This report is based on an analysis of the second edition of the Lead the Charge Leaderboard, which assessed 18 of the world’s leading automakers against over 80 indicators that evaluate their efforts to eliminate emissions, environmental harms, and human rights violations from their supply chains.
This assessment is published as a standalone assessment to facilitate its use as a tool for automakers, and other automotive supply chain stakeholders, in order to make informed decisions regarding their use of these accreditation schemes for the mining sites, smelters, refiners, steel and aluminum plants and other facilities in their supply chains.
Lead the Charge is a collaborative new initiative bringing together diverse local, national, and global organizations calling on automakers to radically transform their supply chains to be equitable, sustainable and 100% fossil free.
Supply chain transformation is a risk management imperative and opportunity for a competitive edge. Leading brands are already securing a first-mover advantage and leveraging their power to transform legacy supply chains into a force for good. The revolution is underway.
A massive, multi-billion-dollar nickel industrial complex in North Maluku and nearby nickel mining is violating the rights of local communities, including Indigenous Peoples, causing significant deforestation, air and water pollution, and emitting massive amounts of greenhouse gases from captive coal plants, Climate Rights International said in a report.
For the 124-page report, “Nickel Unearthed: The Human and Climate Costs of Indonesia’s Nickel Industry,” Climate Rights International interviewed 45 people living near smelting operations at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) and nearby nickel mines on the island of Halmahera. Local residents explained how companies, in coordination with Indonesian police and military personnel, have engaged in land grabbing, coercion, and intimidation of Indigenous Peoples and other communities, who are experiencing serious and potentially existential threats to their traditional ways of life.
Electric vehicle companies such as Tesla, Ford, and Volkswagen that have contracts to source nickel from Indonesia, including from companies with operations at IWIP, should immediately use their leverage to push suppliers to address harms to local communities and the environment, and if necessary, suspend sourcing nickel from companies responsible for such abuses.
Mercedes-Benz and H2 Green Steel have signed a binding agreement for the delivery of about 50.000 tonnes of green steel to the car maker’s European production annually. In a pioneer move Mercedes-Benz has also signed a memorandum of understanding with H2 Green Steel for the potential supply of green steel produced in North America.
GAIA has strong concerns about the current practices of battery lifecycle management. The unchecked production of toxic batteries with premature obsolescence, current end-of-life processing techniques (or “recycling”), and risks of…
Indonesia produces 48.8% of the world’s nickel, a quantity expected to grow further as demand for electric vehicles increases. With rising demand, companies are turning to lower-grade laterite nickel which…
General Motors announced in January 2023 that it will invest $650 million in Lithium Americas Corp. and will help the company develop its Thacker Pass lithium mining project, with the…
Tailings, the waste created after the ore is processed, are usually stored behind earthen dams. Tailings dams are some of the largest engineered structures on the planet. Research shows that…
EU Battery regulation In August 2023 the landmark European Battery Regulation went into force, setting product and end of life obligations for batteries placed on the EU market. The law…
The automotive industry employs millions of Americans and the fast-growing battery industry will soon employ hundreds of thousands. Whether these industries create quality jobs or if they participate in the…
The global market for green steel, or steel that is processed without relying on burning coal or energy derived from fossil fuels, is showing real promise with technological innovation slashing…