Toyota Ranked Near Bottom in Automaker Supply Chain Emissions Report

Environmental groups say Toyota lags behind competitors in decarbonizing supply chain and addressing human rights issues.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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A coalition of environmental, climate, and human rights groups has ranked 18 of the world's largest automakers on their efforts to eliminate carbon emissions, environmental harms, and human rights violations from their supply chains. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, was ranked near the bottom of the list, underscoring the company's persistent difficulty in cleaning up its supply chain practices.

Why it matters

As consumers and regulators increasingly demand that companies address environmental and social impacts across their entire operations, Toyota's poor performance in this ranking highlights the challenges the company faces in meeting these expectations. The report suggests Toyota is falling behind competitors like Tesla, Ford, and Volvo in adopting more sustainable and ethical supply chain practices.

The details

The rankings were compiled by Lead the Charge, a global coalition of climate, environment, and human rights organizations. Since the leaderboard started in 2023, automakers have nearly doubled their score on supply chain impacts, but no company has achieved even a 50% score on clean supply chains. Tesla came the closest with 49%. The group cited progress by Ford, Volvo, Mercedes, and Volkswagen in areas like decarbonizing steel and aluminum production and increasing transparency around raw material sourcing. In contrast, Toyota and Chinese state-owned automakers like GAC and SAIC were said to have 'made little to no progress' on these issues.

  • The Lead the Charge rankings have been published annually since 2023.

The players

Lead the Charge

A global coalition of leading climate, environment, and human rights organizations that includes the Sierra Club, The Sunrise Project, and Public Citizen, among others.

Toyota

The world's largest automaker, which was ranked near the bottom of the Lead the Charge supply chain emissions and human rights ranking.

Tesla

An American electric vehicle company that ranked near the top of the Lead the Charge supply chain ranking, with a 49% score.

Ford

An American automaker that ranked among the top companies in the Lead the Charge supply chain ranking for its progress in decarbonizing and improving transparency.

Volvo

A Swedish automaker that ranked among the top companies in the Lead the Charge supply chain ranking for its investments in decarbonizing steel and aluminum production.

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The takeaway

Toyota's poor performance in this supply chain emissions and human rights ranking underscores the challenges the world's largest automaker faces in meeting growing expectations around environmental and social responsibility. As competitors like Tesla, Ford, and Volvo make progress, Toyota will need to significantly accelerate its efforts to decarbonize its supply chain and address human rights issues if it wants to keep pace with the industry.