Amnesty International gives EV makers low marks for human rights policies

Automakers aren’t doing enough to identify and prevent human rights abuses along supply chains for EV batteries, Amnesty International warns in a new report.

The charity ranked 13 of the world’s largest EV manufacturers, giving each a score based on its human rights policies and practices. BYD, one of the leading companies in global EV sales, and Mitsubishi scored the worst. They scored just 11 and 13, respectively, out of 90 points possible. Mercedes-Benz and Tesla scored the highest — earning 51 and 49, respectively.

The scores are still pretty grim across the board, though, showing how much work the industry has to do to protect workers and communities near mines. None of the companies included in the report show that they are “conducting adequate human rights due diligence” when it comes to supply chains for key materials used in EV batteries, the report says.

“Even the better-performing companies have significant room for improvement,” says Quynh Tran, a researcher in the business and human rights team at Amnesty International. “The shift to EVs should not come at the cost of human rights violations.”

The scores reflect how prepared each company is to identify and deal with potential human rights abuses tied to supply chains for cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel. Demand for these materials is expected to skyrocket as countries try to meet climate goals by encouraging EV adoption. Without safeguards in place, Amnesty International says the rush to mine those materials could push people off their land, violate Indigenous peoples’ rights, and lead to dangerous working conditions.

The charity assessed each company based on information they’ve made public about their human rights policies. Companies earned points for actions they’ve taken, ranging from committing to respect human rights to actually responding to potential abuses. The report bases its standards on internationally recognized guidelines, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“A higher score does not mean that the company’s supply chain is free from human rights abuses. Rather, it reflects that the company is more transparent about the possible risks and more proactive in its approach to address those risks,” Tran says.

Companies need to more transparently map out their supply chains, Amnesty International says. That includes disclosing which mines, smelters, and refiners they source their battery materials from. “Otherwise, it’s very difficult to really know what is going on,” Tran says.

Engaging communities affected by mining is another key issue. Most of the companies assessed lacked policies that align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), according to the report. That includes the right to free, prior, and informed consent to projects affecting Indigenous peoples’ lands or resources.

Governments can also play a crucial role through policies that mandate environmental and human rights assessments and safeguards. Tran says he was surprised to find more consistency in transparency among European carmakers compared to US manufacturers, which he says could be due to a stronger regulatory framework in the EU.

The breakdown for each company’s score can be found within the report, along with the company’s response to Amnesty International. Three companies did not respond to Amnesty International: BYD, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi. The Verge reached out to the 13 companies, and most of them did not provide an on-the-record response before time of publishing.

Ford pointed to its latest sustainability report and a LinkedIn post by vice president and chief sustainability, environment, and safety officer Bob Holycross that says, “We are proud of our efforts around transparency, as well as our work in protecting and elevating human rights broadly. But we also know there is absolutely more that needs to be done.”

“In our sustainable business strategy, we have formulated our goals for respecting human rights. Although not all goals have been achieved yet, we are on a good path and have already implemented many measures,” Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Andrea Berg said in an email.

“We have regular, fair, and transparent discussions with Amnesty. This was also the case during the preparation of the report just published, in which the results of Renault Group are not up to our ambitions,” Renault Group corporate communications manager François Rouget said in an email. “Our discussions with Amnesty enable us to improve our response to their expectations.”

Tran says he has more meetings scheduled with Renault and Nissan to discuss human rights policies and hopes to connect with the other companies in the future, too.

“Regardless of the technology, the need to ensure that human rights are respected throughout supply chains is very important,” Tran says. “This is the way we can achieve a truly sustainable and fair transition to green technologies.”