Surveillance Capitalism

Shipping Industry Criticizes EU Emissions Plan

March 01, 2017

In an ongoing conflict over which transnational body should regulate the greenhouse gas emissions of the shipping industry, the International Chamber of Shipping has called on EU member states to reject proposals to include the shipping sector in EU carbon emissions framework and to leave regulation of such emissions to the UN's shipping agency.
Investors Call for G20 Phaseout of Carbon Funding

March 01, 2017

Demonstrating the expanding reach of the global climate change and sustainable development agendas, institutional investors and insurers have published a letter to the G20 group of countries calling on them to "accelerate green investment" and completely phase out fossil fuel subsidies by the year 2020.
Agricultural Lenders Adopt ESG Principles

March 01, 2017

Members of the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance, an alliance of agricultural lending institutions, has adopted a set of "environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles" to promote "socially and environmentally responsible" lending to agricultural projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Companies Tout Contributions to SDGs

February 27, 2017

The "business intelligence" entity Ethical Corporation has produced a publication containing interviews with representatives of various multinational corporations on how they have implemented provisions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a comprehensive list of targets for the social and environmental agenda, in their global operations.
BHR Advocate Outlines Agenda Under Trump

February 23, 2017

Anthony Ewing of Logos Consulting Group sets out a comprehensive agenda for corporations to manage their business and human rights (BHR) impacts under the Trump Administration and to resist and challenge alleged BHR violations by Administration officials.
German Bank Pledges Coal Withdrawal

February 20, 2017

The Guardian reports that Germany's Deutsche Bank has announced that it will fulfill its pledge from the Paris climate change summit in 2015 to cut fossil fuel investments by providing no new financing for certain coal projects and reducing its existing funding to such projects in the coming years.
Bank Group Explores BHR Responsibility

February 01, 2017

A discussion paper from a group of bank representatives promoting application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR), called the Thun Group, considers the point at which banks become "directly linked" to BHR violations and calls on them to develop due diligence procedures to prevent and deal with these situations.
UNEP Signs NY Fund to "Decarbonization" Program

January 27, 2017

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the third-largest pension fund in the US, is joining UNEP's Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition, a group of institutional investors that have pledged to gradually transfer a substantial portion of their investments to climate-friendly assets.
WEF Signs Businesses to Sustainability Compact

January 25, 2017

At its recent meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a document for signature by all participants called The Compact for Responsive and Responsible Leadership to commit business leaders to a "corporate governance framework" embedding the UN's sustainable development agenda in company operations.
NGOs Criticize Corporate Charter on Mexican Produce

January 25, 2017

The Los Angeles Times reports that labor and consumer groups are criticizing an "Ethical Charter" released by North American companies in the food industry pledging to adhere to the law and to "international expectations" in obtaining produce from Mexican farms for failing to include an enforcement mechanism, including "audits by trained inspectors," in its provisions.