Volkswagen Group of America — Ethics Grade D

Volkswagen Group of America receives an overall ethics grade of D (32/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Automotive. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 55
• privacy: 75
• consumer: 30
• environment: 48
• humanRights: 15

Documented incidents (3)

• Forced labor allegations in China (high, 2022) — The company faced intense scrutiny over its plant in Urumqi, with human rights groups alleging that VW benefited from Uighur forced labor programs in the region.
• Greenwashing advertising claims (medium, 2023) — Regulators investigated the company for marketing strategies that overstated the environmental benefits of their transitional hybrid models post-Dieselgate.
• Cobalt mining in Congo (medium, 2021) — VW's supply chain for EV batteries was linked to unethical cobalt mining practices in the DRC, involving child labor and hazardous working conditions.

Documented good deeds

• Massive EV investment — The company pledged 180 billion euros over five years to battery production and EV software to transition away from combustion engines.

Ethical alternatives

• Volvo Car AB — Leads in safety and has a clearer ethical supply chain tracking system.