Wacom
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Japanese maker of pen tablets and displays.
There's no proof Wacom 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 rights73% of its products are made in China, Cambodia and Indonesia, 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
China has the largest share, 63%. Vietnam is next, at 13%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 63% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 13% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | 9% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Taiwan | 5% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Cambodia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well 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.
- 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 Wacom outsources production to contract manufacturers, mostly Japanese- or Taiwanese-owned with sites in China, and is spreading production into Southeast Asia including Vietnam. Shares are its 22 manufacturing sites by country (March 2023). Its supplier code follows the RBA code and about 110 major suppliers were asked to endorse it, but it does not describe labour audits or publish findings, a supplier list or a conflict minerals report, and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Not among the companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid's Electronics Industry Report ended in 2016 and did not cover Wacom. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No modern slavery statement from Wacom was found on the Australian register. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Unclear | No UK modern slavery statement from Wacom was found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Wacom Intuos Pro Pen 2 Tablet (Officeworks) · search the archive · Wacom tablets sold by Officeworks, an Australian store chain
Published by Wacom or its owner
- Wacom Integrated Report 2023, corporate data (pp. 82-85) · search the archive · 22 manufacturing sites (March 2023) by location: China 63%, Vietnam 13%, Japan 9%, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia 5% each; 1,069 staff
- Wacom investor FAQ · search the archive · Uses EMS partners, mainly Japanese and Taiwanese, with plants in China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia
- FISCO company research report on Wacom (June 2026) · search the archive · Production consigned to EMS partners, mostly with sites in mainland China; dispersing production into Southeast Asia incl. Vietnam
- Wacom social initiatives: policy · search the archive · Supplier code conforms to RBA Code v7.0; about 110 major suppliers asked to endorse it; no audit results
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Employees
- About 1,069
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Wacom ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/wacom, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded laptops and computers
Nothing new in laptops and computers that we've rated is better than Lacks transparency yet. 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 Wacom.