Better Health for All

iRobot's Roomba and Braava robots, particularly with high-efficiency filters and Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal, can trap 99% of dog and cat dander allergens, pollen, and mold, which can help allergy sufferers.

However, the iRobot Clean Base for Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum was subject to a recall starting December 21, 2020, due to an electrical hazard if the Clean Base ingests a significant volume of liquid. As of December 8, 2020, there were no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada related to this issue, but 11,971 units were sold in Canada between July 2018 and March 2020. Consumers were advised to immediately stop using the product and contact iRobot for a free repair. The company also partners with The Clubhouse Network, which serves young people in low-income communities across 100+ Clubhouses in 21 countries, through its #iRobotFor campaign. This campaign aims to increase accessibility of STEM education by donating up to 300 Root coding robots and training sessions, with one robot donated for every 15 hours a connected Roomba or Braava jet cleans.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

iRobot Corporation is a consumer goods company that designs, develops, manufactures, and sells robots.

The company does not offer lending, deposit, or other financial services to consumers. Therefore, all KPIs related to financial products, services, and their impact on economic opportunity for underserved populations are not applicable to its core business model. Evidence regarding iRobot lowering prices due to competition refers to the price of its robots, not financial products. Similarly, increased spending on development is general R&D, not specifically reinvestment in community finance.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company's voluntary employee turnover rate was 1.07%.

In 2024, the CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 60:1, with the CEO's total compensation at $7,249,306 and the median employee pay at $120,060. The overall employee rating from reviews was 3.4 out of 5 stars, which translates to 68%.

Kind to Animals

iRobot has a global corporate ban on all animal testing across every product category, and no animals have been used in any testing protocols since 2010, with annual external audits confirming compliance. The company's core business of manufacturing robots does not involve animal testing operations, making the 'alt_testing_usage' KPI N/A. However, iRobot has invested significant resources in developing AI for its Roomba j7+ to recognize and avoid pet waste, training its systems on 'many, many thousands' of Play-Doh models

and 'hundreds of thousands of images of real, fake, and simulated dog and cat waste'. While this demonstrates innovation, no specific percentage of R&D budget allocated to animal-free technologies is provided, making the 'innovation_investment_pct' KPI N/A.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

iRobot supports language inclusivity in its products, with the iRobot Coding App now supporting Spanish, French, German, Czech, and Japanese.

The company has established formal partnerships with organizations such as The Partnership Inc., AfroTech, and The Clubhouse Network. However, these partnerships are not explicitly with indigenous or local community groups as defined by the rubric, leading to a score of 0 for this KPI. No cultural appropriation incidents have been reported, and the company's operations do not inherently require cultural impact assessment protocols, FPIC processes, or specific community representation on governance bodies. There is no evidence of specific cultural preservation investment or a cultural incident response framework.

Safe & Smart Tech

In January 2023, a report revealed a Roomba recorded an image of a woman on a toilet in 2020, with screenshots appearing on Facebook.

iRobot confirmed this was from a test run where participants consented to recordings for training. The company has a formal AI ethics policy, requiring express opt-in consent from users for their Roomba j-Series robots to send photos of perceived obstacles for training purposes, and initial AI training uses images from test home environments, not customer data. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, and robot information is stored separately from customer information for de-identification. There are no documented incidents of unauthorized data use. Users have strong control over their data, including the ability to opt-out of sharing personal information for advertising, request data copies, control device data collection, correct or delete information, and choose not to transmit map data. Users are advised to use two-factor authentication and strong passwords. iRobot runs a private bug bounty program and manages vulnerabilities. An independent cybersecurity firm found no issues during rigorous testing of the Roomba Vacuum i3 in 2022. Users can limit their robot vacuum's data sharing. iRobot is transparent about how its AI works, providing public explanations. The company's data use was previously governed by federal and state privacy statutes in the US, and it has an online Privacy Policy.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

iRobot's packaging is 93% paper-based by weight and is recyclable.

The company reported a 12.3% reduction in manufacturing waste in 2022. iRobot has a target to achieve an additional 5% to 7% reduction in manufacturing waste by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. The company provides customers with tips and guidelines on how to use and maintain their devices in an eco-friendly manner. iRobot has had no waste disposal violations in the past three years.