Labour Lens

Verbatim

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Electronics

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

Brand of USB drives, memory cards and storage.

We couldn't confirm where Verbatim makes most of its storage media and computer accessories.

Also worth knowing

Most electronics are made in countries such as China and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.

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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, unaudited production, probably 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.

How grades are decided

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 rightsWhere electronics are usually made, such as China and Malaysia, 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: Probably made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of 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 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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Verbatim makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China55%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Vietnam15%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Taiwan10%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Malaysia8%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
South Korea7%No guarantee of rightsClose to a living wageLow
India5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh

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
  • 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 Verbatim says it buys most of its products from third-party suppliers worldwide but does not name countries or factories; owner CMC Magnetics makes optical discs in Taiwan. Its modern slavery statements describe a supplier code of conduct and supplier vetting that accepts amfori BSCI, SMETA or SA8000 results, and Verbatim Americas is listed as an amfori BSCI member, but no audit results are published. It publishes no smelter list and makes no living wage commitment. No labour abuse reports involving Verbatim's suppliers have been published.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot coveredBaptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report ended in 2016 and never rated Verbatim. View
KnowTheChainNot coveredVerbatim and CMC Magnetics are not among the large ICT companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreNot listedNo labour abuse reports involving Verbatim's suppliers on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Verbatim - Shop Ethical! (Ethical Consumer Australia) · search the archive · Verbatim Americas LLC, owned by CMC Magnetics, is listed as an amfori BSCI member (2023)
  2. CMC Magnetics Acquires Verbatim From Mitsubishi Chemical for $32 Million (StorageNewsletter, 2019) · search the archive · CMC Magnetics of Taiwan agreed to buy Verbatim from Mitsubishi Chemical in 2019
  3. Verbatim CD-R 700MB 52x 10 Pack - Officeworks · search the archive · Verbatim products are sold by Officeworks in Australia with click and collect
  4. Mitsubishi Chemical: storage media business to CMC Magnetics · search the archive · CMC, Taipei-based, world-leading optical disc maker, takes over Verbatim group storage media business
  5. Verbatim (company) - Wikipedia · search the archive · Owned by CMC Magnetics after Mitsubishi; headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina; about 510 employees; product range

Published by Verbatim or its owner

  1. Verbatim Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement (Verbatim Australia) · search the archive · Supply chain sourced worldwide; supplier code of conduct and vetting; accepts amfori BSCI, SMETA and SA8000 compliance information
  2. Slavery Act statement (Verbatim Europe) · search the archive · Verbatim Limited statement (FY to March 2017): most products bought from third-party suppliers worldwide; risk-based supplier audits planned

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Employees
About 510
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Verbatim ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/verbatim, 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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Something missing or wrong?

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