Attorney Sungwoo Kim from Solaris Law Office announced on the 28th that, in collaboration with the cooperative climate and environmental group Climate Solution, they raised allegations of 'greenwashing' against Hyundai Motor Company and represented the official filing of complaints with the Ministry of Environment and the Fair Trade Commission.
This filing originated from discrepancies in the disclosure of steel usage in Hyundai Motor Company's '2025 Sustainability Report'. According to Climate Solution's analysis, when calculating the amount of steel used in vehicle production, Hyundai Motor Company excluded volumes used in cooperative suppliers' processes and only based calculations on volumes directly consumed in its own factories. As a result, the steel usage per vehicle was disclosed as significantly lower than that of other global automakers, raising the possibility that greenhouse gas emissions were reported as underrepresented.
Solaris Law Office determined that such actions could potentially violate the Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry Support Act and the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. Attorney Sungwoo Kim pointed out during a press conference, "Although the company emphasized throughout its sustainability report that it manages environmental impacts across the entire supply chain, it intentionally omitted supplier data for the key metric of steel usage," emphasizing that this constitutes clear greenwashing rather than a lack of capability.
Solaris Law Office will continue to provide in-depth legal counsel and expert responses in the fields of environmental regulation and fair trade to ensure that transparent corporate ESG disclosure and proper eco-friendly management take root.
SOLARIS Represents Climate Solution in Filing Complaints Against Hyundai Motors for Alleged Greenwashing
Attorney Sungwoo Kim of SOLARIS recently represented the climate environmental organization Climate Solution in filing official complaints with the Ministry of Environment and the Fair Trade Commission, raising allegations of "greenwashing" against Hyundai Motors.
The complaint stems from the steel usage disclosure in Hyundai Motors' '2025 Sustainability Report.' According to Climate Solution's analysis, Hyundai Motors calculated its steel usage by excluding the volume used in its suppliers' manufacturing processes, strictly accounting only for the materials directly consumed in its own facilities. Consequently, the reported steel usage per vehicle was significantly lower than that of other global automakers, raising concerns that overall greenhouse gas emissions may have been underreported.
SOLARIS determined that these actions potentially violate the Environmental Technology and Industry Support Act, as well as the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. During the press conference, Attorney Sungwoo Kim pointed out, "While the company repeatedly emphasized managing environmental impacts 'across the entire supply chain' throughout the sustainability report, it intentionally omitted supplier data for the critical metric of steel usage." He stressed that this is not a lack of capability, but an intentional omission constituting greenwashing.
SOLARIS remains committed to guiding corporate compliance and promoting transparent ESG practices. We will continue to provide in-depth legal counsel and robust representation in the fields of environmental regulations and fair trade to ensure sustainable corporate operations.