Turtle Beach
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
US company designing gaming headsets.
There's no proof Turtle Beach pays more than the legal minimum, which in 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 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 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
Turtle Beach names some of the countries it makes in: China. 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 |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
| 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.
- 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 Turtle Beach does not own factories. Its products are made by a network of contract suppliers in Asia, many of them in China, which it does not name. Its supplier code allows audits, including unannounced and third-party ones, and asks suppliers to pay a wage that allows a decent standard of living, but it publishes no audit results and is not an RBA member. Its yearly US conflict minerals reports survey its manufacturing partners; the 2022 report found 48 of 265 smelters were not on the responsible-sourcing conformant list. No labour abuses at its suppliers have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Not rated in the last Baptist World Aid Electronics Industry Report (2016, series ended). View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not among the companies named in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Australian modern slavery statement found for Turtle Beach. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Turtle Beach Corp Form 10-K FY2025 (SEC) · search the archive · Network of suppliers in Asia makes its products, many in China; 290 employees at 31 Dec 2025
- Turtle Beach Conflict Minerals Report 2022 (SEC Exhibit 1.01) · search the archive · 12 manufacturing partners surveyed; 265 smelters identified, 48 not on the RMI conformant list
- Turtle Beach Form SD for 2025 (SEC) · search the archive · Conflict minerals report for 2025 filed May 2026
- Turtle Beach Manufacturer Code of Conduct (July 2025) · search the archive · Allows on-site and third-party audits; requires wages for a decent standard of living; bans forced labour; covers 3TG minerals
- Turtle Beach Global Human Rights Policy 2026 · search the archive · Says it strives to align with the RBA Code of Conduct; no audit programme or factory list given
- Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · Turtle Beach headsets are sold by JB Hi-Fi in Australia
- Turtle Beach supply chain transparency statement (PDP) · search the archive · Turtle Beach and subsidiaries: staff visit factories; contracts allow unannounced independent audits; no findings published
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 290
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Turtle Beach ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/turtle-beach, 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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