SanDisk
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Memory cards, USB drives and SSDs; spun off from Western Digital in 2025.
There's no proof SanDisk pays more than the legal minimum, which in Malaysia is below a living wage, and it doesn't name the factories its Responsible Business Alliance audits cover.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour, last recorded in 2025) 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. SanDisk looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 Malaysia and 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found signs of forced labour, which it 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 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
SanDisk names some of the countries it makes in: Malaysia. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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 |
| 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.
- Publishes its mineral smelter list and uses independently audited smelters (RMAP) for tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Sandisk has been an independent listed company since its February 2025 spin-off from Western Digital. It gets all its flash wafers from Kioxia joint venture fabs in Japan and assembles and tests products at its own plant in Penang, Malaysia, at a JCET-run joint venture and at contract manufacturers; it gives no split. It is an RBA member, has its factory RBA-audited every two years and reported repaying recruitment fees and finding signs of forced labour such as held documents and debt bondage, without giving numbers. It files a smelter list but publishes no supplier list or living wage commitment, and was not in the 2025 KnowTheChain benchmark.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Sandisk UK Limited published a UK Modern Slavery Act statement for FY2025 reporting forced labour indicators and fee repayments. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark, which was researched before Sandisk's 2025 spin-off. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sandisk reported finding forced labour indicators (held identity documents, withheld wages and debt bondage) and recruitment fees at suppliers in FY2025 (Sandisk UK modern slavery statement, 2025). Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | YesSandisk reported repaying recruitment fees to affected workers; amounts and numbers were not disclosed. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 2025 KnowTheChain ICT Benchmark (BHRRC) · search the archive · Sandisk not among the 45 companies assessed
- Sandisk Form 10-K FY2026 · search the archive · Wafers from Flash Ventures fabs in Japan; own assembly and test in Penang; SDSS JV with JCET; independent since Feb 2025; about 11,100 staff
- Portable HDD and SSD drives (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · SanDisk drives sold by JB Hi-Fi in Australia
Published by SanDisk or its owner
- Sandisk supply chain · search the archive · Regular member of the RBA; responsible minerals policy covering 3TG and cobalt
- Sandisk FY2025 Statement Against Modern Slavery · search the archive · Manufacturing based in Malaysia; factory RBA-audited every two years; reimbursements when fees found
- Sandisk UK modern slavery statement summary (2025) · search the archive · Found indicators of document retention, withheld wages and debt bondage; repaid recruitment fees
- Sandisk Form SD Conflict Minerals Report 2025 · search the archive · 235 smelters, 223 RMAP-conformant; smelter list in Annex A
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 11,100
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is SanDisk ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/sandisk, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
No laptops and computers 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 SanDisk.