Sony
Partly verified✓ Checks its own supply chain. Sony actively looks for problems such as child or forced labour, publishes what it finds and works to fix it. That openness is uncommon, so problems it finds and reports itself are shown below but don't count against its grade.
Sony raises serious concerns: there are reports of forced or child labour in its supply chain, and workers in China, Thailand and Malaysia are very unlikely to earn a living wage. A third-party audit commissioned by Sony confirmed code violations at Malaysian parts supplier Kawaguchi Manufacturing, where about 280 Bangladeshi workers went unpaid for months, had passports confiscated and had paid recruitment fees of around US$5,000; Sony ended the relationship and, with other buyers, funded remedy for the workers (Malay Mail and AP, 2024-2025).
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 1 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 4
- Does not pay a living wage
- Hidden or unaudited supply chain (no certification or documentation, or major production in countries with poor worker rights without independent audits)
- Instances of forced, slave or child labour
- Failing or very low scores on independent ratings
- Hazardous raw materials without traceability (means Poor)
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 35% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand 25% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia 20% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan 15% | Strong protections | Slightly below a living wage | Low |
| Mexico 5% | Some protections | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Responsible Business Alliance: Electronics industry code with third-party audits. Members set their own pace.
- Conflict-free minerals programme: Responsible sourcing for tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold or cobalt.
- Modern slavery statement
- Owns or runs its own production
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Uses high-risk raw materials (e.g. leather tanning, mica, artisanal gold)
- Low or failing score on an independent rating
- 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 can't trace these materials to the mine, so it can't be graded above Poor.
Sony runs 11 of its own electronics factories in Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and the UK, has moved most camera production from China to Thailand, and also uses contract manufacturers such as Foxconn for TVs in Mexico; it does not publish a supplier list or production shares, and its TV business is due to move into a TCL-controlled joint venture in 2027. It is an RBA and Responsible Minerals Initiative member with an employer-pays recruitment policy and separate cobalt due diligence, but tracing stops at the smelter, about a quarter of smelters in 2021 were not confirmed conformant, and only a small share of suppliers get on-site checks. Independent benchmarks score it low on forced labour, purchasing practices, worker voice and living wages.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Found | Scored 20/100 in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark, down from 23/100 in 2022 and 36/100 in 2020. View ↗ |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Found | Scored 19.0/100 in the 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, with 0 on living wage. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Found | Lodges a joint annual statement for Sony companies in Australia; the sixth covers April 2024 to March 2025. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Found | Publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement covering Sony Europe and other UK subsidiaries (FY ending March 2024). View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Electronics from China (child and forced labour) and Malaysia (forced labour) are on the US Department of Labor list, both countries where Sony makes products. View ↗ |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Sony is not on the UFLPA Entity List. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Records the Kawaguchi Manufacturing case in Malaysia, where Sony and other buyers provided remedy, plus six other allegations, with a 50% response rate. View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A third-party audit commissioned by Sony confirmed code violations at Malaysian parts supplier Kawaguchi Manufacturing, where about 280 Bangladeshi workers went unpaid for months, had passports confiscated and had paid recruitment fees of around US$5,000; Sony ended the relationship and, with other buyers, funded remedy for the workers (Malay Mail and AP, 2024-2025). | Yes Ended the relationship and, with other buyers, funded remedy for the workers. |
| 2022 | Sony scored 0 on living wage in the 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, referring only to minimum wages for its own and supplier workers (World Benchmarking Alliance, 2022). | Not known |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report named Sony among dozens of electronics brands whose supply chains were linked to factories using Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang under government labour programmes (ASPI, 2020). Source ↗
Sources (12)
- Sony Australia Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · archived copy · Joint statement for Sony companies in Australia, 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2025; 11 Sony-operated electronics factories in Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia and the UK; Malaysian supplier
- Sony UK Modern Slavery Act Statement 2024 · archived copy · UK statement for FY ending March 2024; 235 document-based supplier assessments and on-site/remote assessments at 12 plants in FY2023
- Sony admits own audit found probable labour code violation by Malaysian contractor - Malay Mail · archived copy · October 2024: third-party audit commissioned by Sony found violations at Kawaguchi Manufacturing including unpaid wages, passport confiscation, poor dormitories and working-hour problems
- Migrant workers in Malaysia seek unpaid wages from supplier to Japanese companies - AP via The Week · archived copy · May 2025: about 280 Bangladeshi workers, recruitment fees around US$5,000, tribunal-ordered wages largely unpaid; Sony terminated the supplier; Sony, Panasonic and Daikin agreed to cover about US$1.3
- Malaysia plastics co supplying to Panasonic, Sony, Daikin accused of forced labour indicators - BHRRC · archived copy · Sony confirmed audit findings, ended the relationship and provided significant financial assistance to 283 workers by June 2025
- KnowTheChain 2022 ICT Scorecard: Sony · archived copy · Scored 23/100, 21st of 60; employer-pays policy; repaid medical check-up fees to supply chain workers; 0 on purchasing practices, 5 on worker voice
- Sony CHRB scorecard 2022 - World Benchmarking Alliance · archived copy · Scored 19.0/100; 0 of 2 on living wage; grievance hotline in 27 languages
- Sony - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · archived copy · KnowTheChain score 36/100 in 2020 and 20/100 in 2025; 50% response rate to allegations
- Sony Conflict Minerals Report 2021 (SEC) · archived copy · 75.2% of smelters conformant or in assessment; separate cobalt due diligence; RMI member; no mine-level tracing
- Sony moves 90% of production to Thailand - DIY Photography · archived copy · About 90% of camera production moved from China to Thailand by end of 2022; lenses still made in China
- Sony locks in TCL partnership: BRAVIA joint venture - StereoNET · archived copy · TVs made at a Foxconn-run plant in Tijuana, Mexico, a Sony factory in Malaysia and Sony's Shanghai subsidiary; TV business to move into a 51% TCL joint venture from April 2027
- Apple, Foxconn and 81 others are accused of using Uighur forced labor - VentureBeat · archived copy · ASPI 2020 report names Sony among linked brands
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.