In a 4th July 2025 response to Volkswagen, Maasai Indigenous people in Tanzania have called on Volkswagen (VW) to withdraw from a controversial carbon credits scheme which violates their rights and threatens to wreck their livelihoods. The Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) denounced the “loss of control or use” of vital Maasai grazing grounds, and accused VW of making “false and misleading claims” about Maasai participation in decision making about the project. Many Maasai pastoralists have already been evicted from large parts of their grazing lands for national parks and game reserves, with highly lucrative tourist businesses operating in them. Now a major new carbon-credit generating project by Volkswagen ClimatePartner (VWCP) and US-based carbon offset company Soils for the Future Tanzania is taking control of large parts of their remaining lands, and threatening livelihoods by upending long-standing Maasai grazing practices. The Maasai also state that they have not given their free, prior and informed consent for the project. They fear it will restrict their access to crucial refuge areas in times of drought, and threaten their food security.

Volkswagen ClimatePartner GmbH responded to Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s invitation by stating that the company takes seriously the concerns raised by the Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) regarding soil carbon credit projects in Northern Tanzania. Volkswagen ClimatePartner GmbH further stated that they deeply respect the history, resilience, and challenges of the Maasai people. That the company involvement in the Longido and Monduli Rangelands Carbon Project (LMRCP), implemented by it project partners Soils for the Future Tanzania (SftFTZ, the project implementing entity) and CarbonSolve LLC, is grounded in a commitment to improving rangeland health, supporting Maasai livelihoods, and promoting climate resilience through carbon finance. The project is designed to balance traditional pastoralist land use with sustainable land management while ensuring that Maasai communities retain full control over their land and benefit from participation.

A full statement by Volkswagen ClimatePartner GmbH is attached below