Polaroid
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Dutch-based maker of instant cameras and film.
Until Polaroid 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.
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 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, mostly 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
Polaroid says it makes products in the Netherlands. Product labels show China.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| China | 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Polaroid makes its instant film in its own factory in Enschede, Netherlands, where about 140 people work, using film material coated at its own plant in Monheim, Germany. Retailer listings give China as the country of origin for its cameras, but Polaroid does not name its camera makers or say how much is made where. It publishes no supplier list, modern slavery statement, supplier code of conduct or audit results, and it is not a member of the Responsible Business Alliance. No confirmed labour abuses linked to its products were found.
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- A Look Inside Polaroid's Only Film Factory on Earth (PetaPixel, 2025) · search the archive · Only film factory is in Enschede with about 140 staff; film layers coated in Monheim, Germany
- Inside the Only Polaroid Factory in the World (PetaPixel, 2026) · search the archive · Enschede is the last instant-film factory; film material is coated in Polaroid's own factory in Monheim, Germany; no camera makers named
- Polaroid Now Instant Camera Generation 2 (RS Components) · search the archive · Retailer lists country of origin of the Polaroid Now Gen 2 camera as China
- Shop Polaroid (Officeworks) · search the archive · Polaroid cameras and film sold by Officeworks, an Australian retailer with physical stores
- Polaroid Now 3 Instant Camera (Kmart Australia) · search the archive · Polaroid cameras sold by Kmart Australia (this model online only)
- PetaPixel: Polaroid acquired by The Impossible Project's largest shareholder (2017) · search the archive · Smolokowski family bought Polaroid brand; Wiaczeslaw 'Slava' Smolokowski is the largest shareholder
Published by Polaroid or its owner
- Polaroid Australia store · search the archive · Polaroid runs an Australian online storefront; no sustainability or supplier pages linked
Company details
- Headquarters
- Netherlands
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Polaroid ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/polaroid, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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