In recent days, Rivian has been pressured by SOC Investment Group, a union-affiliated pension fund advisor, regarding its environmental and human rights policies , as reported by Reuters . This emerging automotive company, the most successful in the market so far thanks to the investment of other powerful companies such as Amazon and Ford , faces the demands of this organization concerned about the way Rivian handles such issues in its supply chain. The demands of SOC Investements Group reached Rivian through a letter that was sent to its board of directors last Wednesday.
This letter was also sent to Reuters, who shared some excerpts: “Failure to address potential human rights abuses and environmental damage associated with the battery life cycle exposes Rivian to significant regulatory, litigation and risk risks. reputation ”, declared in the letter the CEO of SOC, Dieter Waizenegger, demanding a prompt response from the manufacturer and setting, as a deadline, November 3 of this year, before the company introduces its public offering (IPO) , which will be a huge success according to experts forecast.
In short, SOC Investment Group requires Rivian to monitor its supply chain and implement policies that prevent human rights violations or environmental impact , two issues deeply related to the exploitation of heavy metals in mines located mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In recent years, batteries for electric cars have generated the claim of environmental groups and human rights defenders , due to everything that is behind its production : the use of child labor in the extraction of its components, the inhumane conditions of the mines and work sites and the polluting emissions typical of mining, among other situations that counteract its benefits.
In recent days, Tesla, Rivian’s main competitor, stated that It will use other components for its standard range cars with the intention of making them more affordable and also curbing these types of abuses which, although they occur a long way from the industry, are caused by their demand for energy.
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