GM asks suppliers to sign carbon neutrality, human rights pledges

General Motors Co. has asked its global suppliers to sign a pledge for carbon neutrality, the development of social responsibility programs, and the implementation of sustainable procurement practices in their supply chain operations.

Called the Environmental, Social and Governance Partnership Pledge, GM is asking its suppliers to achieve carbon neutrality for their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by dates based on their respective industry – these are 2025 or earlier for professional services, 2035 or earlier for manufacturing, and 2038 or earlier for raw materials and logistics.

“There are economic and social imperatives in lowering emissions and addressing climate change while cultivating a just transition,” Jeff Morrison, GM vice president of global purchasing and supply chain, said in an April 25 news release. “As we accelerate toward our vision of an all-electric future, our commitment to bringing everybody along includes our global suppliers whose collaboration is critical to promoting a sustainable, safe and better world.”

In addition to carbon neutrality, the pledge calls for social and governance commitments in accordance with third-party assessor EcoVadis – specifically, achieving a minimum score of 50 by 2025 on the EcoVadis labour and human rights and ethics pillar, and a minimum score of 50 in the EcoVadis sustainable procurement pillar.

Suppliers representing more than half of GM’s approximately US$76 billion direct material annual purchase value last year have already signed the pledge, GM said in the release.