SOMO welcomes new members of Parliament

On Sustainable Tuesday, 7 September 2010, SOMO will be offering all new members of the Dutch parliament copies of the book ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’ (The Invisible Label). This book, published by KIT Publishers in cooperation with SOMO, provides an analysis of the problems surrounding sustainability, and insight into alternatives and structural solutions. SOMO wants to encourage the members of Parliament to integrate sustainability into their political policies. The book provides handholds for realising sustainable policy.

In the highly readable, non-fiction publication ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’, journalist and author Evert-jan Quak looks in greater depth at the problems in various chains and sectors. He analyses structural problems in the world, such as poverty and injustice, in relation to the manner in which the international business community is organised. Evert-jan Quak takes the reader through the maze of conflicting interests and fragmented responsibilities, and discusses the current rules, laws and codes of conduct. The book shows that you can contribute more to a solution than you think, and challenges aware citizens and policymakers to act in a sustainable manner.

The book is based on the activities and research of SOMO. SOMO carries out research into the manner in which the contribution of multinationals to sustainable and social global development can be increased. Thanks to these many years of research, SOMO has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, which policymakers also regularly make use of.

The first edition of ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’ was published last year. This was on Sustainable Tuesday 2009, on the occasion of SOMO’s 35th anniversary. The book received an enthusiastic welcome, and was given a great deal of attention in magazines and on websites. The magazine onzeWereld focused for five months on the various themes, and an interactive dossier was opened on the LLiNK website juistnu.nl containing even more background information, dilemmas, practical tips and handholds for aware citizens. Not only was the book picked up by the media, it gained a great deal of attention in the education sector. For example, Hogeschool Eindhoven integrated ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’ into a syllabus.

On Sustainable Tuesday 2010, the Cabinet will be presented with a briefcase containing more than 400 initiatives relating to sustainability. Following Sustainable Tuesday, the organisation will be discussing the content of the briefcase with the various ministries, in order to discuss how the initiatives can serve as inspiration for policy. SOMO hopes that ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’ can also make a contribution to this.

Order the book ‘Het Onzichtbare Label’ at KIT Publishers >(opens in new window)