Ford, Mercedes and Tesla have the least problematic EV provide chains

Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla take the highest three spots in a brand new rating of 18 world automakers primarily based on their efforts to remove carbon emissions, environmental hurt and human rights violations from their provide chains. US automakers particularly have made essentially the most progress in cleansing up their provide chains, with Tesla displaying the biggest improve of all automakers.

The rating was compiled by Lead the Cost, a world coalition of main local weather, environmental and human rights organizations, together with the Sierra Membership, The Dawn Mission and Public Citizen, amongst others. The group started evaluating automaker provide chains final yr with the purpose of releasing an up to date rating annually.

General, automakers have made nice progress in cleansing up their provide chains, notably round human rights due diligence and metal decarbonization. The group additionally discovered proof that EU rules are having a optimistic affect on automakers around the globe.

American automakers confirmed essentially the most progress, with Ford topping the leaderboard with a rating of 42 p.c, surpassing final yr's winner Mercedes. Tesla, which solely not too long ago started reporting numbers on its provide chain emissions, achieved the most important rating improve, leaping from ninth to 3rd place. Nonetheless, the report reveals giant gaps within the human rights practices of automakers, notably on indigenous rights, the place no progress was made, even by high scorers like Ford and Mercedes.

Toyota and Honda had been among the many worst-performing automakers this yr, together with Kia and Nissan. The group slammed corporations for gradual progress on the transition to EVs, whereas additionally ignoring provide chain emissions and indigenous rights.

The group concludes that general progress to 2023 was “weak”, and and not using a extra severe effort to curb carbon emissions and extra forcefully embrace human rights, the auto business dangers lacking its local weather targets.

“The general common rating was solely 19 p.c, and no firm scored greater than 50 p.c throughout the entire variety of indicators,” the report stated. “Moreover, a 3rd of automakers assessed have nonetheless not taken concrete motion on metal and aluminum decarbonization, whereas the typical rating in indicators on accountable transition mineral sourcing, indigenous peoples’ rights and staff’ rights is just 2 proportion factors increased.” has elevated, 11 out of 18 automakers proceed to attain 0 p.c on the rights of indigenous individuals.”

Some automakers imagine extra must be completed to cut back environmental harm whereas defending staff and indigenous individuals. A local weather report launched final yr by Polestar and Rivian indicated that, regardless of the huge rollout of latest EVs and hybrids within the coming years, the worldwide automotive business continues to be “far off” from the trail to lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions . The targets set by the Paris Settlement.