Surveillance Capitalism

BDS Movement Touts Withdrawal of Adidas from Israel Football Clubs

August 08, 2018

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, a major driver of the “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” (BDS) movement against Israel, is celebrating Adidas’s decision to halt its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA) after it came under pressure from activist organizations due to the IFA’s operation of clubs in Israeli settlements.
NGO: Pepsi “Missed the Mark” with Recycling Investment

August 06, 2018

Environmental activist organization Greenpeace has criticized beverage company Pepsi for responding to global pressure on plastic pollution by investing $10 million in an initiative, called the Recycling Partnership, that aims to bolster curbside recycling while failing to make commitments to phase out “single-use plastic.”
Coalition Seeks Observance of Labor Norms in Construction

August 06, 2018

Building Responsibly, a coalition of engineering and construction companies, has produced a document explaining the “business case” for implementing the global labor rights agenda in the construction sector, including government scrutiny and reporting requirements and reviews by corporate benchmarking initiatives.
NGOs Call for Investor-State Arbitration Restrictions in Tanzania Treaty

August 03, 2018

Christopher Kidanka reports that nongovernmental organizations are calling for the revision of the Dutch bilateral investment treaty with Tanzania to restrict the ability of companies to file complaints against the Tanzanian government using an investor-state dispute settlement system alleging harm due to new government rules and regulations.
US Judge Rejects New York Climate Suit

August 03, 2018

The New York Times reports that a US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by New York City seeking to force large energy companies to pay for future costs officials say they will face in dealing with the impacts of climate change, finding that global warming is an issue that must be addressed through the political process.
NGOs Object to Business Influence in Asia-Pacific Trade Talks

August 03, 2018

Pavan Kulkarni writes that nongovernmental organizations are warning that businesses are having an “undue influence” on the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade deal among Asia-Pacific countries, Australia, and New Zealand, calling for governments to perform a human rights impact assessment of the deal prior to its agreement.
US Companies Form “Sustainable” Food Group

August 03, 2018

A group of US-based food companies has created an advocacy group called the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance that will seek to advance the UN “sustainable development” agenda by promoting global social and environmental goals among US policymakers and in their own supply chains.
US Resists IP Flexibilities Statement in Tuberculosis Declaration

August 03, 2018

Intellectual Property Watch reports that, due to opposition from the US delegation, a recently finalized UN Political Declaration on the Fight Against Tuberculosis contains no operative statement encouraging countries to exercise WTO-recognized IP flexibilities in licensing the manufacture of low-cost drugs to combat the disease.
Aramark Responds to NGO Pressure on Plastic Supplies

August 03, 2018

Environmental activist organization Greenpeace has applauded food service company Aramark for plans to phase out various single-use plastic items from its worldwide operations, calling on other food service companies to use Aramark as an example and take “immediate” action on plastics use.
UN Event Seeks Public-Private Action on SDG Finance

August 03, 2018

Government and industry participants in a UN-hosted event on national action plans for fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) called for officials and investors to cooperate to ensure private investments are aligned with government SDG plans, aiming to push private finance toward more “sustainable” initiatives.