Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Chinese electronics brand selling TVs and appliances.
In 2022, Uyghur workers sent under China's state labour transfer programme were working at one of TCL's own air conditioner factories.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of TCL putting this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no proof yet of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2022.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: working towards one
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, 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
- Not 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 4
- Red flag: No proof yet that it pays a living wage (it's working towards one)
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to 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 3 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
TCL says it makes products in China, Mexico, Vietnam, India, Poland and Brazil. Press and retailer reports name Pakistan. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| 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 |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
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
- Public plan to pay a living wage within 5 years, or with measurable steps due within 5 years
- 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 TCL makes most of its TVs in its own factories, mainly in China, and its chairman names further production bases in Vietnam, Poland, Mexico, Brazil and India; a plant in Pakistan is reported too. It gives no country shares. TCL Electronics reports ESG audits of its 12 Tier 1 suppliers, finding excessive overtime and fees charged to workers, and says 10 of them pay a living wage, with a target of 95% by 2030; these are its own assessments. Only a few TCL units hold RBA certification, and it publishes no supplier list.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records the 2025 TBIJ, New York Times and Der Spiegel investigation linking a TCL-owned factory to Uyghur labour transfers; TCL did not respond. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported in May 2025 that transferred Uyghur workers were filmed working at a TCL air conditioner factory. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | A joint investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The New York Times and Der Spiegel found Uyghur workers sent under China's state labour transfer programme working at a TCL-owned air conditioner factory (TBIJ, 2025). Source · archived copy | Not knownTCL did not respond to several requests for comment from the reporters. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- China's economy runs on Uyghur forced labour (BHRRC, 2025) · search the archive · Joint TBIJ, NYT and Der Spiegel investigation; TCL-owned factory employing Xinjiang workers; no TCL response recorded
- China's economy runs on Uyghur forced labour (TBIJ, May 2025) · archived copy · Transferred Uyghur worker filmed at a TCL air conditioner factory from 2022; TCL did not respond to requests for comment
- TCL Electronics Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2025 · search the archive · Three subsidiaries and factories hold RBA certification; 2,213 suppliers; no supplier list published
- TCL to expand overseas production (China Daily, October 2024) · search the archive · Chairman Li Dongsheng: production bases in Vietnam, Poland, Mexico, Brazil and India
- Who Owns TCL TVs And Where Are They Made? (SlashGear) · search the archive · TCL factories in China, Mexico, Vietnam and India, plus plants in Brazil, Pakistan and Poland
Published by TCL or its owner
- TCL Electronics ESG Highlights: Social · search the archive · TCL North America RBA member since 2018; 12 Tier 1 suppliers audited; 10 meet living wage; 95% target by 2030; overtime and fees found
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is TCL ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/tcl, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Other TV and audio brands
Nothing we've rated in TV and audio is better than Lacks transparency yet.
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