Intertek is screened out under 3 exclusion reasons spanning 1 issue category.
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. It is a statement of values.
Intertek provides social compliance auditing services to global supply chains, certifying that factories meet labor standards. In this role, the company has faced specific allegations of failing to detect forced labor and protect migrant workers. In Malaysia, Intertek auditors reportedly failed to identify forced labor conditions at a glove factory supplying major international brands. In Thailand, the company has been cited for allegations of not providing adequate compensation to migrant workers from Myanmar. The Solidarity Center and other labor rights organizations have criticized Intertek and the broader auditing industry for systemic failures to protect vulnerable migrant workers, particularly in Southeast Asian supply chains, where indicators of forced labor—such as debt bondage, restriction of movement, and withholding of documents—are prevalent.
Intertek Group PLC, a global testing, inspection, and certification company, faces a substantive legal challenge arising from its role as a social auditor. In May 2024, Labour Behind the Label organized a demonstration outside Intertek's AGM in London over claims that social audits Intertek conducted at VK Garment in Thailand failed to detect forced labor conditions in a factory producing jeans for Tesco. As of the AGM date, 130 former VK Garment workers were pursuing legal action against both Tesco and Intertek, with the claim grounded in negligence — specifically, that its audit process failed to protect the workers despite being engaged precisely to perform that function. The structural problem is that as a social audit firm, Intertek is paid by brands to certify supply chain compliance, creating an inherent conflict of interest in which the auditor's continued business relationship depends on delivering clean audit results.
Intertek Group PLC faces a live legal action brought by 130 former Burmese migrant workers who allege that Intertek's social audits of VK Garment factory in Thailand failed to detect — and thereby enabled — forced labour exploitation. According to a May 2024 press release from Labour Behind the Label, the workers are suing both Tesco and Intertek for the conditions they faced while manufacturing jeans for the Tesco supply chain. Campaigners staged a demonstration outside Intertek's annual general meeting in London on May 24, 2024, where Labour Behind the Label read a statement from the affected workers and asked Intertek's board whether it would settle the suit and meet directly with workers.
The legal theory is significant: the workers are not merely claiming that conditions at VK Garment were dangerous, but that Intertek bore professional responsibility for certifying the factory as compliant while the violations persisted. Intertek's business model is premised on providing assurance that supply chains meet labor and safety standards. If courts find that its audits negligently cleared a facility where forced labour was occurring, the company faces both direct liability and a reputational challenge that goes to the core of its commercial value proposition.
Research Sources
1 organization
Related Exclusions
Wondering what we do invest in?
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.