Huawei Technologies
Telecommunication products and support
Development, manufacture and sale of telecommunication products and the technical support and maintenance of electrical equipment and spare parts. One of China's largest telecommunications companies, with customers in 140 countries.

Overall

Owned CHN
Rating D
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
CHN
Huawei Investment & Holding Co Ltd
owns 100% of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
CHN
Information and communications technology
Global provider of end-to-end capabilities across carrier networks, enterprise, consumer and cloud computing fields. Founded in 1987 as a private company owned by its employees, and in 2012 became the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Jul 2024)
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Praise
CDP Climate Change score of A
In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change score of A.
Source: CDP (2023)
Information
D in Guide to Greener Electronics
This company received a grade of D in the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (Oct 2017), which assesses companies from the electronics industry across three impact areas: energy use, resource consumption, and chemical elimination. Of the 17 companies ranked, this company came eleventh. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Workers rights in China
This company is a client of Biel Crystal, supplier of 60% of the world's touchscreen cover glasses. This SACOM 2013 investigative report discovered serious labour rights abuses in Biel Crystal's Chinese factories including excessive working hours, military-style management, worker suicides and blank work contracts. Moreover, Biel Crystal's Shenzhen factory has been fined by the Shenzhen municipal government for 3 continuous years of polluting the environment. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
D+ grade at Behind the Barcode
D+ grade in the Baptist World Aid Australia's Behind the Barcode 'Ethical Electronics Guide 2016', which grades companies on their efforts to mitigate the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation throughout their supply chains. Assessment criteria fall into four main categories: policies, traceability & transparency, monitoring & training and worker rights. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Chemical poisoning of workers
The Poisonous Pearl is a 2016 report by Good Electronics which focuses on the experiences of (former) workers in the electronics industry in China who are victims of chemical poisoning. The health of all the workers in the report was damaged by exposure to hazardous chemicals such as benzene and n-hexane. All were working in large or small factories in the Pearl River Delta-region of China, an area well known as being a global hub for the production of consumer electronics (ICT). This company is supplied by factories in the region.
Source: SOMO (2016)
Workers rights in China
This 2016 investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals poor work conditions for Chinese workers making products for this company. Labour rights violations include excessive overtime, forced labour, low wages, inadequate training and working 3 months without a single day off. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Cobalt battery supply chain
A 2017 report by Amnesty International, 'Time to Recharge' ranks major electronics and car companies on how much they have improved their cobalt sourcing practices since January 2016. The report found that while a handful of companies have made progress, many are still not doing enough to stop human rights abuses entering their cobalt supply chains, even though their products could be linked to child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This company was rated 'no action taken'. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Bribery in Algeria
In 2012 this company was banned from tendering for state contracts in Algeria for two years and fined by a local court after being found guilty of bribing executives at the state owned telecoms network, Algerie Telecom.
Responsible Minerals Initiative member
This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.
Source: RMI (2019)
Responsible Business Alliance member
This company is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition), a non-profit coalition of electronics companies which supports the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities worldwide affected by the global electronics supply chain. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of RBA training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement in the social, environmental and ethical responsibility of their supply chains.
Source: RBA (2022)
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website.
GeSI member
This company is a member of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a leading source of impartial information, resources and best practices for achieving integrated social and environmental sustainability through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Source: GeSI (2016)
Repairability of devices
Engineers from ifixit.com disassembled and analysed a range of smartphones, tablets and laptops, awarding each a repairability score between one and ten. Ten is the easiest to repair. A device with a perfect score will be relatively inexpensive to repair because it is easy to disassemble and has a service manual available. Points are docked based on the difficulty of opening the device, the types of fasteners found inside, and the complexity involved in replacing major components. Points are awarded for upgradability, use of non-proprietary tools for servicing, and component modularity. Products released by this company between 2017 and 2020 scored between 4 and 7 points.
Huawei Investment & Holding Co Ltd
Praise
Supply chain practices in China
The Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) evaluates consumer-facing companies that have a sizeable supply chain in China. The evaluation uses government supervision data and public information to assess the environmental management of their supply chains in China. This company received a score of 57.82/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE (2023)
49.5% in Digital Inclusion Benchmark
The 2023 Digital Inclusion Benchmark ranks 200 companies on their responsibility to advance a more inclusive digital society. The companies were assessed using four measurement areas: access, skills, use and innovation. This company ranked #32/200, with a total score of 49.5/100.
Criticism
Involvement with Burma
This company appears on Burma Campaign UK's 'Dirty List' of companies assisting the Burmese military to continue to commit human rights violations and environmental destruction. Huawei is a Chinese communications technology company that has faced sanctions and restrictions from the American and other governments over security concerns. In Burma it works for the military owned Mytel mobile phone network, helping them develop their 5g network. Huwai also hosts apps for Mytel in its AppGallery. Huawai is also involved in the so-called 'Safe Cities' facial recognition monitoring system being installed in cities in Burma, which can be used by the military for the monitoring of activists and is a serious risk to human rights in the country. Huawei also helped facilitate the indirect purchase by Telenor of surveillance technology from German company, Utimaco which will enable the Burmese military to monitor Telenor customers.
17.4% in conflict minerals rankings
As You Sow's 2019 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 215 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was 17.4% (Weak).
Forced labour in China
The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including brands owned by this company. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 report estimates (somewhat conservatively) that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps.
Source: ASPI (2020)
3/20 in Social Benchmark
The 2024 Social Benchmark assesses the world's 2,000 most influential companies on their responsibility in meeting society's fundamental expectations towards three measurement areas: respecting human rights, providing decent work, and acting ethically. This company was assessed in 2023 and received a score of 3/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
Workers rights in China
A 2023 report by China Labor Watch investigated labour conditions in China's consumer electronics sector using three stages of research: analysis of social media posts, case studies through online research, and in-person factory investigation. Labour abuses in factories supplying this company were identified in multiple social media posts and a factory investigation. Labour abuses include excessive working hours, illegal use of student interns, wage theft and wage arrear, poor food and/or living conditions, high labour intensity, workplace bullying and verbal abuse, mandatory overtime, discrimination, deception, and sexual harassment.
Information
BHRRC company profile
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.
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Company Details

Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Subsidiaries:
Huawei Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd
Telecommunications infrastructure
Established in Australia in 2004, Huawei technology is used by all major Australian operators across both fixed and mobile networks, as well as by consumers and businesses. In 2012, around 50% of Australians used a Huawei product for some part of their telecommunications needs every day.

Contact Details

Address:
Shenzen, Guangdong, China
Website:
www.huawei.com

Products / Brands

Huawei Australia
Huawei Tablets
Huawei Smartphones
Huawei Wireless Earbuds
Huawei Laptops
Huawei Watch Fit Smartwatches