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/
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/
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/
Speech by Kendyl Salcito, Executive Director of NomoGaia
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Board of Management, dear Supervisory Board,
I am Kendyl Salcito, the Executive Director of NomoGaia and the co-author of the report Driving Force. This report links automotive supply chains to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where Crimes Against Humanity are underway. My comments have been translated into German by colleagues.
VW has positioned itself to lead western automakers into the EV era, investing heavily in a green future. Its business development strategy prioritizes China first, followed by Europe and North America. China has mandated a green transition, and it is already VW’s largest single market representing over a third of global sales and fully 38% of production facilities. Weiterlesen
Permanent link to this article: https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/en/volkswagen-en/i-would-not-want-to-argue-that-the-promise-of-profits-was-so-great-that-i-had-to-look-away-while-uyghurs-were-annihilated/
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