We know, for instance, that Big Oil has been pumping out
misinformation and funding pseudo-scientists and think tanks to skew the
science for decades. We know that companies have
captured governments around the world through campaign financing and excessive lobbying to water down
regulations designed to protect people and planet. And we know that
companies are complicit in the killing and silencing of land
and environmental defenders. This must
stop.
We want to turbo-charge this shift by
bringing our investigative, campaigning and communications skills to uncover
the role corporations and financial institutions are playing in undermining
efforts to stop climate breakdown and muddying the waters around protections that could make a real difference.
What
we need are new
global standards to stop companies being able to operate in a way that drives
environmental and human rights abuses.
Our goal is for mandatory corporate due diligence and liability to be introduced across all sectors, including those who provide finance to businesses. This means:
- Companies must identity, prevent, mitigate and publicly report on human rights, environmental and corruption risks linked to their global operations, subsidiaries or value chains. Rules must cover all
industry sectors from companies that put
food on our plates to those that extract dirty fossil fuels
- They will have to do it (the mandatory bit) - a big improvement on voluntary approaches that only the more responsible businesses and investors act on
- There must also be meaningful sanctions and penalties for companies that fail to address their negative impacts, and a means by which victims of corporate abuse can seek justice and hold companies liable for harm
The
European Union is a first mover in recognising the lack of rules to hold corporates to account. In April 2020, following our sustained campaigning with civil society allies across Europe, the European Commissioner for Justice announced new rules for
mandatory corporate due diligence as part of the Commission’s 2021 work plan and EU Green Deal.
This is a game changer: as the world’s largest trading bloc, the European Union has significant political and economic influence.
We
have shown how European companies are harming people and planet through
their operations. And how
EU investors and their subsidiaries have
bankrolled oil exploration in Africa’s oldest national park, a mining project
in India which sparked violent protests, and land grabs in Asia and
Africa.
We are now working with our partners around the world to ensure the commitment turns into legislation that includes financial institutions - and for other parts of the world to follow suit.