Huawei

How ethical is Huawei?

Huawei, 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 Good Shopping Guide Ethical Score in our Ethical Mobile Phones Ratings Table and has therefore not yet met our minimum Ethical Benchmark.

In which areas does Huawei perform poorly? 

As a result of Huawei’s frequent violations of human rights, they received a low rating from The Good Shopping Guide. 

For instance, Huawei has cooperated with the Chinese military to develop radios and artificial intelligence while also researching military security applications.

Huawei and the Uyghur genocide

Other technology created for the Chinese government includes the surveillance systems produced by Huawei. These algorithms employ facial recognition technology to detect ethnicity, setting off a so-called “Uyghur alarm.” The “Uyghur alarm,” which is designed to alert authorities if it recognises a member of the minority group, has sparked a worldwide backlash against Huawei. Critics assert that the technique might be used to support the Chinese government’s abuses of the Uyghur people’s human rights. It was also discovered that Huawei is one of many well-known companies that has been using Uyghur forced labour in its supply chain.

Huawei and Burma’s military

On this list of companies supporting the Burmese military’s continued violations of human rights and environmental damage is Huawei. The American government and other nations have penalised and restricted Huawei because of security worries.

Mining the Disclosures (DRC), a report by As You Sow, conducted a comprehensive analysis of 215 firms’ human rights policies in relation to conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019. Huawei scored poorly in this analysis, receiving 17.4%.

In which areas does Huawei perform well?

A Supplier Social Responsibility Code of Conduct is published by Huawei. Having a code of conduct makes it easier for ethical consumers and researchers to point out hypocrisy and demand change, even though its commitments to human rights may not be implemented in reality.

If you’re curious about Huawei’s sustainability goals and accomplishments, have a peek at its Environmental Report. In 2020, Huawei’s CO2 emissions per million RMB of sales income fell by 33.2% from the base year (2012), reaching the target that the company set in 2016.

A literacy programme for children who are d/Deaf, called StorySign is one of the educational programmes Huawei also manages.

How can the Huawei brand improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide’s score results from 15 ethical criteria in relation to Huawei. To reach our Ethical Benchmark and qualify for our Ethical Accreditation, Huawei has several issues to deal with, including its Human Rights abuses and involvement in military activity.

If your mobile phone brand values ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide‘s Ethical Accreditation? Increase customer and investor confidence and stand out from the greenwash.