Surveillance Capitalism

UN Launches "Green" Digital Finance Initiative

January 25, 2017

As part of its efforts to divert global investment funds toward climate-friendly projects, the UN Environment Programme and a Chinese financial services provider have launched a Green Digital Finance Alliance that aims to promote global "green finance" for the UN's sustainable development agenda and to encourage climate-friendly lifestyles in China.
WEF Signs Plastics Companies to Action Plan

January 24, 2017

The World Economic Forum has highlighted how international and nongovernmental organizations seek to make binding policy changes out of business pledges by signing more than 40 leaders from plastic companies to a New Plastics Economy initiative setting out a "global action plan" on expanding recycling practices.
NGOs Extract Sustainability Pledge from Korindo

January 23, 2017

Demonstrating the influence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in pressuring companies to sign on to their "sustainability" agenda, the website Eco-Business reports that manufacturing company Korindo has responded to NGO accusations of irresponsible forestry practices in Indonesia by pledging to perform impact assessments before taking action on forested land.
UK Businesses Support Report on Fulfilling SDGs

January 23, 2017

A group of British companies have published a letter supporting a Business & Sustainable Development Commission report asserting that government measures focused on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will contribute to massive economic growth and create a world that is "comprehensively sustainable."
Shipping Companies Object to EU Emissions Plan

January 17, 2017

Reuters reports that representatives of the shipping industry have objected to an EU vote to include shipping companies in the bloc's emissions trading system, which applies a tax to businesses to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that the unilateral application of emissions rules would "create market distortion while generating trade disputes."
Google Announces Achievement of Climate Pledge

January 16, 2017

As part of a nongovernmental organization-led coalition of companies that have responded to environmental activist pressure by committing to ambitious renewable energy goals, technology giant Google has announced that it will fulfill its promise to rely completely on renewable electricity beginning in 2017.
FIFA Faces Critique on BHR Pledges

January 04, 2017

David Segall of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights (BHR) criticizes the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for a perceived lack of progress on implementing the recommendations FIFA sought from Harvard Professor John Ruggie to better advance the UN Guiding Principles on BHR in its operations.
Dutch Officials Take Steps Toward Mandatory CSR

January 04, 2017

The nongovernmental organization MVO Platform reports ona two-step Dutch government plan to advance acceptance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives among Dutch businesses, first by signing agreements with businesses to promote CSR in their international activities, then mandating the acceptance of these agreements across entire industrial sectors.
Activist Pressure Yielded Fossil Fuel Divestment in 2016

January 04, 2017

UN officials and environmental activists are celebrating a new report from the investment advising firm Arabella indicating that, under pressure from the growing "divest" movement led by nongovernmental organizations and global institutions, investment firms managing approximately $5.2 trillion have pledged to phase out their financing of fossil fuel companies.
Companies Push for Insurance Based on Climate Projections

December 30, 2016

A report from a coalition of 29 insurance companies, called ClimateWise, calls on insurers to close what they say is a growing gap between the current value of property insurance and the projected cost of catastrophic impacts of climate change and pushes governments to do more to combat the effects of global warming.