New Publications
Up one levelDriven by Corporate Social Responsibility?
The situation in the DRC might be the gravest example of how mineral extraction can fuel conflict and suffering, but is certainly not the only one. Throughout the global south, local communities, workers and the environment are suffering from the consequences of mining operations. Issues such as land expropriation, mining in environmentally fragile areas, contested water use and contamination, community tensions, child labour and forced labour, and hazardous working conditions can be found in numerous mining operations. Examples include the mining of cobalt in the southern region of the DRC, platinum mining in South Africa, tin mining in Indonesia, etc.
Rough Cut
Colourful gemstones, such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds, grace a huge amount of jewellery. But the world behind these gemstones looks a lot less attractive. This is shown from a recent study by SOMO into the supply chain of coloured gemstones. SOMO carried out research into the CSR policy of leading international jewellers: Signet Group (US, VK), Wal Mart + Tiffany (US), GemTV (UK) and the leading jewellers in the Netherlands: Bijenkorf and Siebel. SOMO also carried out field research into the working conditions of cutters in Thailand and miners in Madagascar.
Mobile Phone Production in China
One of every two mobile phones is manufactured in China. In 2008 makeITfair published a report about factories supplying the big brand name companies with components for their mobile phones. This follow-up re-examines two of the factories where workers took to the streets in 2007 protesting against unacceptable and illegal working conditions. Since then a new owner, who took over the plants in 2008, has invested and made efforts to set up management systems and to improve conditions at the sites.
E-Waste
In the past two years the often illegal export of waste from electric and electronic equipment (‘e-waste’) to developing countries has received considerable attention. Partly thanks to agenda-setting efforts of NGOs like Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network, concern has arisen regarding the hazardous environmental and health effects of irresponsible disposal and recycling of these wastes at Asian and African destinations (e.g. China, Nigeria, Ghana).
Reset
This publication provides an overview of CSR issues that are relevant for the global electronics sector. It is a joint initiative by the Dutch CSR Platform (MVO Platform) and GoodElectronics. The publication is based on the 2007 CSR Frame of Reference published by the CSR Platform which reflects the Platform’s vision on corporate social responsibility. The CSR Frame of Reference describes and defines basic standards and principles and gives an outline of operational principles essential for the implementation of an effective and credible corporate social responsibility policy.
Sustainability in the Dutch Power Sector - 2009 Update
This 2009 series of power company and thematic fact sheets aims to raise public awareness about sustainability issues in the electricity sector and to improve the sustainability of power companies operating in the Netherlands.
OECD Watch Quarterly Case Update Autumn 2009
One new OECD complaint has been filed by NGOs since June 2009. Wake Up and Fights for Your Rights, Madudu Group, supported by FIAN, lodges complaint against Neumann Kaffee Gruppe with the German NCP regarding forced evictions in Uganda. Two OECD complaints have been closed. The Australian NCP has issued a final statement in Cerrejón Coal case against BHP-Billiton, Anglo-American, and Xstrata. An agreement has been reached with one local community, however, the issues at five other communities remain unresolved. The Dutch NCP has closed the Shell Pandacan case in the Philippines without a mediated resolution. The detailed final statement upholds the claim that Shell has violated OECD Guidelines’ clause on disclosure of non-financial information but dismisses the two other claims made by the complainents. Final statements are expected soon in the BTC case.
Modern Devices, Outdated Practices
‘Gender discussion? Not really my thing.’ It is not uncommon to meet with such initial scepticism when introducing gender related issues, even among the – fairly large – portion of our population whose lifestyle would not be possible on the gender grounds which existed some decennia ago. As a means of explaining social constructions, gender has received less popular and professional attention than for instance economic ideology or religion. This is probably due to the assumption that gender is largely a reflection of a ‘natural’ division, that between the sexes. In this paper, it is argued that in more ways than that of the age-old nature-nurture discussion, gender perspectives and theories are a useful and lively addition to the tool box of people working in sectors related to trade and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Fair Phones in the Netherlands: It’s your call
This makeITfair study focuses on the supply chain responsibility of major mobile network operators in the Netherlands: KPN, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Tele2. In addition, the report makes a comparison of major mobile network operators in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Fair Phones: It's your call
This makeITfair study focuses on the supply chain responsibility of major mobile network operators in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The deficits of the EU financial reforms
Almost one year after financial market turmoil triggered a financial and economic crisis in the countries of the European Union (EU), many reforms of the financial sector are still not in place and destabilising practices are continuing.
Rethinking Liberalisation of Banking Services under the India-EU Free Trade Agreement
The European Union (EU) and India are negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) which encompasses liberalisation and deregulation of financial services. This paper wants to raise policy issues that run much deeper than the current liberalisation debate and consider who will benefit and who will lose from the FTA.
An Oversight of Selected Financial Reforms on the EU Agenda
This working document provides an overview of some important decisions and discussions about the reform of the financial sector which still needs to take place at the level of the European Union (EU) from September 2009 onwards. Most of them were already announced in the Commission Communication of 4 March 2009 for the Spring European Council, 'Driving European Recovery’. This working document does not deal with the rescue packages of banks and insurance companies, nor with the stimulus packages to deal with the economic crisis that resulted from the financial crisis.
Corporate Geography, Labour Conditions and Environmental Standards in the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Industry in India
The purpose of the follow-up study on the mobile phone manufacturing industry in India is to update the India section of the SOMO study published in November 2006. It aims to asses the changes and developments in the sector in India since the previous field research was carried out by Cividep during March-September 2006. The 2006 study provided a comprehensive view of the nascent industry while highlighting issues in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) that need to be monitored.
