Ultimate Ears
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Logitech's brand of portable Bluetooth speakers.
Until Ultimate Ears 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 2 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and Thailand.
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- 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
These are Logitech International's countries across all its brands; Ultimate Ears doesn't say where its own products are 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 |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main 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 Ultimate Ears products are made within parent Logitech's supply chain: Logitech makes about 35% of its products by value in its own Suzhou, China plant and uses contract manufacturers in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Malaysia and Taiwan, with no country shares and no breakdown by brand. Logitech is an RBA member and audits supplier factories at least yearly, reporting no forced or child labour findings, but publishes no supplier list, scored 21/100 on KnowTheChain in 2025 and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Parent Logitech scored 21/100 in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT forced labour benchmark, with zero on purchasing practices, worker rights and remedy. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by Logitech's annual slavery and human trafficking statement referencing the UK and Australian Modern Slavery Acts (2024). View |
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.
- KnowTheChain recorded one allegation linking parent company Logitech's supply chain to Uyghur forced labour and found Logitech does not disclose steps to address these risks across raw material tiers (KnowTheChain, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- KnowTheChain 2025 ICT Scorecard: Logitech · search the archive · Score 21/100; no supplier list; zero on remedy and worker rights; one Uyghur forced labour allegation
- Logitech Form 10-K FY2026 · search the archive · About 35% of production by value at own Suzhou plant; ODMs in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Malaysia, Taiwan; Ultimate Ears is a Logitech brand
- Logitech FY26 Non-Financial Matters Report (2026) · search the archive · Suzhou plant makes a significant share; contract makers principally in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand; RBA silver audit
- Ultimate Ears by Logitech: Boom (iMagazine) · search the archive · Ultimate Ears speakers are sold as a Logitech brand
Published by Ultimate Ears or its owner
- Logitech Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement (July 2024) · search the archive · RBA member; annual audits of major suppliers (80% of spend); no slavery non-conformities found in three years
Company details
- Owned by
- Logitech International
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ultimate Ears ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ultimate-ears, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Ultimate Ears.