Read the report: https://www.hrw.org/node/379224
(Washington, DC, July 22, 2021) – Automobile companies need to do more to address abuses in their aluminum supply chains and the bauxite mines they source from, Human Rights Watch and Inclusive Development International said in a report released today. Car manufacturers used nearly a fifth of all aluminum consumed worldwide in 2019 and they are forecast to double their aluminum consumption by 2050 as they transition to electric vehicles.
The 63-page report, “Aluminum: The Car Industry’s Blind Spot – Why Car Companies Should Address the Human Rights Impact of Aluminum Production,” describes the global supply chains that connect car manufacturers to mines, refineries, and smelters from countries including Guinea, Ghana, Brazil, China, Malaysia, and Australia. Based on meetings and correspondence with nine major car companies – BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Groupe PSA (now part of Stellantis), Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo – Human Rights Watch and Inclusive Development International assessed how the auto industry addresses the human rights impacts of aluminum production, from the destruction of farmland and damage to water sources caused by mines and refineries to the significant carbon emissions from aluminum smelting. Three other companies – BYD, Hyundai, and Tesla – did not respond to requests for information.
Voiceover: Aimee Stevens
Animator: Win Edson
Producer: Chandler Spaid, Jim Wormington
Photographs: Western Australian Alliance, Ricci Shyrock, Arocha, Getty
Music: Artlist
For more Inclusive Development International reporting on the aluminum industry, please visit:
https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/policy-advocacy/advancing-the-respect-for-human-rights-and-the-environment-in-the-aluminum-industry/
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Guinea, please visit: https://www.hrw.org/africa/guinea
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