Toyota , despite being the world’s largest automaker, ranks near the bottom of a new survey assessing automakers’ efforts at sustainable supply chains. According to the fourth annual ranking by Lead the Charge , a global alliance of environmental and humanitarian organizations, Tesla , Ford and Volvo occupy the top three spots, while Toyota is in the bottom three along with Chinese state-owned companies such as GAC and SAIC .
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The ranking evaluates 18 of the world's largest automakers based on their efforts to eliminate emissions, environmental damage and human rights abuses from their supply chains. The research was compiled by Lead the Charge, a coalition that includes organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Sunrise Project and Public Citizen.
Since the rankings began, automakers have nearly doubled their scores on the environmental and humanitarian impacts of their supply chains. Twice as many companies have taken steps to respect the rights of indigenous peoples compared to when the study began. However, no automaker has even achieved 50% score on clean supply chains, with Tesla coming closest at 49%.
Toyota , often criticized by environmentalists, is near the bottom of the list, despite remaining the world's largest automaker with 10.42 million units sold annually. The company has made little or no progress in areas such as decarbonizing steel and aluminum or responsibly sourcing minerals.
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While Toyota has outlined plans for several new EVs recently, it still has a long way to go to reach the climate and humanitarian records of companies like Tesla and Ford.
The difference in market valuation is striking: Tesla is valued at $1.56 trillion, while Toyota at $317.4 billion. This valuation gap reflects how investors prioritize future opportunities over current production scale, particularly in terms of software capabilities, autonomous driving development, and energy ecosystem integration.
The best-in-class supply chain score now stands at 86%, proving that cleaner EVs built with decarbonized materials, circular practices, and human rights-respecting supply chains are achievable. The average score across all 18 companies has increased for the third consecutive year, indicating progress across the industry, albeit at an uneven pace.
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Industry analysts emphasize that supply chain transformation represents both a risk management imperative and a competitive opportunity. Leading brands are securing first-mover advantages by leveraging their power to transform traditional supply chains into forces for good.
