Nickel for EVs drives violence and ecological collapse in the Philippines
- Alyansa Tigil Mina
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Nickel for EVs drives violence and ecological collapse in the Philippines
Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi among companies potentially exposed to abuses in nickel value chain
Key findings:
· Nickel linked to severe environmental and human rights harms in the Philippines is likely entering the electric-vehicle value chains of Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, and many others, according to a new investigation by Global Witness
· The report documents how a mining surge in part of the Philippines is wiping out forests, contaminating rivers, collapsing fish stocks and threatening local food security in a highly biodiverse coastal community of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur
· Land and environmental defenders face death threats, harassment, intimidation and killings as mining operations expand within a broader “ecosystem of violence”.
· Mining firms with suspected ties to powerful political clans benefit from permissive regulation
· The findings land as the EU’s flagship corporate accountability law, the CSDDD, hangs in the balance
London – Leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers – including Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi – are at high risk of sourcing nickel from mining value chains causing serious environmental and human rights harms in the Philippines, a major new Global Witness investigation reveals today.
The report, published by Global Witness with the Filipino environmental advocacy group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), reveals how nickel linked to a litany of social and environmental harms is likely entering the value chains of major multinational companies, including leading EV carmakers.
On the ground, investigators examined how a surge in nickel mining in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur – a biodiverse coastal community in Mindanao – is wiping out forests, polluting rivers, and eroding local food security. Residents told investigators they watched once-clear waterways “turn brown” and seen fish stocks collapse, while enduring declining rice harvests and increasing erosion as mountainsides are stripped bare.
Through value chain mapping, the investigation traced nickel ore from Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation, one of the firms at the centre of the allegations, to major Chinese metal traders. These traders supply Chinese stainless-steel and battery producers, who in turn provide materials to some of the world’s largest automotive brands. Among their clients are globally recognised carmakers such as Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Volkswagen.
The report does not allege the companies sourcing nickel from the region have breached existing legal requirements. But campaigners say the findings are further evidence that voluntary standards have repeatedly failed to prevent serious harm to communities and the environment.
The Philippines is the world’s largest exporter of raw nickel, which is a critical mineral for the production of electric batteries used in EVs. It is also the deadliest country in Asia to speak up in defence of the environment.
In Cantilan, local land and environmental defenders who challenge the mining industry are paying a profound price. Residents have provided first-hand reports of death threats, judicial harassment, intimidation and even assassinations attempts targeting those who challenge mining interests. It remains unproven who in the network of local interests is behind the intimidation.
Global Witness Lead Investigator Hanna Hindstrom said:
“The transition to clean energy cannot be built on pillaged ecosystems, intimidation, and the destruction of communities. Our investigation shows that nickel used in electric-vehicle batteries may be tied to environmental devastation and the silencing of those who dare to resist.
“Our findings speak to an uncomfortable but urgent truth: without value chain accountability, the rush to decarbonise will entrench new forms of exploitation. What kind of green transition are we willing to accept, and at whose expense?”
Influence of political dynasties
Two mining firms – Marcventures and Bright Green Resources – have been significant to the industry’s expansion in Surigao del Sur. Global Witness has strong grounds to suspect that both firms are linked to powerful political clans including the family of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The report finds that dynasty-connected firms have the entrenched power to advance mining operations despite community opposition, leveraging their political ties to shape regulatory conditions in ways that favour their interests. mining firms operate in a legislative and political climate in which environmental crimes go largely unpunished.
This reflects a wider governance crisis in the Philippines, where entrenched dynasties control nearly 80% of the legislature and more than half of elected positions.
Corporate and security interests intersect
The report also examines how state security structures appear to work in tandem with corporate interests, documenting how the Philippine Army has deployed and trained quasi-official militia - known as Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGUs) - to secure mining sites from insurgent threats. These units are recruited from within the community including Indigenous Peoples and former combatants, who are “handed weapons and taught to fight”. According to reports, they operate in and around extraction zones, placing local populations at the front lines of conflict.
Global Witness says this demonstrates how mining companies benefit from a repressive “ecosystem of violence” in which business, political, and security actors reinforce one another – often at the expense of communities and the environment.
In 2010, residents filed a landmark lawsuit seeking to halt Marcventures’ “destructive and illegal” mining operations. Yet after fifteen years of legal battles, the court ultimately ruled in the company’s favour – despite an independent commission’s findings that projected the potential environmental damage at a staggering 3.2 quadrillion pesos (around GBP 41 trillion).
Green transition at what cost?
The forthcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) could require large companies to address human rights and environmental risks across their value chains. However, recent EU Parliament votes to weaken the law risk leaving communities like those in Surigao del Sur exposed.
Global Witness argues the investigation demonstrates the urgent need for strong, enforceable protections to safeguard land and environmental defenders and ensure the green transition does not come at the expense of communities and ecosystems.
Jaybee Garganera, National Coordinator at ATM, said:
“Mining doesn’t just dig into the earth; it rips through our lives. Every new mine means more forests lost, rivers turned brown, communities divided, guns and militarisation in our neighbourhoods, fish gone, rice failing. And if you dare to speak up, you could pay with your life.
“Who decides the price of the race to net zero – and who pays it? A transition that ignores human rights is no transition at all.”
