Sonos
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Californian company designing wireless speakers and soundbars.
There's no proof Sonos pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Malaysia is below a living wage.
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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, 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Sonos looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found unpaid or underpaid wages 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 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 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
Sonos says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Sonos owns no factories; contract manufacturers in China, Malaysia and Vietnam, which it does not name, make its products, and it gives no split by country. As a regular RBA member it assessed 96% of major suppliers (80% of spend) by questionnaire or on-site audit in 2025, finding 148 issues, mostly on working hours, and no forced or child labour. Its 2025 conflict minerals report gives smelter counts (206 of 221 RMAP conformant) but not their names, and covers no cobalt. It publishes no supplier list and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Sonos's 2026 Canadian forced labour report says it is a regular RBA member and found no forced or child labour in 2025 supplier audits. 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 | Sonos's own supplier audits found 148 issues in 2025, including 110 major and 1 priority finding, mostly on working hours and labour management (Sonos S211 Report, 2026). 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. | PartlySonos says all suppliers started corrective action plans and closure audits within the required time. |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Sonos Inc Form 10-K FY2025 · search the archive · Products made by contract manufacturers in Vietnam, China and Malaysia; about 1,404 employees
- Sonos Inc Form SD conflict minerals report (2025 reporting year) · search the archive · 221 3TG smelters identified, 206 (93%) RMAP conformant; smelters not named; no cobalt
- Sonos Listen Better Report 2025 · search the archive · Sonos owns no production facilities; supplier audit results for FY25
Published by Sonos or its owner
- Sonos Inc 2026 S211 Annual Report · search the archive · FY2025: RBA regular member; made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam; 96% of major suppliers assessed; 148 issues incl. 110 major; no forced or child labour
- Sonos Transparency Statement (2019) · search the archive · Supplier audits using the RBA protocol; 74% of key suppliers audited after 2018
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 1,404
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Sonos ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/sonos, 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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