Why the UK Needs a strong Business, Human Rights and Environment Act: Lessons from the EU’s advances and shortcomings
In 2019, the Corporate Justice Coalition launched a campaign for a UK-specific Business, Human Rights and Environment Act (BHREA). This campaign emerged from the recognition that voluntary measures and existing regulations were insufficient to prevent and address corporate abuses of human rights and environmental standards. The BHREA seeks to prevent human rights and environmental abuse...
“Rule for corporations, rights for people!” – activists take call for action to UN in Geneva
By Louise Eldridge At the end of October, I represented CAFOD at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland, where countries around the world were meeting to try to agree on a new UN Treaty to create binding rules to stop companies around the world from exploiting people and damaging the environment. CAFOD has for...
UK Law Commission: Options Paper includes criminal offence of failure to prevent human rights abuses
Written by Rachel Chambers The failure to hold to account criminally UK companies (and companies which operate in the UK and/or have UK listings) which are complicit in human rights abuses abroad stands in stark contrast to more promising developments in countries such as France, with the Lafarge case, and Sweden with the Lundin case. Cases such as...
UK efforts to reduce global deforestation undermined by ignoring indigenous peoples’ rights
by Gabriela Quijano at Forest Peoples Programme On 10 November 2021, the UK government passed into law the UK Environment Act. While this law is primarily concerned with environmental protection within the UK, Schedule 17 attempts to tackle illegal deforestation overseas. Under this Schedule, certain businesses will be required to prove that their products are...
Legal opinion says Boohoo could have been liable for human rights breaches under a new UK law
A new legal review by Tim Otty QC and Naina Patel of Blackstone Chambers looks into Boohoo’s Leicester supply chain and finds the fast fashion brand could have been held liable under a UK mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law called for by rights groups. In the review, it is argued that, “Boohoo...
October 22nd, 2021
October 22nd, 2021
| by CJC Team
Shell in court, again: a short comparison of the Okpabi and Milieudefensie judgments
With the recent decisions of the UK Supreme Court and the Hague Court of Appeal in Okpabi v. Shell and Milieudefensie v. Shell respectively, common law duties of care on parent companies have gone from a distant hypothetical to a very real possibility
March 30th, 2021
| by Admin
Access to justiceaccess to remedycorporate accountability
UK General Election 2019: Corporate Accountability Commitments
Political parties contesting the UK General Election recently released manifestos or priorities detailing their policy commitments. We examined what each said on holding businesses accountable for their impacts on human rights and the environment.
November 27th, 2019
| by Corporate Justice Coalition
