · Two Polar factories in Asia, in China and Malaysia; ISO 14001; regular third-party audits; follows EU Conflict Minerals Regulation.
- Polar Supplier Code of Conduct (2022) · search the archive · Wages must meet local law or collective agreements; no living wage; origin of raw materials on request.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Finland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Polar ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/polar, 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 Polar.