Since the US electric car manufacturer Tesla announced plans to expand its plant in Grünheide, which would have involved clearing a further 100 hectares of forest, opposition to Tesla from local residents and environmental activists has been growing.

At the beginning of 2024, around 65% of residents voted against the expansion in a citizens' survey, after which the citizens' initiative called on the municipal council to act on the vote and vote against the expansion.
Furthermore, since the night of 28 February 2024, activists have been occupying a piece of forest that would be affected by the deforestation.
The initiatives accused Tesla of exacerbating water scarcity in the region - a water conservation area - and in lithium mining areas in Latin America and of causing environmental damage. They also criticise the working conditions of workers at the factory alleging, among other things, high workloads and failures in occupational health and safety.

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited Tesla to comment on the allegations, but did not receive a response.