Automakers like Stellantis are falling behind in the 2026 Leaderboard because the company chose to disclose only supply chain-wide data on decarbonization progress for suppliers.
In 2026, EV supply chain leadership looks like Tesla’s level of detailed disclosure on every aspect of the company’s battery supply chain decarbonization efforts.
leadthecharge.org
However, Volvo remains one of the worst performers on Indigenous Peoples’ rights among European and U.S. automakers, with a score of just 6%. 3/3
Volvo increased its score by:
-Disclosing emissions from steel and aluminum for new #EV models
-Setting new targets for sustainable and low-carbon steel and aluminum procurement
-Improving practices on human rights due diligence, workers’ rights and transition mineral sourcing ⅔
🚗The 2026 @leadthecharge.bsky.social Leaderboard that evaluates 18 automakers on their efforts to eliminate emissions, environmental harms, and human rights violations from their supply chains is out.
#SteelDecarbonisation
Our case study in @leadthecharge.bsky.social's 2026 Leaderboard Report examines why emissions targets alone won’t drive 1.5°C-aligned transformation in #automotive.
We highlight transition targets to track real shifts: #EV sales, near-zero steel & aluminium, low-carbon batteries.
🔗 bit.ly/4ugAUiV
Report shows progress towards even cleaner EV supply chains, Tesla leads
Report shows progress towards even cleaner EV supply chains, Tesla leads #ev
Read the case study on page 32 of the new Lead the Charge Leaderboard: leadthecharge.org/wp-content/u... 4/4
Transition-specific alignment targets can help automakers tell the story of their progress toward clean and just supply chains, and how upcoming standard-setting processes in 2026 create a key opportunity to introduce automotive sector-specific transition targets for standard setters. 3/4
Our new case study, released in partnership with @newclimate.bsky.social, demonstrates how transition-specific alignment targets allow automakers to measure their progress against relevant benchmarks. 2/4
Top-ranked automakers are leading by making specific, targeted interventions in real-world auto supply chains, rather than relying on generic policies & commitments on climate & human rights that obscure whether companies are making any real progress in transforming their dirty supply chains. 1/4
Volvo maintains a large lead over industry peers in their steel and aluminum decarbonization performance, and is the only company that has published disaggregated emissions data from steel, aluminum and batteries at the vehicle-model level.
Learn more at leadthecharge.org
Tesla increased its score by becoming the first automaker to disclose concrete examples of remedy provided to supply chain workers for violations of their rights. 4/5
Ford increased its score by setting a new supply chain emissions reduction target and publishing new lifecycle assessments with disaggregated data for battery supply chain emissions. 3/5
Tesla, Ford and Volvo lead the pack in this year’s Leaderboard, standing out due to the impactful and sophisticated supply chain practices these companies have adopted. 2/5
The 2026 Leaderboard reveals that there are 2 types of automakers.
1️⃣ Automakers leading the charge to clean and just auto supply chains through targeted, specific interventions.
2️⃣ Automakers that rely on generic decarbonization and human rights commitments that obscure underperformance. 1/5
This year’s Leaderboard will reveal which automakers are leading the charge by transforming their supply chains with targeted interventions and which are coasting, hiding behind generic commitments.
Don’t miss the release of the new Leaderboard, March 4th at 6 am EST!
leadthecharge.org
We'll cover:
→ Which automakers are leading - and which are falling behind
→ Where concrete progress is happening in EV supply chains
→ How performance varies across regions
→ Why regulatory rollbacks now risk slowing or reversing these gains 2/2
Eager to hear the results of the 4th annual Leaderboard? Join us for a webinar with @Franziska Grüning of @transportenvironment.org, Vuyisile Ncube of @earthworks.bsky.social & Wenjie Liu of the Sunrise Project.
March 4th, 2026
10:30 am CET
www.transportenvironment.org/events/lead-... 1/2
This month in the Lead the Charge newsletter:
- A step by step guide for automakers to ensure respect for Indigenous Peoples' rights in their supply chains
- Demand for green steel is growing - but false solutions are creating traps for automakers
- World’s first sodium-ion EV debuts
According to the @ieefainstitute.bsky.social, Europe has already lost the race to dominate the solar and battery industries to China - and green steel is next.
ieefa.org/resources/mo...
Demand for EVs is exploding in Indonesia - but because of a corporate strategy that has the company prioritizing sales of gas vehicles in Global South nations while going electric in the Global North, Hyundai has shut itself out of this growing market. #EVsky
www.linkedin.com/posts/greenp...
False solutions keep emissions and financial risk alive:
❌ Biomass
❌ Hydrogen injection in blast furnaces
❌ Offsetting and unproven CCUS
Despite this, 19 out of 20 major banks are still financing false solutions, and many automakers are supporting steelmakers that employ them. 4/4
Real solutions eliminate fossil fuels and build future-ready industry:
✔️ Electric Arc Furnaces
✔️ Green hydrogen-based DRI
✔️ Molten Oxide Electrolysis
✔️ Demand reduction
3/4
Some steel decarbonization practices risk locking in fossil fuels, driving deforestation, worsening air and water pollution, and delaying a real shift away from carbon-intensive production, while increasing stranded asset risk and slowing industrial competitiveness. 2/4
Nearly every major automaker is working to source #greensteel for their supply chains. But not all steel decarbonization solutions are legitimate.
Learn more from @banktrack.bsky.social’s false solutions tracker here: shrtlink.ai/SteelFalseSo... 1/4
We’d like to see Hyundai move past the blast furnace entirely, but this move still represents encouraging progress toward steel decarbonization by the world’s only automaker that produces its own steel.
biz.chosun.com/en/en-indust...
🧑💻Make the circular ‘operating system’ work through better industry-wide solutions such as data sharing and clear policies that keep products and materials in circulation.
