Transcend
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 1 November 2026 · 3 sources
Taiwanese maker of memory cards, SSDs, USB drives and dash cams.
Until Transcend traces its cobalt, gold and tin to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- 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 rightsMost 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, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace
- 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
Transcend names some of the countries it makes in: Taiwan. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 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 Transcend runs its own factory in Taipei with 15 SMT production lines, and its products carry Taiwan as country of origin, but it does not say how much of its range is made there or by outside makers. Its 2023 sustainability report covers only the Taiwan headquarters: it cites the RBA and BSCI codes, says all suppliers sign a code banning child and forced labour and that 30 of its 319 suppliers were evaluated, but gives no audit results, recruitment-fee policy or smelter list, though it names conflict-free minerals as a material topic.
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
- Transcend 8 GB MicroSDHC microSD (RS Australia) · search the archive · Transcend card in stock at RS Australia; country of origin TW
Published by Transcend or its owner
- Transcend Sustainability Report 2023 · search the archive · Own factory in Taipei with 15 SMT lines; 1,180 employees; 319 suppliers, 30 evaluated; supplier code bans child and forced labour; RBA and BSCI cited; no smelter data
- Transcend Sustainability Report 2022 · search the archive · Earlier sustainability report published by Transcend
Company details
- Headquarters
- Taiwan
- Employees
- About 1,180
- Last researched
- 1 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Transcend ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/transcend, last researched 1 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
No laptops and computers brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Transcend.