"Workers at Chinese factory that produces Labubu toys are being exploited, says NGO", The Guardian, 13 January 2026

CLW sent investigators to Shunjia Toys in Xinfeng county in Jiangxi, a factory that employs more than 4,500 people, over three months in 2025. The researchers interviewed more than 50 employees, including three under the age of 18. All of the workers were working exclusively on Labubus.

The researchers found that the factory employed workers aged 16 to 18, which is legal under Chinese law, but only with special protections such as prohibitions on dangerous or strenuous work. The 16- to 18-year-old workers at Shunjia had been assigned to standard assembly line positions with no difference in workload or production targets to adult workers.

“The underage workers also generally did not understand the nature of the contracts they signed, and had no clear concept of their legal status when asked,” CLW’s report said.

The investigation also found that workers routinely signed blank labour contracts. [...] details of the working conditions, such as the contract’s term, the job content, the salary and social insurance details were left “blank and unexplained”.

“Workers were given no more than five minutes to complete the process and were told explicitly not to read or fill in other sections,” CLW said.

Reflecting the soaring demand of the toys, workers said they were given unrealistic production targets, with a team of 25-30 workers being required to assemble at least 4,000 Labubus a day. Chinese labour law limits monthly overtime to 36 hours, but CLW found that workers often worked more than 100 additional hours each month.

A spokesperson for Pop Mart said: “At Pop Mart, we take the welfare and safety of workers at our [original equipment manufacturers] factories very seriously. We conduct regular, standardised audits of our OEM supply chain partners, including annual independent third-party audits carried out by internationally recognised professional audit firms.

“We appreciate the information brought to our attention and are currently investigating the matter. Going forward, Pop Mart will continue to strengthen supply chain audit and oversight mechanisms. Should the findings be substantiated, we will firmly require the relevant partners to implement comprehensive corrective actions in accordance with local laws and regulations.”

Shunjia Toys could not be reached for comment.