Stakeholder Capitalism

OECD Meeting Pushes for "Responsible Business Conduct"

August 25, 2017

In June, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hosted its 2017 Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct to explore a wide variety of ways, ranging from "due diligence" efforts to business school curricula, in which to push companies to comply with the business and human rights, climate change, and "sustainable development" agendas.
UN Paper: Companies Must Prevent "Product Misuse"

August 24, 2017

The UN Global Compact endorsed a "Good Practice Note" in May outlining a duty of corporations to prevent customers' "misuse" of their products to violate human rights as part of their responsibility to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR).
UN Agency Sets out Principles for BHR and Violent Crime

August 24, 2017

The UN Global Compact has released a "Good Practice Note" containing principles on how companies should perform proper "due diligence" in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) when operating in areas with high rates of violent crime, including provisions on how businesses should help alleviate violent crime in these regions.
Environmentalists Criticize Australian Bank's Climate Statement

August 23, 2017

The Guardian reports that environmental activists have criticized Commonwealth Bank, the largest bank in Australia, for failing to include in its recent climate statement, committing to the 2015 Paris deal on global warming, sufficient specificity on how it will divest from fossil fuel assets and work toward achieving the agreement's objectives.
Dutch Board Censures Companies over Energy Ad

August 23, 2017

The Dutch Advertising Code Authority has ruled that fossil fuel giants Shell and Exxon misled the public by claiming in advertisements that natural gas was the “cleanest fossil fuel,” based on the Board’s conclusion that natural gas causes damage to the environment.
OECD Rates Compliance with Global Tax Standards

August 22, 2017

The OECD's Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has produced a rating for the Group of 20 countries (G20) on the progress of developing countries in implementing OECD rules on corporate tax transparency, singling out Trinidad and Tobago for failing to take sufficient steps toward clamping down on tax avoidance.
UNGC Seeks Business Climate Action in Absence of US

August 09, 2017

Following US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the UN's Paris climate deal, UN Global Compact (UNGC) Executive Director Lise Kingo asserted that UNGC would double down on persuading US and other businesses, as well as state and local governments, to reduce their carbon emissions and report on their efforts to combat global warming.
UK NCP Seeks G4S Lobbying on Rights Impacts in Israel

August 09, 2017

In a follow-up statement to its finding that there was no "general failure" at security firm G4S to respect human rights in its operations in Israel, the UK National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises called on G4S to continue to lobby business partners and government representatives to reduce their human rights impacts in Israel.
NGOs File OECD Complaint over ING Climate Policies

August 03, 2017

A group of nongovernmental organizations has filed a complaint against ING Bank with the Dutch National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises for violating the Guidelines by hindering the implementation of the UN's 2015 Paris climate deal through the bank's continued investment in fossil fuel companies.
Business Schools Embrace SDG Education

August 01, 2017

At a conference hosted by the UN Global Compact's Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative, representatives from hundreds of business and management-related schools announced that they will incorporate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into education and research at their institutions.