WHOOP
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Boston company selling screenless fitness trackers.
There's no proof WHOOP pays more than the legal minimum, which in Mexico and China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent WHOOP? Send a right of reply.
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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 China, 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
From press and retailer reports; WHOOP doesn't say where its products are made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 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.
- 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 A WHOOP community forum answer in November 2025 said devices for North America are made in a WHOOP-owned facility in Mexico and devices for other markets by a manufacturing partner in China; WHOOP has not published production shares or factory names. It publishes no supplier list, supplier code, audit results, conflict minerals disclosure or modern slavery statement.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No WHOOP statement found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Not listed | No WHOOP statement found on the UK modern slavery statement registry. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Not among the companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Electronics from China, where a WHOOP manufacturing partner makes devices, are on the US DOL list of goods made with forced labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Lists electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC.
- WHOOP at JB Hi-Fi · search the archive · WHOOP sold through JB Hi-Fi in Australia.
- WHOOP at Rebel Sport · search the archive · WHOOP sold through Rebel Sport in Australia.
Published by WHOOP or its owner
- Where does WHOOP manufacture? (WHOOP Community, 2025) · search the archive · Devices made in a WHOOP-owned facility in Mexico for North America and by a partner in China for other regions.
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is WHOOP ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/whoop, 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 WHOOP.