Visual Raw Material Report 2023.

Our commitment to human rights.

For us, social responsibility and respect for human rights are the pillars of responsible corporate governance and key factors for long-term success.

At Mercedes-Benz, we are committed to strengthening respect for human rights along our value chains, in our Group companies, by our partners and by our suppliers. We want to protect the rights of the people who work on our products – either directly or indirectly. That is why respecting human rights is part of our sustainability focus areas.

How we proceed.

We have anchored human rights standards in our Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights. With our Human Rights Respect System (HRRS) we have developed an approach to address the topic of human rights. In view of the complexity of our supply chains and the large number of raw materials and materials in our products, we take a risk-based, strategic due diligence approach.

Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights.

Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights.

How our human rights obligations are expressed: Our Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights forms the binding basis for the implementation of important human rights standards at Mercedes-Benz.

Human Rights Respect System

Human Rights Respect System.

Our systematic human rights approach: With our Human Rights Respect System (HRRS) we identify human rights risks and potential negative effects along the supply chain and try to minimise them.

Co₂-free steel in the supply chain.

Human rights in the supply chain.

We follow a risk-based due diligence approach to identify, assess and minimise potential human rights risks of production and non-production materials and services.

Jürgen Gleichauf, Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Legal Product & Technology and Human Rights Officer.

For us, the protection of human rights is both a matter of course and an incentive at the same time. This applies not only to our own units, but also to our supply chains: We only want to offer products and services that have been manufactured without violating human rights. Respect for human rights is one of our central sustainability goals. Through our work, we strive to make a real difference and achieve real improvements for local people.

Jürgen Gleichauf
Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Legal Product & Technology and Human Rights Officer
Jürgen Gleichauf, Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Legal Product & Technology and Human Rights Officer.
Governance

Governance.

Clear responsibilities and internal polices: How we manage the topic of human rights within the company.

Raw Material Report 2026.

Raw Material Report.

The Raw Material Report outlines our activities to uphold human rights and mitigate human rights and environmental risks in raw material supply chains. It represents an important step towards greater transparency and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement.

Handling risk raw materials.

Risk raw materials.

We aim to create transparency across the upstream stages of high risk raw material value chains.

In Brazil, Japan, South Africa and the USA, a BPO hotline is also available.

Whistleblower system BPO.

An important tool for good corporate governance: our Business & People Protection Office receives reports of rule violations.

Our Code of Conduct makes it clear what we mean by integrity, which rules apply to all of us and which principles guide us in this respect.

Integrity Code.

Our Integrity Code sets out clearly what we mean by integrity, which rules apply to everyone, and which principles we follow.

Yanni von Roy-Jiang, Head of Purchasing & Supplier Management / Vice President Procurement & Supplier Management.

In managing our supply chains, we concentrate on three goals: the decarbonisation of our products, the promotion of human rights and the continuous improvement of transparency over the vehicles’ entire life cycle.

Yanni von Roy-Jiang
Head of Procurement & Supplier Management
Yanni von Roy-Jiang, Head of Purchasing & Supplier Management / Vice President Procurement & Supplier Management.

News.

More about our current projects and the initiatives with which we promote and respect human rights along the value chain.

Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights

Human Rights in Turbulent Times.

Jürgen Gleichauf, Human Rights Officer at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and Andrea Shemberg, a common law and international human rights lawyer, share their insights on what taking responsibility truly means in today’s global context.

Just Transition: Lighthouse project to create positive impacts for both people and nature throughout aluminium supply chain in Brazil.

Making a difference on site.

The Corridor Initiative: How we want to work together with our aluminum supplier Hydro along a bauxite pipeline in Brazil to strengthen social responsibility and human rights due diligence along the supply chain through a holistic approach.

Our activities in the cobalt supply chain.

Measures in our battery supply chain.

For our electric fleet, we need raw materials that are mined and processed according to our approach to key battery raw materials.

Collaborating to promote responsible lithium handling in Chile.

Several companies, including Mercedes-Benz, initiated a partnership to promote natural resource management in Chile's Salar de Atacama. The project was successfully completed in 2025 and its outcomes are being carried forward by an independent foundation.