Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Maker of headsets and video conferencing equipment.
Until Poly 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 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
- 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: 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 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
Poly names some of the countries it makes in: Mexico. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
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.
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Poly runs its own factory in Tijuana, Mexico, which employs up to 2,500 workers and ships about 20 million units a year; high-volume production moved there from China in 2021. It also uses contract and design manufacturers in Asia, and no country split is published. As part of HP Inc. it falls under HP's group programme: RBA membership, a supplier code with a no-fee recruitment rule, independent supplier audits and a group modern slavery statement, though none of these name Poly or its suppliers. HP has no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by parent HP Inc.'s FY25 Modern Slavery Transparency Statement, which applies to HP Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; Poly is not named in it. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Parent HP Inc. scored 48/100 (4th of 45) in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark; Poly is not assessed separately. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Plantronics was not rated in Baptist World Aid's last Electronics Industry Report (2016); the series has ended. HP was in the B band in 2016. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT Benchmark scorecard: HP Inc. · search the archive · Parent HP Inc. scored 48/100, 4th of 45, with gaps on purchasing practices and union rights
- Plantronics Form 10-K FY2022 · search the archive · Own manufacturing in Tijuana plus contract and design manufacturers in Asia; about 6,500 staff, 2,700 at Tijuana
- HP Inc. Modern Slavery Transparency Statement FY25 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Group statement covering HP Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; audits, no-fee recruitment rule and remedy; Poly not named
- Poly: 50 Years of Manufacturing Excellence in Tijuana (Tijuana EDC, November 2025) · search the archive · Own Tijuana plant makes headsets and video systems; up to 2,500 workers; 20 million units a year; volume moved from China in 2021
- Poly Voyager 4320 headset (Officeworks) · search the archive · Officeworks sells Poly headsets in Australia
- 2016 Electronics Industry Trends (Baptist World Aid Australia) · search the archive · Last edition (2016); HP in the B band; Plantronics not rated
- Plantronics (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Plantronics, renamed Poly, based in Santa Cruz, California; acquired by HP Inc. in 2022
Company details
- Owned by
- HP Inc. (since 2022)
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Poly ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/poly, 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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