PopSockets
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Colorado company selling collapsible phone grips.
Until PopSockets 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 2 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: the most serious problem on its record (forced and child labour, last recorded in 2022) has been put right.
- 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.
- Independently checked. PopSockets belongs to the Fair Labor Association, which checks its factories. The Fair Labor Association found forced and child labour in 2022 and unpaid or underpaid wages in 2020, and PopSockets is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and the United States.
- 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 it isn't fixingThe Fair Labor Association found child and forced labour, which PopSockets is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
- 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 2
- Red flag: No proof yet that it pays a living wage (it's working towards one)
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
PopSockets names some of the countries it makes in: China, the United States and Vietnam. 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 |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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
- Independent social audits of all its main 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 PopSockets has been a Fair Labor Association member since 2018 and FLA-accredited since 2022, with supplier assessments since 2019 (latest listed: US 2025, Mexico 2024). It sources from eight contract facilities and one owned print facility in six countries; manufacturing is in China, the US and Vietnam, with printing and logistics partners in Mexico, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. It tracks living wages but reports no figure, and gives no split by country.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | PopSockets LLC has lodged statements on the Australian Modern Slavery Register since FY2020, naming China, the US and Vietnam as manufacturing countries. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | A 2022 Fair Labor Association assessment found a case of child labour at PopSockets' tier 1 manufacturer in Vietnam (PopSockets FY2022 modern slavery statement). Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | YesWorked with the Centre for Child Rights and Business and trained suppliers; a verification audit found the case sufficiently remediated. |
| 2020 | FLA assessments of Chinese suppliers found monthly overtime above the legal limit for 95% of workers (2019) and 90% working more than six days in a row (2020). Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyFactory handbook revised to guarantee at least one day off per week; corrective action plans tracked over 120 days. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- FLA Assessment for Accreditation: PopSockets (August 2022) · search the archive · Excess overtime at Chinese suppliers in 2019 and 2020; benefit gaps fixed; 8 contract and 1 owned facility in 6 countries
- Fair Labor Association member page: PopSockets · search the archive · Accredited 2022; factory assessments in the US (2025, 2023), Mexico (2024, 2021), Vietnam (2022) and China (2019, 2020)
- FLA accredits PopSockets (October 2022) · search the archive · FLA board approved PopSockets' social compliance programme; ongoing evaluation required
- PopSockets Modern Slavery Statement FY2022 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Tier 1 manufacturing in China, US and Vietnam; child labour case in Vietnam found 2022 and remediated; about 200 staff
- PopSockets Modern Slavery Statement FY2021 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · 13 supplier audits in 2021; 20 hotline grievances at Chinese suppliers, 17 resolved; living wage KPI tracked without a figure
- PopSockets PopGrip MOTHA (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · PopSockets phone grips sold by JB Hi-Fi in Australia
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 200
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is PopSockets ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/popsockets, 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 PopSockets.