Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Shenzhen telecoms company making network gear and phones.
ZTE's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 0 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
- Not 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 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to 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 3 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
ZTE names some of the countries it makes in: China. 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 |
| 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 ZTE runs its own factories in China, including a smart device plant in Xi'an and a 5G factory in Nanjing, but does not say what share of phones it makes in-house or by contract. It reports CSR checks during supplier qualification but only nine third-party supplier audits in 2023, with no findings disclosed. It accepts RMAP-audited smelters but does not publish a smelter list, and is not an RBA member. It has no living wage commitment. ASPI linked it to Uyghur labour transfers in 2020.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Not rated in the last Baptist World Aid Electronics Industry Report (2016, series ended). View |
| KnowTheChain | Unclear | Not among the leading companies named in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark summary. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 as linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Australian modern slavery statement found for ZTE. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierASPI named ZTE among 83 brands linked to factories that received Uyghur workers through government labour transfers, including Hubei Yihong Precision (2018) and Sichuan Mianyang Jingweida (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownNo public response or action by ZTE has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Uyghurs for sale (ASPI, 2020) · search the archive · ZTE among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers, incl. Hubei Yihong and Sichuan Mianyang Jingweida
- ZTE Supplier Management System · search the archive · 2023: 258 suppliers checked at qualification, 5 special audits and 9 third-party audits; no findings disclosed
- ZTE Conflict Minerals Management · search the archive · Accepts RMAP-certified smelters; GeSI member since 2011; no smelter list published
- ZTE opens W China smart device factory (China Daily, 2015) · search the archive · ZTE opened its own phone and tablet factory in Xi'an, China
- 1st Five Star 5G factory in China built in Nanjing (The Nanjinger, 2024) · search the archive · ZTE factory in Nanjing, China
- ZTE releases Sustainability Report 2025 (Light Reading) · search the archive · 2025 report covers supplier carbon audits; no labour audit results given
Published by ZTE or its owner
- ZTE Mobiles Australia · search the archive · ZTE devices sold in Australia through Telstra and Optus
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is ZTE ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/zte, 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 ZTE.