Corporate Accountability Posts

Kleinbauer Saúl Luciano Lliuya

Report | 24.11.2023

8 years of climate lawsuit against RWE

Today, eight years ago, the Peruvian mountain guide and small farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya filed his civil lawsuit against RWE at the regional court in Essen in Germany. What began back then has now become one of the world's most recognised precedents for the question of whether individual major emitters must pay for protection against climate risks.

Report | 26.10.2023

VENRO-Statement on Germany's National Circular Economy Strategy

Global consumption of raw materials at this point is not sustainable for the Earth. Germany consumes an above-average of resources compared to other countries. If they were to consume as much as Germany, it would take three Earths to satisfy global demand. We therefore welcome the German government’s initiative of a National Circular Economy Strategy to reduce raw materials demand, but press for adverse effects for the Global South to be addressed.

Titelbild der Publikation

Report | 28.09.2023

Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry: Germanwatch participates in the publication of the Cross-country recommendations for responsible lithium mining and recommended actions, but criticises their limitations

Lithium mining poses numerous environmental and human rights risks. As part of the Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry, Germanwatch therefore collaborated with stakeholders from industry and politics in the development of “cross-country recommendations for responsible lithium mining and recommended actions” in the “Lithium Project Group”. The paper identifies four risk areas and makes recommendations on how they can be addressed by the companies in the supply chain that mine and purchase lithium. Germanwatch supports the recommendations. However, we do see some key gaps in achieving a globally sustainable and equitable economy within planetary boundaries.

Report | 11.05.2022

An effective EU supply chain law? Germanwatch and more than 200 other organisations clarify what this means in practice

On 23 February 2022, the EU Commission published its long-awaited proposal for an EU supply chain law. The European Parliament and the EU Council – including a number of German government representatives – are now discussing the draft law. Together with more than 220 civil society organisations from Europe and the rest of the world, Germanwatch clarified which changes the Commission's proposal needs from the perspective of civil society.

Blogpost

Corporate Accountability Sustainable Finance Blog post | 28.02.2020

EU study and legal opinion of German campaign underline need for legislation on human rights due diligence

Claudia Saller (ECCJ), Julia Otten & Johanna Kusch on why the German government should give the mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence agenda a real push, both at home and in Brussels.

Signatories Statement Legal Framework for Sustainability Reporting

Report | 30.11.2018

NGOs call on the EU Commission to clarify the legal framework for corporate sustainability reporting

Over 20 leading NGOs working on corporate transparency have published a statement calling on EU policy-makers to define companies’ disclosure obligations on sustainability issues on the occasion of today’s high-level conference on the future of corporate reporting hosted by the European Commission in Brussels.

Advice note to companies, member states, and the European Commission

Report | 16.05.2018

Advice Note to companies, member states, and the European Commission

The EU Regulation on due diligence in mineral supply chains came into force on 8 June 2017. It aims to disrupt links between conflict, human rights abuses, and the global minerals trade, by requiring companies bringing ores and metals of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG) into the EU—from anywhere in the world—to do so responsibly. The Regulation is based on the existing, internationally-endorsed, OECD standard for responsible mineral supply chains.

Report | 14.06.2016

Conflictminerals: Open letter to the Dutch Presidency of the Council & the Member States of the EU

Together with 126 civil society organzations we are calling on the Council to listen not only to the European Parliament, but also to the many activists, investors, civil society, and citizens that have called for a strong and effective EU law. At a minimum, this means a regulation that covers companies that import into the EU minerals in their raw form as well as companies that import products containing these minerals.

G7 Summit Japan - Lieferketten / Supply Chain

Report | 03.05.2016

Supply chain responsibility has to become a topic on the next G7 summit!

The 2015 G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau was ground-breaking in that G7 leaders for the first time discussed such supply chain responsibility. They pledged to promote “responsible supply chains”, and strongly supported the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The G7 leaders also stressed the need to increase transparency, the identification and prevention of human rights risks, and the strengthening of grievance mechanisms to promote better working conditions, and urged the private sector to implement human rights due diligence. These commitments were made under the leadership of Japan and Germany, as current and preceding G7 chair.

Report | 17.03.2015

Fair IT: Germanwatch promotes challenge to electronic industry to protect workers properly

Working in IT-production can entail lethal consequences: workers are often exposed to hazardous chemicals and suffer from a higher cancer risk. Therefore, Germanwatch supports a challenge presented to the electronic industry to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals and to guarantee a better protection of workers and environment.