In order to combat climate change, many governments are now incentivising the market in electric vehicles (EV). Their batteries require cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and other minerals. However, the rush to increase the supply of these minerals has led to the rapid expansion of mines causing human rights abuses and environmental harm around the world.
In Recharge for Rights: Ranking the Human Rights Due Diligence Reporting of Leading Electric Vehicle Makers, Amnesty International has assessed 13 global brands. The report finds that most companies are not demonstrating sufficiently that they are meeting international human rights standards or even putting their own policies into action. The slow, ad-hoc pace of due diligence improvements across the industry demonstrates the need for legislation to drive meaningful change.