"Tesla highlights rights of uncontacted tribes in report – a “wake-up call” for businesses and governments", 23 May 2024

Tesla announced ... that the company is exploring “the need for the establishment of a no-go zone for mining to protect indigenous and human rights, particularly those of uncontacted communities”, demonstrating that the rights of uncontacted Indigenous peoples can be a major business concern, campaigners say.

Tesla’s statement linking the rights of uncontacted Indigenous peoples to the need for a “no-go zone” — where no mining or other activities can take place — is the latest sign that global pressure over the rights of such peoples is having an impact on companies’ supply chain decisions. 

Tesla's announcement in its 2023 Impact Report is featured in a chapter about social and environmental impacts in Indonesia, and has huge implications for nickel mining in the country. It follows a Survival International campaign highlighting how the world’s biggest nickel mine, operated by Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) in Indonesia, could wipe out the uncontacted Indigenous Hongana Manyawa people. 

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