On 26 March, a coalition of 25 Indonesian civil society organisations (CSOs) published a letter to Stellantis, expressing grave concern on its proposed joint investment with Vale Indonesia and Huayou Nickel Cobalt to build a nickel processing facility in Indonesia. The coalition calls on Stellantis to ensure that nickel used in its global supply chain is free from human rights and environmental violations.

The joint letter elaborated on alleged human rights & environmental violations in the nickel mining sector in Indonesia, particularly in the Sulawesi & Maluku regions. It cited a report published by Satya Bumi in 2024, which investigated the alleged environmental destruction caused by nickel mining companies in the small island Kabaena, home to the Bajau Indigenous People. The joint letter also referred to a report by Survival International (2024) which contains allegations of rights violations against the Hongana Manyawa tribe in Halmahera, who lost their home due to nickel mining. The letter further alleges that environmental defenders opposing abuses of mining companies are increasingly being criminalized.

Other allegations mentioned in the letter include worker safety issues in nickel processing plants, the use of coal-fired power plants to process nickel, which add to the country’s CO2 emissions; and environmental degradation caused by mining waste.

In April 2025, the Resource Centre invited the following companies to respond: Stellantis N.V., PT Vale Indonesia Tbk., Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. Ltd., Samsung SDI, and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). Only Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. Ltd. and PT. Vale Indonesia Tbk. responded. The responses can be found below.