Press Release | 28 April 2022

European Union: Rules for Batteries Should Cover Bauxite, Copper, Iron

Pressemitteilung
Joint press release by Germanwatch and others: New Law Includes Obligation to Address Abuses in Battery Supply Chains

The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks, Finnwatch, Germanwatch, Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International, INKOTA, PowerShift, RAID, SOMO, and Transport & Environment, as well as human rights and environmental activists from producer countries.

News | 27 April 2022

Open letter to the legislators in the EU: The universal right to freely choose operating systems, software and services

Title page open letter

The European Union is in the process of redefining the ecodesign criteria for products in several legislative proposals. Together with 37 European organisations and companies, Germanwatch publishes an open letter calling on legislators in the EU to make use of the historic chance by introducing the universal right to install any software on any device, including full access to hardware.

Blogpost | 05 April 2022

Risk or resilience? G7’s 2022 crises response can pave the way

Foto Börsenzahlen

With the war against Ukraine dragging on for over a month now, the vulnerabilities of the G7 and, particularly, of low- and middle-income countries have become increasingly visible. As leading industrialised countries and, historically, major contributors to the climate crisis, the G7 will need to live up to their responsibility to support countries in building resilience to climate impacts and other global crises. In this blog, we outline possibilities for the G7 to address the vulnerabilities in their own countries, and far beyond, to increase resilience against future crises while also supporting other nations.

Blogpost | 31 March 2022

An umbrella with holes? The proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and its potential impact on deforestation

Rainforest in Brazil

The EU Commission has recently presented a proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. The aim of this Directive is to integrate international standards into European law and prevent negative consequences of global business activities. Can the law contribute to ending deforestation in transnational supply chains?

News | 14 March 2022

Court taking evidence in Peru for RWE case

The RWE case is finally moving forward: in summer, the Higher Regional Court of Hamm will conduct a site visit to Huaraz. The visit had been delayed since 2019 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In Peru, judges and court-appointed experts will examine the risk of glacial lake outburst flood affecting the plaintiff Saúl Luciano Lliuya’s house.