Segway-Ninebot
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Maker of electric scooters and robot mowers.
Segway-Ninebot can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
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, 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 Segway-Ninebot'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 |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well 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 Segway-Ninebot makes its products in its own factories: its production headquarters in Changzhou, China, described as the world's largest site for small electric vehicles, other Chinese bases including a new factory in Zhuhai, and a factory in Vietnam that began shipping in 2022. It gives no shares by country. Its 2025 sustainability report covers staff, safety and supplier integrity but publishes no supplier list, labour audit results or smelter list, and it makes no living wage commitment. It is not named in ASPI's 2020 or TBIJ's 2025 Uyghur labour transfer reports, and no labour abuse findings have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not rated: Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report series ended in 2016, and the brand was not in it. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Not among the 45 large companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No modern slavery statement from Segway-Ninebot's Australian business was found on the Australian register. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Uyghurs for sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · ASPI's report on Uyghur labour transfers to factories across China; this brand is not among the brands named
- Segway-Ninebot Changzhou project (Changzhou government) · search the archive · Changzhou is Ninebot's production headquarters and the world's largest site for smart short-distance mobility devices
- Segway-Ninebot's first order shipped from Vietnam (TechNode) · search the archive · Multiple manufacturing bases in China; Vietnam factory delivered first order in June 2022
- Ninebot Limited 2025 Sustainability Report (Stockstar) · search the archive · Regional HQs incl. Changzhou; a newly built Zhuhai factory; supplier integrity pacts but no labour audit results or minerals disclosure
- Segway Ninebot KickScooter Max G2 (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · Segway-Ninebot scooters sold by JB Hi-Fi in Australia
Published by Segway-Ninebot or its owner
- Ninebot 2025 Sustainability Report · search the archive · 6,995 employees in 2025
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 6,995
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Segway-Ninebot ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/segway-ninebot, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Segway-Ninebot.