Withings
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
French maker of smart scales and health devices.
Until Withings 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 1 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 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 countries such as 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 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: 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 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
Withings names some of the countries it makes in: China and France. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
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 Withings says its products are assembled by partner subcontractors located mainly in Asia, with electronics coming from China; since 2019 it has assembled its Move watch at a workshop at its French headquarters. Since 2021 partner assembly plants have had regular Sedex-type ethical audits, but it names no factories and publishes no audit results, smelter list or wage information. Its only Australian modern slavery statement covers 2021. No shares by country are given.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Withings lodged a statement on the Australian register for 2021; no later statement is listed. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Joint UK and Australian statement (2022) on the UK modern slavery register. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Not among the large companies assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Withings modern slavery statement 2021 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Subcontracted assembly plants mainly in Asia; Sedex-type ethical audits since 2021; no findings reported
- Modern Slavery Register search: withings · search the archive · One Withings statement, covering 2021
- UK et Australia Withings modern slavery act 2022 · search the archive · Joint UK and Australian statement on the UK register
- Withings lance sa manufacture et se tourne vers le made in France (Siècle Digital, 2019) · search the archive · Move watch assembled at its French headquarters near Paris; electronics from production sites in China
- Withings latest scale (Pickr, 2024) · search the archive · Sold in Australia through JB Hi-Fi and Amazon
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Withings ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/withings, 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 Withings.