Attorney Sungwoo Kim of Law Firm SOLARIS announced on the 28th that, in collaboration with the climate and environmental group Climate Solution, he 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 complaint originated from issues regarding the disclosure of steel usage in Hyundai Motor's '2025 Sustainability Report.' According to Climate Solution's analysis, Hyundai Motor calculated the amount of steel used in vehicle production by excluding the volume used in suppliers' processes and only accounting for the volume 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 concerns that greenhouse gas emissions may have been underreported consequently.
Law Firm SOLARIS determined that such actions could potentially violate the Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry Support Act and the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. During a press conference, Attorney Sungwoo Kim pointed out, "Even though the company emphasized managing environmental impacts throughout the entire supply chain in its sustainability report, it intentionally omitted supplier data in its steel usage, which is a key metric," and stressed that this is not a lack of capability but clear greenwashing.
Law Firm SOLARIS will continue to provide in-depth legal advice and professional advocacy in the fields of environmental regulation and fair trade to ensure transparent corporate ESG disclosure and proper eco-friendly business practices.
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.