Category: Human Rights Due Diligence

Questions to Volkswagen following publication of audit results

Update from 19.01.2024: Volkswagen’s answers are now also published here under the respective questions.

Dear Madam or Sir,

We, the undersigned organizations, note the publication of the ESG audit results of the SAIC Volkswagen plant undertaken by Löning- Human Rights & Responsible Business GmbH. In our letter dated July 11, 2023, we expressed our extensive concerns about the credibility of an audit in the Uyghur Region.

Following the publication of the audit findings, staff from Löning posted a statement on LinkedIn, distancing themselves from the audit, claiming “no other team member from Löning participated in, supported or backed this project.” Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/volkswagen-en/questions-to-volkswagen-following-publication-of-audit-results/

Forced labour risks at Volkswagen: Audit ignores repressive environment in China

  • Credible and independent audit not possible in the Uyghur region
  • Audit seems to ignore repressive political context
  • Volkswagen must take effective and preventive measures against forced labour risks in the entire supply chain

On December 5, 2023, Volkswagen AG published the results of its long-awaited audit of the VW SAIC plant in Urumchi, the capital of the Uyghur region of Xinjiang/East Turkistan. The audit was to be carried out by the consultancy firm of the former Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Markus Löning (Loening- Human Rights & Responsible Business GmbH), which commissioned a law firm in Shenzhen to carry out the audit. Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/volkswagen-en/forced-labour-risks-at-volkswagen-audit-ignores-repressive-environment-in-china/

Open letter to Volkswagen with questions about the announced audit of the Volkswagen SAIC plant in Urumchi, China

Dear Madam or Sir,

Volkswagen has announced that it will have the Volkswagen SAIC plant in Urumchi, China, audited. According to media reports, chief executive officer Oliver Blume announced during a conference call with investors on June 21, 2023 that Volkswagen plans “a transparent, independent external audit to provide full transparency to the public”[1].

In general, we welcome that Volkswagen takes the risk of potential human rights violations at the Volkswagen SAIC plant seriously. However, there is serious evidence of forced labor in relation to Volkswagen’s supply chains. In December 2022, Sheffield Hallam University published a comprehensive report that extensively documented the widespread use of Uyghur forced labor in automotive supply chains, including Volkswagen suppliers[2]. Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/volkswagen-en/open-letter-to-volkswagen-with-questions-about-the-announced-audit-of-the-volkswagen-saic-plant-in-urumchi-china/

Self-assessment demonstrates that Nornickel does not comply with international social and environmental standards

Statement on Nornickel’s IRMA self-assessment by a coalition of Indigenous Rights leaders and non-governmental organizations

  • According to Nornickel’s own claims, the self-assessment found significant shortcomings with respect to environmental and social standards, preventing a desirable, higher rating within the IRMA standard
  • An international coalition of Indigenous Peoples, environmental and human rights organizations urges Nornickel to publish the results of its self-assessment and to clearly identify corrective actions

Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) announced in March 2023 that the company had completed a self-assessment against the IRMA (Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance) Standard. The self-assessment is an initial, necessary step to begin the assessment process under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/human-rights-due-diligence/self-assessment-demonstrates-that-nornickel-does-not-comply-with-international-social-and-environmental-standards/

Online event: Responsible Mining And The Right To Say No

You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hsq3upRsA8

Registration by email to dachverband[at]kritischeaktionaere.de

The mining industry is under greater pressure to demonstrate that it can extract raw materials in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) places particular emphasis on the participation of mining-affected communities and respect for the rights of indigenous communities. Is this just another fig leaf for the industry to continue as before, or are there real chances to be able to implement the Right To Say No – not only for indigenous people?

However, one challenge is that communities can also articulate and implement their own alternatives. Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/human-rights-due-diligence/online-event-responsible-mining-and-the-right-to-say-no/

Civil Society Position Statement on the proposed EU regulation on deforestation-free products

We, the undersigned organisations, welcome the European Commission’s proposalfor a new EU regulation on deforestation-free products. This proposal represents an essential step forward in global environmental governance and a huge opportunity to minimise the EU’s impacts on people and planet in line with its commitments on climate, biodiversity and human rights. It is now up to the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and improve the essential elements of the Commission’s proposal and deliver a strong and ambitious law that meets the high expectations of EU citizens. To that end, we call on the European Parliament and Member States to ensure the current proposal is strengthened to include:

  1. Strong sustainability requirements based on objective criteria that ensure no goods linked to deforestation or forest degradation, as foreseen in the Commission’s proposal, but also to the conversion of other natural ecosystems or human rights violations, may be placed on or exported from the EU market.
Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/human-rights-due-diligence/civil-society-position-statement-on-the-proposed-eu-regulation-on-deforestation-free-products/

Nornickel’s ruthless business model and the responsibility of German corporations

German corporations must demand that Russian extractive company Nornickel respect indigenous rights and environmental standards – or end business deals

After more than 21,000 tons of diesel leaked from a power plant tank in May 2020, causing the largest oil spill in the Russian Arctic to date, the company responsible, Nornickel (Norilsk Nickel), had to pay Russia’s highest fine to date.

In the satellite image, diesel oil spilled in the Ambarnaya River on May 31, 2020 is easily recognizable by its red color.

ESA, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

But this is still a long way from repairing the damage, let alone addressing the causes. Weiterlesen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/human-rights-due-diligence/nornickels-ruthless-business-model-and-the-responsibility-of-german-corporations/