European banks and pension funds continue to finance one of the largest and most destructive palm oil giants Wilmar International, according to new research released today by Friends of the Earth Europe [1]. Well known banks including HSBC, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and Rabobank offer financial assistance to Wilmar valuing over one billion euro, and European and American financial institutions own shares in the company worth €621 million [2].
Brussels, April 16 – A proposal released today by the European Commission to require large European companies to report on environmental and social issues will not guarantee ethical corporate behaviour according to the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ). [1]
Brussels/The Hague, January 30, 2013 - A Dutch court has ruled today that Shell is responsible for not preventing the pollution of farmlands at Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. The case brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and four Nigerian farmers is an important victory for Nigerian people and the environment.
This is the first time that Shell has been ordered by a court to pay compensation for damage caused by its operations. The Nigerian justice system has never been able to accomplish this.
Tin used in some of the best-selling brands of smartphones is almost certainly linked to the devastation of forests, farmland, coral reefs and communities in Indonesia, according to a new report 'Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin' from Friends of the Earth.
A Commission plan about how the EU can make companies more accountable is a step towards ending the global damage European businesses cause people and planet, according to the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ). However, the plans to improve corporate social responsibility (CSR), unveiled by the European Commission today in the CSR Communication, miss the opportunity to make real progress that would help victims of EU-based companies find justice and hold companies accountable for their impacts.
Brussels, 12 July – More than 73,000 EU citizens and 140 elected representatives and MEPs have signed a petition, to be delivered to the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, vice president Antonio Tajani today, calling on the Commission to hold companies operating in the EU legally accountable for any harm they cause to people and the environment around the world [1].
Brussels/Abuja, January 21, 2011 – The much-touted biofuel crop jatropha isneither a profitable nor a sustainable investment, according to a new report released by Friends of the Earth Europe today. 'Jatropha: money doesn't grow on trees' warns investors away from jatropha – a shrub being increasingly planted for its oil-producing fruits and ability to survive in arid conditions – stating growing evidence that the crop is failing to deliver on its promises while simultaneously failing to prevent climate change or contribute to pro-poor development. [1]
November 10, 2010 - In preparation of a new Communication on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - to be launched by the European Commission in 2011 - a network of 250 European NGO’s organised a European wide Action Day. They demand that the Commission takes steps to hold European companies accountable for damage they cause in developing countries.
In Brussels, an ‘Oil Spill’ was created in front of the European Commission’s building to symbolise environmental damage caused by European oil companies in Nigeria.
LAGOS (NIGERIA) / AMSTERDAM (THE NETHERLANDS), August 24, 2010 – Friends of the Earth International is outraged by reports that a major UN investigation into Nigeria oil spills funded by oil giant Shell relies more on figures produced by oil companies and Nigerian state statistics than on community testimony and organizations on the ground who work with communities. [1]
Brussels, July 9 – The European Ombudsman has this week (July 7) found the Commission guilty of maladministration for failing to disclose correspondence with carmaker Porsche about CO2 emissions cars following a complaint filed by Friends of the Earth Europe. [1]