Human rights
The Volvo Group is committed to respecting human rights across our value chain, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Efficient, sustainable transport contributes to the building of resilient societies and supports economic, social, and cultural growth. We work continuously to develop our products and services to add value for customers and promote safety and well-being. This mission is embodied in our overall approach to human rights.
Our approach and ways of working
The core of our human rights strategy is to embed human rights into company policies and processes with the aim to prevent harm to people. To achieve this we work in partnership with our supply partners, distributors, customers and other business partners. We apply risk-based and proportional human rights due diligence, focusing on where we have the highest risks for negative human rights impacts.
Human Rights policy framework and implementation program
The Volvo Group’s Human Rights Policy sets out our commitment to respect human rights and conduct human rights due diligence. The policy applies to all Volvo Group entities, employees and others working at our sites. Our commitment to respect human rights is further reflected in our key strategic steering documents such as the Volvo Group Code of Conduct and our Supply Partner Code of Conduct.
To secure fulfilment of our policy commitment, we have since 2022 established a Human Rights Program that defines minimum standards on human rights management and reporting obligations for the different divisions and business areas under the Volvo Group. Our human rights program sets the frame for implementation by describing our strategy, governance, roles and responsibilities, helping us ensure that Volvo Group can systematically identify, mitigate and address human rights risks and ensure continuous improvement in our processes.
In 2025 we concluded a human rights risk and maturity assessment conducted during 2024 and beginning of 2025 across Volvo Group. This exercise enabled us to deepen our understanding of our salient (prioritized) human rights risks and to evaluate the maturity of Volvo Group’s approach to human rights due diligence across the complexity of Volvo Group’s multiple businesses operating in markets across the world.
The analysis enabled us to identify existing good practice in our management systems as well opportunities for improvements. With the result as baseline, we are working continuously to address our priority gaps and strengthen human rights due diligence processes to ensure our commitment to respect human rights is fully operationalized across the business. For example, during 2025 and 2026 our priorities include strengthening human rights governance, downstream due diligence, risk identification methodologies and competence on human rights due diligence with key stakeholders.
Salient Human Rights Risks
We have conducted an analysis to identify the most prioritized human rights issues for the Volvo Group, where our business activities could have the most adverse impact on people – including our own employees, workers in our value-chain upstream and downstream and the communities in which we operate.
- Right to just and favorable conditions of work
- Right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
- Right to life, liberty and security of person
- Right to freedom from discrimination and harassment
- Right to freedom from slavery
- Right to freedom from child labor
- Right to privacy
- Right to an adequate standard of living
Governance
The Volvo Group’s human rights governance model is based on cross-functional governance forums and working groups, all overseen by a Human Rights Board, comprised by relevant members from our Executive Board as well as operations, technology, purchasing and sales. The Human Rights Board meets at least on a quarterly basis.
Tracking and reporting on our progress
Human rights-related reporting includes the requirements under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and other applicable national legislation.
We also publish Modern Slavery Statements for relevant companies within the Volvo Group annually.
Grievance channels and access to remedy
Employees, representatives of the Volvo Group, and external stakeholders can report any instances of breach of our Code of Conduct and other policies, including human rights violations, where the Volvo Group or any of its representatives are believed to be involved.
Grievances can be reported through internal and publicly available grievance channels described in our Code of Conduct, including the Volvo Group Whistle. Reports can be made anonymously wherever permitted by local law. Read more
In addition, we identify, track and act on potential human rights incidents across our value chain.
Case studies and example of ways of working
Volvo Trucks has established a Responsible Sales Process, which aims to support the business in checking sales transactions against Volvo Group's commitments to human rights, as set out in the Volvo Group Human Rights Policy.
Below follows a reference case to exemplify ways of working. It is based on several actual cases The following is a fictional example of how a case would be managed, based on several actual cases which have been managed within the Responsible Sales process at Volvo Trucks.
The sales team was negotiating a sales transaction whereby truck chassis was to be sold to a body builder customer which would then construct the body of the truck, mount special equipment and sell the complete vehicle to a state-owned end-user located in a country which, according to third party indices, presented a high, but not extreme, human rights risk.
The sales team gathered information to understand the intended end-use of the complete vehicle, and also any apparent potential human rights risks relating to the intended use of the complete vehicle. The team also checked that other compliance requirements, such as anti-corruption due diligence of the body builder customer, was up to date.
Since the complete vehicle was to be supplied to a state-owned end user in a high-risk country, the sales team referred the proposed transaction to the Volvo Trucks Responsible Sales Committee, together with the sales team’s preliminary views on the human rights risks, for further review.
The Responsible Sales Committee considered the preliminary views of the sales team and conducted its own assessment, using third party commercial search services and publicly available information. A meeting of the Committee was convened to discuss the case.
As a result of its assessment and discussions, the Committee provided a final report to the sales team. This supported the transaction, but with certain conditions. The conditions included that the sales team should:
- Monitor the general human rights situation in the country by following national and international press reporting and by seeking feedback from local partners and other Volvo Group business areas operating in the country.
- Engage with the body builder customer to align on the approach to human rights due diligence and monitoring.
- Review information on an on-going basis from relevant industry associations.
The local sales team was also required to notify Management of the Sales Area concerned, and the Responsible Sales Committee, if information came to light, which indicated that the end-user might use the product in ways other than those intended, or if the human rights situation in the country deteriorated.
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) sells machinery that can be used in construction, infrastructure, mining and agriculture and among other industries. Due to these types of applications and their risk related to deforestation and closely connected adverse impacts, a call for action has been made to enable responsible use of vehicle and machines.
Volvo CE has for several years worked according to a Responsible Sales policy and conducts due diligence processes. In this part of our business, we often work with distribution business partners, and a significant part of our sales are via distributors to indirect customers. This has created challenges in transparency about who the end-user is and what the intended use is.
In this campaign, we have teamed up with our main partners to form an alliance for responsible sales throughout the Latin American distribution network. The network consists of 22 distributors in 18 countries.
The initiative is based on a shared agenda formulated in a new distribution agreement, with a specific clause on responsible sales, which sets strict requirements on sales and machine applications.
In practical terms, it endorses sales focusing on the sustainable use of machines in the building, construction, transportation infrastructure, sustainable extraction and logistics of mineral and agricultural commodities, among others. The agreement also includes policy requirements to conduct due diligence aimed at unwanted illegal, non-sustainable and environmentally harmful applications.
The objective is to prevent the illegal use of new machines, and to enable responsible sales across commercial transactions.