Surveillance Capitalism

Author Laments Corporate “Capture” of Certification Process

August 01, 2019

Author Samanth Subramanian warns that global companies that are exchanging what were once external certification schemes monitoring their global supply chains into in-house compliance mechanisms are moving toward “unfairer trade” and pushing farmers “back towards the exploited miseries of the past.”
Beverage Companies Plan Withdrawal from Plastics Association

July 26, 2019

Greenpeace USA is touting its role in successfully pressuring Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to end their memberships in the Plastics Industry Association, which the nongovernmental activist organization says engages in “secretive lobbying against plastic bans.”
Germany Develops Human Rights Certification for Textile Makers

July 26, 2019

The German government has developed a “green button” certification allowing textile companies to acquire state acknowledgment that they adhere to international social and environmental standards, including “due diligence in human rights and environmental issues.”
Telecoms Company Makes Global Pledge on “Work-Life Balance”

July 26, 2019

French telecommunications company Orange has struck an agreement with UNI Global Union committing to gender equality in its global workforce, including by recognizing a “right to disconnect” and the ability to access “flexible working solutions.”
GRI Studies Impacts of Corporate Reporting on SDGs

July 26, 2019

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is partnering with global power company Enel to study how business reporting on their contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can encourage them to embrace the SDGs’ comprehensive social and environmental targets in their operations.
UN Platforms Push Businesses to Adopt “Green” Agenda

July 25, 2019

The UN Environment Programme and its partners are pushing businesses to ensure their operations comply with the UN’s environmental agenda by launching a Green Industry Platform and Green Finance Platform that will serve as hubs for data and guidance on environmentally friendly corporate standards and finance.
NGO Critiques Phase-in Process of Jewellery Standards

July 25, 2019

A Human Rights Watch press release illustrates the complexities involved in complying with activist demands in adopting standards for business conduct, criticizing the Responsible Jewellery Council for a delayed phase-in of due diligence standards for the diamond industry.
Paper Seeks Pressure on Small Businesses for “Sustainability”

July 25, 2019

Sarah Burch of the Centre for International Governance Innovation has published a paper calling for the Canadian government to put pressure on small businesses to “foster sustainability” in their operations to help achieve the goals of the UN’s Paris climate accord.
NGOs Accuse AIIB of Abandoning Climate Pledges

July 24, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations is accusing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) of failing to abide by its commitments to prioritize renewable energy projects over fossil fuels and is calling on the development bank to release a roadmap showing how it will align its policies with the UN’s Paris climate accord.
Report Finds Increasing Resort to Climate Litigation

July 24, 2019

A research institute at the London School of Economics has published a report finding that activists are increasingly turning to strategic litigation to force governments and the “highest greenhouse-gas-emitting companies” to reduce emissions to prevent global warming, often using a human-rights basis for their lawsuits.