VTech
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Hong Kong maker of learning toys and cordless phones.
There's no proof VTech pays more than the legal minimum, which in China and Malaysia 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 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production 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 2 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 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: 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
From VTech's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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
- 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 VTech makes its own products in its own factories in Dongguan and Qingyuan, China, and Muar and Penang, Malaysia, and is expanding in Malaysia; it gives no shares by country. It says it has followed the Responsible Business Alliance code since 2012 and ran CSR audits on 135 suppliers in FY2026, but publishes no audit results, no supplier list and no independent audits of its own factories, and says only that pay meets or exceeds legal minimums. No confirmed labour abuses were found; a 2012 NGO report on a Dongguan phone factory was rejected by VTech.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | VTech Holdings publishes a modern slavery statement with its UK and Australian subsidiaries, covering supplier audits and whistleblowing. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Joint modern slavery statement covers VTech's UK subsidiaries, including Leap Frog Toys (UK). 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.
- In 2012 the US-based Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights alleged forced overtime well beyond legal limits, delayed social insurance and poor dormitories at a VTech phone factory in Dongguan, China; VTech rejected all the allegations and Telstra briefly suspended sales of VTech-built products (The Register, 2012). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- VTech accused of sweatshop conditions in China factories (The Register, 2012) · search the archive · 2012 NGO report alleged forced overtime and social insurance underpayment at a Dongguan phone factory; VTech rejected it
- VTech Holdings Annual Report 2026 (HKEX) · search the archive · Own factories in Dongguan and Qingyuan, China, and Muar and Penang, Malaysia; Muar expansion to double Malaysian capacity by 2027
- VTech Learning Walker (Kmart) · search the archive · VTech toys sold by Kmart in Australia
Published by VTech or its owner
- About VTech · search the archive · Hong Kong-based maker of learning toys and phones with own manufacturing in mainland China, Malaysia, Germany and Mexico; owns LeapFrog
- VTech Modern Slavery Statement FY2023 · search the archive · Over 20,000 staff; 182 suppliers audited in-house in FY2024, all passed; no forced labour found; pay meets or exceeds legal minimums
- VTech Modern Slavery Statement FY2021 · search the archive · Joint statement with UK and Australian subsidiaries; own factories in China, Malaysia and Mexico; in-house supplier audits
- VTech Sustainability Report 2026 · search the archive · Over 19,000 staff; factories in mainland China, Malaysia and Mexico; follows RBA code since 2012; CSR audits of 135 suppliers in FY2026, no results given
Company details
- Headquarters
- Hong Kong
- Employees
- About 19,000
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is VTech ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/vtech, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded phones
No phones 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 VTech.