Category: Volkswagen

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/

“I would not want to argue that the promise of profits was so great that I had to look away while Uyghurs were annihilated.”


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/