Shure
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
US audio company known for the SM58 microphone.
There's no proof Shure pays more than the legal minimum, which in Mexico and China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rights45% 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: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
- 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
Shure names some of the countries it makes in: Mexico and China. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 47% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 40% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | 3% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | 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.
- 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 Shure makes many of its products in its own plants: two in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where the SM58, Beta, Microflex and wireless lines are built, and one in Suzhou, China. Shares count these three named plants, as it gives no split by country and does not name contract suppliers. Its supplier code bans forced labour and it says it makes unannounced visits to supplier factories and worker housing. It publishes no audit results, wage data or modern slavery statement and is not an RBA member.
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Shure opens new facilities in China (Live Design, 2005) · search the archive · Shure manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China in full production from 2005
- Inside Shure Suzhou: Excellence through Lean (AmCham Shanghai, 2025) · search the archive · Shure Electronics (Suzhou), Shure's first Asian manufacturing base since 2005, makes audio products (site visit June 2025)
- Shure SM58 - CameraPro · search the archive · Shure microphones sold by CameraPro, which has Australian stores
- Shure SM58 - Mega Music · search the archive · Shure SM58 sold by Australian music retailer Mega Music
Published by Shure or its owner
- Shure opens additional manufacturing facility in Juarez (Shure, 2024) · search the archive · Shure-owned Juarez plant since 1990, second plant opened 2024; makes SM58, Beta, Microflex, ULX-D, QLX-D, Axient Digital
- Supplier Conduct (Shure) · search the archive · Supplier code bans forced labour; surprise visits to factories and worker housing
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Shure ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/shure, 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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