The Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry is a multi-stakeholder forum that convenes representatives from companies, associations, trade unions, civil society, and the German federal government to jointly address structural challenges and improve human rights conditions along global supply and value chains of the German automotive industry.
To this end, members engage in regular knowledge and experience sharing. They also collaborate in working groups to develop joint measures that address concrete practical challenges.
Current working groups of the Sector Dialogue
Workers' rights in Turkey
The project aims to establish a dialogue platform for various stakeholder groups and to develop effective complaint and extrajudicial arbitration procedures to end violations of workers' rights in Turkey.
Participating members: Audi, Ford, ZF Friedrichshafen, IG Metall, IndustriALL Global Union, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and Federal Foreign Office (AA)
Working conditions in road transport logistics
The working group focuses on improving working conditions for professional truck drivers in Germany and Europe. Specifically, the working group facilitates stakeholder dialogues to jointly develop solutions for implementation across the supply chains of participating companies.
Participating members: BMW, Fuchs, Porsche, Volkswagen, MAN Truck & Bus SE, Mercedes-Benz, Südwind e.V., and RSCI
Occupational safety and access to social security in India
The working group aims to improve access to social security benefits for workers in precarious employment in India and to ensure they receive reliable information about their rights and available support services. To this end, it plans to collaborate with a local non-governmental organization that provides support services in the relevant production region.
Participating members: Rheinmetall, Röchling, Knorr-Bremse, MAN Truck & Bus SE, WEED e.V., IG Metall
Excessive overtime in China
The project addresses systemic working-time violations in production facilities in China and their negative impact on other human rights. To counter this, the group has developed practical recommendations with concrete preventive and remedial measures. These are now being piloted with selected suppliers to generate hands-on experience. At the same time, the group is working with the German Embassy and the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad to raise local awareness of the issue.
Participating members: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Knorr-Bremse, Brose Fahrzeugteile, Robert Bosch, Volkswagen, ZF Friedrichshafen, the Südwind Institute, and RSCI.
Copper mining in Peru
The working group is addressing the negative impacts of copper mining in Peru. It began by conducting an abstract risk analysis to identify and prioritize key ESG risks, including the excessive use of water resources and heavy metal pollution resulting from the improper disposal of mine waste. In addition to the risk analysis, the group developed a stakeholder map and conducted interviews with relevant local actors. A priority mine has been selected, and concrete remedial measures are now being planned for that site. The aim is to evaluate these measures and subsequently scale them to other mines.
Participating members: Aurubis, BMW, Schaeffler, Germanwatch, IG Metall, and IndustriALL Global Union.
Guidelines on human rights due diligence
The members of the Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry have developed a series of guidelines for the five core elements of human rights due diligence (policy statement, risk analysis, preventive and remedial measures, reporting and grievance mechanism).
The guidelines are self-contained and focus on implementation. Companies can use them both as a toolbox and a roadmap to support their own continuous process of implementing human rights due diligence.
Governance & Cooperation within the Sector Dialogue
The Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry was officially established in February 2020 and implemented by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) until June 2025. Since July 2025, and financed by its member, the Sector Dialogue has continued its work under the umbrella of the UN Global Compact Netzwerk Deutschland e.V. (UN Global Compact Network Germany).
Collaboration within the multi-stakeholder group is governed by a joint dialogue agreement through which all members commit to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Secretariat of the Sector Dialogue within the UN Global Compact Network Germany
