Surveillance Capitalism

ISO Resource Helps Companies Implement "Social Responsibility"

August 15, 2017

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a new publication designed to help companies and other organizations “integrate social responsibility into their business” by creating a consistent approach to social issues across their management systems.
NGO: FIFA Must Pressure Russian Officials on Rights

August 14, 2017

Denis Krivosheev of Amnesty International has published an op-ed asserting that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has a responsibility to "don the referee's jersey" in response to Russian crackdowns on public protests at its 2018 World Cup and pressure government authorities to respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
FIFA Clashes with NGO Report on Labor Rights

August 14, 2017

Touting its recent commitments to "human and labour rights" and a "pioneer" monitoring system established to detect worker abuse at construction sites, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has clashed with an assessment from Human Rights Watch that labor conditions are deteriorating at its 2018 World Cup construction sites in Russia.
Apple Issues $1 Billion "Green Bond"

August 14, 2017

Reuters reports that, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the UN's Paris climate deal, technology giant Apple issued a $1 billion "green bond" that it says it will use to drive private investment toward funding renewable energy projects and increase energy efficiency at its facilities.
FIFA Publishes Human Rights Policy

August 10, 2017

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has published its first Human Rights Policy, seeking to assure activists and other critics of the organization's past practices of its future commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Shell Announces Shift from Oil

August 08, 2017

Amid proliferating activist pressure and government policies implementing the global climate agenda, Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden has announced that the company is planning for a shift from crude oil to natural gas and other alternative energies to help fulfill the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
US Communities Sue "Carbon Majors" over Sea Level

August 08, 2017

Two coastal California counties and one California city have sued a group of oil, gas, and coal producers, claiming that these “carbon majors” conspired for decades to hide the negative environmental effects of fossil fuels and should be required to pay “for the current and future costs of adapting to sea level rises linked to climate change.”
Steel CEOs Warn of Impacts of EU Emissions Shift

August 07, 2017

Reuters reports that a letter from CEOs of 76 steel-producing companies to officials of EU institutions and member states warns that sharp changes to the bloc's Emissions Trading System after the year 2020 will increase steel imports and lead to widespread closure of steel factories in Europe.
UN Official Seeks Small Business Support on SDGs

August 03, 2017

A statement from the UN Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti to a "Small Business Knowledge Summit" at the UN signaled the international organization's intention to enlist small and medium-sized businesses in its efforts to achieve the comprehensive social and environmental targets of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Meeting Aims at "Sustainable Insurance" System

August 03, 2017

An article by Christopher Swope describes a conference hosted by the UN Environment Programme focused on pushing leaders from cities and the global insurance industry to collaborate on a "sustainable insurance" system that takes into account the potential impacts of climate change on urban areas.