Honor

How ethical and sustainable is Honor?

Honor, a mobile phone brand owned by Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd is given a low ethical rating by The Good Shopping Guide. Unfortunately, this brand receives a low score of 50 in our Ethical Mobile Phones Ratings Table.

Although Honor does not currently meet our Ethical Benchmark, we are hopeful that we will begin to see the brand make progress in the future. We would have extra confidence in this brand if it submitted itself to apply for Ethical Accreditation, as a result of which The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessments and recommendations on options for advancement in its CSR, ESG and ethics and sustainability policies and business practices.

To find out more about the ethics of the Mobile Phone sector, read our comprehensive article on the ethical issues faced and caused by the tech industry.

What does Honor do?

Honor was founded in 2013 as a sub-brand of Huawei with the goal of offering reduced products to a younger demographic than the parent company. Honor’s smartphone line enabled Huawei to compete with mid-range online smartphone brands in China and across the globe. Honor primarily markets its products virtually, although some Honor products are also available in limited markets through retail stores.

Due to US sanctions, the Honor brand was sold in November 2020 to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, a majority state-owned company controlled by the Shenzhen municipal government, to ‘ensure’ the survival of its then-parent company, Huawei. American companies were prohibited from selling computer hardware to Huawei as a result of US sanctions.

For which criteria does Honor perform poorly?

Honor and its parent company, Huawei, have been accused of numerous Human Rights abuses, which has resulted in a low Good Shopping Guide score.

For example, Huawei has conducted research into military security applications and has worked with the Chinese military on radios and artificial intelligence.

Other technology developed for the Chinese government includes parent company, Huawei’s surveillance systems. These engines use facial recognition to determine ethnicity: a so-called ‘Uyghur alarm’. A global outcry against Huawei has been prompted by the ‘Uyghur alarm’, which is intended to inform police if it detects a member of the minority group. Critics claim that the method might be employed to help the Chinese government violate the human rights of the Uyghur people. Huawei (Honor’s parent company) was also found to be one company out of many major brands who have been using Uyghur forced labour in their supply chain.

Huawei appears on this list of businesses that support the Burmese military in its ongoing human rights abuses and environmental degradation. Due to security concerns, the American government and other governments have imposed penalties and restrictions on Huawei.

In which areas does Honor perform well?

Parent company, Huawei, publishes a comprehensive Supplier Social Responsiblity Code of Conduct. Whilst their commitments to Human Rights may not be enacted in actuality, having a Code of Conduct helps ethical shoppers and researchers to call out hypocrisy and demand change.

Take a look at Huawei’s Environmental Report if you’re interested in their sustainability targets and achievements.

Huawei also runs several educational initiatives, including StorySign, a literacy program for deaf children.

How can Honor improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide score is determined by a number of ethical criteria, and Honor’s score is based on these criteria.

Honor has several issues to resolve in order to meet our minimum ethical standard and meet the requirements for Ethical Accreditation. The brand needs to prioritise the advancements in Conflict Minerals, Code of Conduct and Environmental Reports. Until signs of progress have been made this brand will not be eligible to receive Ethical Accreditation.

If you work for or with a Mobile Phone company that promotes ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation?

For more information on what The Good Shopping Guide can do for you, get in touch with us, or fill out our form for a quick ethical assessment. Otherwise, you can begin the procedure by completing our more detailed Ethical Accreditation application form. Learn why hundreds of companies have opted to receive The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation by reading our Benefits of Ethical Accreditation page.