{"id":69127,"date":"2026-07-15T11:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T03:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/?p=69127"},"modified":"2026-07-16T09:55:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:55:39","slug":"greenpeace-flashes-red-card-to-fifa-world-cup-sponsor-hyundai-over-systemic-supply-chain-abuses-and-ev-backtrack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/press\/69127\/greenpeace-flashes-red-card-to-fifa-world-cup-sponsor-hyundai-over-systemic-supply-chain-abuses-and-ev-backtrack\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace Flashes \u201cRed Card\u201d to FIFA World Cup Sponsor Hyundai Over Systemic Supply Chain Abuses and EV Backtrack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>SEOUL<\/strong> \u2014 Greenpeace activists staged a high-profile protest targeting Hyundai Motor Group headquarters today, flashing symbolic referee \u201cred cards\u201d to the FIFA World Cup sponsor. The action demands that the world&#8217;s third-largest automotive giant immediately address severe human rights violations, labor exploitation, and carbon-intensive risks linked to its global supply chain, while reversing a recent corporate backtrack on its electric vehicle (EV) transition.<\/p>\n\n<p>The Seoul demonstration marks the climax of a month-long, coordinated global wave of actions targeting Hyundai-Kia\u2019s high-profile World Cup sponsorship. While today&#8217;s finale in South Korea was spearheaded on the ground by Greenpeace East Asia, the broader international campaign is backed by a global coalition of 11 environmental and human rights organizations, aiming to highlight what the coalition describes as a gap between Hyundai&#8217;s public sustainability messaging and reported harms linked to parts of its supply chain behind the automaker&#8217;s multi-million dollar &#8220;eco-friendly&#8221; sports marketing campaign.<\/p>\n\n<p>The global escalation follows a series of major actions timed around key World Cup matches:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Guadalajara, Mexico:<\/strong> A rally at Plaza de La Liberaci\u00f3n ahead of the Mexico-South Korea match to highlight environmental defenders <a href=\"https:\/\/civicspace-casetracker.rfkhumanrights.org\/cases\/the-disappearance-of-antonio-diaz-valencia-and-ricardo-lagunes-gasca\/\">forcibly disappeared<\/a> after opposing mines run by steelmaker Ternium, a major iron ore supplier for Hyundai.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monterrey, Mexico:<\/strong> Activists held a mock soccer match and concert at Parque Libertad to expose Ternium as one of the region\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/dec\/02\/monterrey-mexico-air-quality-industrial-pollution\">worst polluters<\/a>, linking Hyundai&#8217;s supply choices to local premature deaths and massive healthcare costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New York &amp; Los Angeles, USA:<\/strong> Protests in both cities targeted documented human and workers&#8217; rights abuses within the U.S. automotive supply chain, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/hyundai-factory-was-a-deadly-job-site-before-it-was-raided-by-ice-42f77360\">worker injury and deaths<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/26\/business\/economy\/prison-labor-alabama-hyundai.html\">prison labor<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/usa-immigration-hyundai\/\">child labor<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/daily-labor-report\/workers-kia-supplier-reach-1-2-million-trafficking-settlement\">worker trafficking<\/a>, as well as the local economic displacement caused by the World Cup itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The international coalition previously delivered an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/blog\/68825\/an-open-letter-to-hyundai-motor-group-from-ngo-allies\/\">Open Letter<\/a> to Hyundai Executive Chair Euisun Chung, demanding that the company leverage its position as a premier FIFA sponsor to implement structural climate commitments and enforceable corporate accountability measures.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Market Risk: Hyundai Lags in Clean Transition and Supply Chain Governance<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>While Hyundai leverages its FIFA sponsorship to showcase a sustainable corporate image, internal combustion engine vehicles still comprise <a href=\"https:\/\/leadthecharge.org\/scorecards-summary\/\">93% of Hyundai-Kia&#8217;s 6.8 million annual sales<\/a>. Consequently, the group\u2019s combined annual footprint stands at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyundai.com\/content\/dam\/hyundai\/kr\/ko\/images\/company-intro\/sustain-manage\/2025\/hmc-sr-kor-2025.pdf\">250 million tonnes of CO\u2082 equivalent<\/a>\u2014on par with the total national emissions of Spain. <a href=\"https:\/\/leadthecharge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/LTC-2026-Leaderboard_compressed.pdf\">Recent independent automotive sustainability benchmarks<\/a> rank Hyundai significantly behind global competitors like Tesla, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz in supply chain decarbonization and human rights due diligence.<\/p>\n\n<p>The South Korean automaker faces compounding regulatory and reputational pressures to strengthen oversight of its manufacturing pipeline and sourcing relationships. Independent investigations by organizations including <a href=\"https:\/\/steelwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SteelWatch_CorporateScorecard2026_ENG_FullReport_2026-03.pdf\">Steel Watch<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/mightyearth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Tainted-Steel-Hyundai-Report-For-Release-01312025.pdf\">Mighty Earth<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/recallinjustice.org\/read-the-report\/\">Jobs to Move America<\/a> have identified serious environmental and labor concerns at parts of the company&#8217;s tier-one suppliers. Notably, Hyundai Steel\u2019s continued reliance on coal-based production methods has also drawn scrutiny over air pollution and billions of dollars in associated public health costs across manufacturing hubs in <a href=\"https:\/\/forourclimate.org\/newsroom\/650\">South Korea<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/energyandcleanair.org\/publication\/air-quality-impacts-of-the-ternium-brasil-santa-cruz-steel-plant\/\">Brazil<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Statements from the Global Coalition<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p><strong>Erin Eunseo Choi, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><em>\u201cHyundai Motor\u2019s latest sustainability report talks about &#8216;Electrification and Our Climate Response,&#8217; but quietly dropping its concrete 2030 battery EV sales targets sends a very different signal. By shifting its roadmap to focus heavily on hybrids and Extended-Range EVs (EREVs)\u2014vehicles that still rely on internal combustion engines\u2014Hyundai is pursuing a false transition.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><em>While EREVs may masquerade as electric, they are not a true zero-emission solution; instead, they risk locking in reliance on fossil fuels and diverting vital resources from full battery electrification. When the vehicles Hyundai sells account for 79% of its Scope 3 emissions, slowing electrification is like pulling your striker off the pitch in the middle of a match. As war-driven oil price spikes fast-track the shift toward EVs, any indecision in making a true transition risks a further loss of market share.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Nish Humphreys, Campaign Manager at Ek\u014d<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>Hyundai wants the world watching its Football World Cup ads, not the dark side of its supply chain. On the field, it\u2019s sponsoring kids\u2019 dreams. But behind the scenes, it\u2019s a different game. Public reporting has raised serious concerns about child labor, worker deaths, and injuries, along with the unexplained disappearance of Indigenous activists in Mexico who protected Hyundai\u2019s steel supplier.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><em>Together with the activists on the ground, over 7,400 people have <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/action.eko.org\/a\/red-card-hyundai\"><em>&#8216;red-carded&#8217;<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em><em>Hyundai in our virtual protest, joining a global crowd of 52,000 citizens, football fans, and Hyundai drivers who have signed the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/action.eko.org\/a\/hyundai-stop-fueling-climate-crisis\"><em>Ek\u014d <\/em><\/a><em>petition&nbsp;demanding<\/em><em> the company clean up its supply chain before the final whistle blows.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Abhilasha Bhola, Climate Campaigns Director at Public Citizen:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe record is clear: Hyundai\u2011Kia\u2019s supply chain is marred by documented human rights abuses, environmental destruction, and labor exploitation. The World Cup&#8217;s corporate sponsors cannot continue to profit while workers, communities, and our planet bear the deep impacts of corporate misconduct.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Strategic Demands to Hyundai Motor Group<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>The global coalition outlines three non-negotiable directives for Hyundai\u2019s executive leadership:<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Publish an absolute, time-bound phase-out schedule<\/strong> for internal combustion engine vehicles across all global jurisdictions, accelerating the transition to 100% battery EV sales by 2030.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enforce rigorous human rights and environmental standards<\/strong> across all tiers of the supply chain\u2014from critical mineral extraction to steel production\u2014ensuring verified compliance and remediation for affected workers and frontline communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Align corporate sponsorships with genuine climate performance<\/strong> by establishing transparent, independently audited emissions milestones subject to public disclosure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p><strong>ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Media Documentation &amp; Assets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Joint Open Letter to Executive Chair Euisun Chung:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/blog\/68825\/an-open-letter-to-hyundai-motor-group-from-ngo-allies\/\">HERE&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multimedia Archive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1gPldxiPOdKKRB_-nX1S9rzTyRyJGfYXr?usp=sharing\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1gPldxiPOdKKRB_-nX1S9rzTyRyJGfYXr?usp=sharing\">HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Yujie Xue, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, +852 51273416, <a href=\"mailto:yujie.xue@greenpeace.org\">yujie.xue@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greenpeace activists in Seoul staged a high-profile protest targeting Hyundai Motor Group headquarters today, flashing symbolic referee \u201cred cards\u201d to the FIFA World Cup sponsor. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":69133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/press\/69127\/greenpeace-flashes-red-card-to-fifa-world-cup-sponsor-hyundai-over-systemic-supply-chain-abuses-and-ev-backtrack\/","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8,6,22,100],"p4-page-type":[14],"class_list":["post-69127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-energy","tag-consumption","tag-climate-impacts","tag-reduce-air-pollution","tag-renewable-energy","p4-page-type-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69127"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69135,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69127\/revisions\/69135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69127"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=69127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}