Surveillance Capitalism

IKEA Embraces Forest “Sustainability” in NGO Partnership

January 16, 2019

A briefing from the environmental organization WWF describes its partnership with furniture company IKEA to promote “responsible forest management” as a way “to contribute to a sustainable global economy,” as part of the trend among companies to embrace the “sustainability” agenda to avoid criticism by activists.
Nestlé Releases Action Plan on Eliminating “Single-Use” Plastics

January 16, 2019

Food giant Nestlé has published an action plan outlining how it will comply with environmental activist demands to reduce plastic waste from its products by making all of its packaging reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable by the year 2025.
Activist Investors File Rights Resolutions at US Prison Operators

January 16, 2019

Reuters reports that activist investors including the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have filed shareholder resolutions at two US private prison operators seeking, in one case, to link executive pay to detainee treatment and, in the other case, to require annual reporting on the implementation of a human rights policy.
Report Seeks More Precise Regulation of Corporate Rights Impacts

January 16, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations has commissioned a report aggregating research on costs to businesses of failing to implement a human rights “due diligence” regime and calling for “a more precise regulation of corporate responsibility” to prevent negative business impacts on human rights.
FIFA Weighs in on Bahrainian Extradition Case

January 16, 2019

Under pressure from activist groups, on the basis of the organization’s human rights policy, to intervene in the case of a Bahrainian soccer player detained in Thailand for extradition to his home country, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has called for relevant authorities to permit the player’s return to Australia.
UK Court Rejects Claim Against Mining Subsidiary

January 16, 2019

Expatica reports that a UK court determined claimants had not established the liability of a subsidiary of a company headquartered in Britain for alleged police violence related to its mining operations in Sierra Leone, in a potential blow to future lawsuits seeking redress in Western legal systems for alleged rights abuse in developing countries.
Academics Push for Social, Corporate Reform Alongside Climate Action

January 16, 2019

An article on the website Project Syndicate blames the global lack of action to combat climate change on voters’ increased focus on social issues, calling for the linkage of “social justice” reforms, including “reining in” corporate power and governance, with climate change to adequately address the environmental phenomenon.
Activists Turn to “Climate Liability” Strategy

January 16, 2019

An article on the website Climate Liability News asserts that the year 2018 saw an “explosion” across the world of lawsuits demanding corporate compensation for alleged contributions to global warming and government action to force energy companies to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, including by using arguments in favor of “rights” against climate change.
NGOs Demand “Civil Rights Ombudsman” at Facebook

January 15, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations has published a letter placing responsibility on the leaders of Facebook for “bigotry and hatred towards vulnerable communities” on its platform and calling for the tech giant to appoint “an independent and permanent civil rights ombudsman” to review the impacts of Facebook’s policies.
World Bank Launches SDG-Linked Bonds for Asian Investors

January 15, 2019

The World Bank, in partnership with French bank BNP Paribas, recently introduced new bonds for investors in Hong Kong and Singapore that link investment returns with corporate contributions to the comprehensive social and environmental targets contained in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).