Ranking
Comparison
Total Score
Environment
Human Rights
Summary
Ford continues to be one of the strongest performers of the Leaderboard, coming in second place overall and scoring less than one percentage point less than Tesla, the top performer of the 2025 edition. However, Ford’s overall score improved by less than 1 percentage point this year. This has caused the company to lose its number one ranking from last year.
Ford remains among the top five performers in the fossil-free and environmentally sustainable supply chains section. However, in comparison to other top performers, it has not made significant progress in the past year, improving its score against 7 indicators across all four subsections.
While remaining at the top of the ranking on human rights, Ford’s overall performance in this area has been disappointing this year. The company lost points against several indicators for disclosing less information from its latest salient human rights risk assessment compared to previous years. Because of this, Ford’s overall performance on human rights dropped by 3 percentage points compared to 2024. The company is one of only three to regress on their human rights performance overall.
On the other hand, Ford has made significant, if nascent, progress on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, an area that was dragging the company’s score down in previous years. As a result, Ford achieved the largest score increase out of all 18 companies in this subsection.
Key Findings
- Despite some initial improvements on steel and aluminum decarbonization last year, only improved its score against two indicators (on steel recycling and purchase agreements for low carbon aluminum) across both of these subsections in the 2025 edition.
- Scored lower than many industry peers on the deforestation indicators, illustrating ample room for improvement in preparation for enhanced regulatory requirements.
- Continues to be the top scoring automaker on human rights, with a high level of disclosure on human rights due diligence policies and practices.
- Now includes an express commitment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior and Informed Consent in its Human Rights policy, with a new requirement for suppliers to respect these rights also incorporated into the company’s supplier code of conduct.
- Remains an industry leader on responsible mineral sourcing, achieving the highest percentage score of all human rights scores, across all companies, and outpacing Tesla, the second best achiever in this area, by more than 20 percentage points.
- One of very few automakers to reveal direct sourcing agreements for battery minerals, and to provide details on the human rights conditions for some of these agreements.
- After having achieved the highest score on workers’ rights in 2024, received a lower score for this subsection this year due to its failure to disclose information regarding participation of workers and their representatives in its latest workers’ rights risks assessment, and more limited disclosure on the findings of this assessment compared to previous years.
Score Breakdown
Fossil-Free & Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chains
General
Steel
Aluminum
Batteries
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Human Rights & Responsible Resourcing
General
Minerals
Indigenous' Rights
Workers' Rights
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Supply Chain News & Progress
Latest on Ford
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.
Illegal rare earth mining in Myanmar linked to supply chain of major automakers
A new report by Global Witness has documented the harmful impacts of illegal rare earth mining in Myanmar, linked to the supply chains of major automakers – including Volkswagen, Toyota, Tesla, Nissan, Ford and Hyundai.
Ford, Tesla and VW nickel partnerships in Indonesia linked to climate rights, environmental harms
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.
Ford signs agreements for various “low-carbon” and “zero-carbon” metals, including steel
Ford has established agreements for “low carbon” steel, ”low-carbon” battery and other metals, and a program to help suppliers eliminate their emissions.
Allegations of supply chain worker rights violations, forced labor and environmental degradation
Ford’s supply chains have been implicated in alleged worker rights violations, forced labor and environmental pollution affecting the health of local communities: see BHRRC for details and automaker responses.
Our Vision
01 — Equitably
Respecting and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, workers, and local communities throughout the supply chain.
02 — Sustainably
Preserving and restoring environmental health and biodiversity across supply chains, while reducing primary resource demand through efficient resource use and increased recycled content.
03 — Fossil-free
100% electric and made with a fossil fuel-free supply chain.