Chevron Used Secret Lab to Hide Dirty Soil Samples from Ecuador Court

Situations like this erode public confidence in corporate ethics. I hope that in 20 years cover ups like this will be considered unacceptable and criminal. At the end of the day organizations are made up of humans, and someone in there made conscious decisions to falsify documentation and perjure judicial procedures. It is cases like this that will hopefully lead to a shift in corporate transparency and ethics:

“In an ever more stunning expose of Chevron's fraud before the Ecuador court, a U.S. federal judge has ordered the disclosure of documents that demonstrate Chevron used a secret lab in the United States to hide the existence of dirty soil samples taken from the company's contaminated former well sites in the Amazon. The documents also show that Chevron's scientific experts in the Ecuador trial -- one of whom is a respected professor at the University of California -- executed a scheme that guaranteed the company would find only "clean" soil samples from contaminated well sites while all "dirty" samples would be sent to a lab called NewFields, where they would not be disclosed to the court.”


http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/33536-Chevron-Used-Secret-Lab-to-Hide-Dirty-Soil-Samples-from-Ecuador-Court-Say-Company-Documents-

Cultural Mind Control - The Greatest Lie

The below article is one of the simplist outlines of the the core issue of cultural control that is actually damaging our society. I would really like to see David rewrite this to be the story of a sustainability and supportive society.

"Professional propagandists and advertisers control our minds and behavior through use mass media and other instruments of cultural reproduction to displace authentic cultural stories with fabricated stories that support the interests of their clients. Most commonly the goal is to get us to vote for a particular political candidate or buy a particular product. By recognizing the nature and function of culture in shaping our understanding of ourselves and our world, we can develop substantial immunity to their mind control techniques...."
see rest of the great post:
http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/47-cultural-mind-control

Shareholder Activism Moved the Needle on Sustainability in 2011

I am a big fan of the leverage created by shareholder activism. "From fracking by companies such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Ultra Petroleum to greater use of recyclable cups by McDonald's and Starbucks, a host of CSR issues captured shareholders' attention and support this year, according to reports on the 2011 proxy season from As You Sow and Ceres.

A record number of shareholder resolutions calling for companies to be more responsible in handling corporate sustainability challenges were filed, according to Ceres' report.

And the response -- in terms of votes cast supporting the resolutions and decisions by some companies to engage on issues before votes were taken -- illustrates the growing impact of the strategy as well as a dawning realization by shareholders of the power they can wield, according to As You Sow CEO Andrew Behar."

Full article as posted on Green Biz
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/07/08/how-shareholder-activism-moved-needle-sustainability-2011?utm_source=GreenBuzz&utm_campaign=2a55bd1f34-GreenBuzz-2011-07-08&utm_medium=email

GRI publishes ISO 26000 linkage document on Social Responsibility

I was fairly engaged in the development of ISO 26000 when I lived in Sweden in 2007. The standard is now out and it is good to see that GRI and ISO are working to show linkage. In the long run we don't need to have multiple standards for reporting causing industry confusion. Personally I still feel that ISO missed out on an opportunity to define "sustainability" and become the go to place for that definition...but that's another story...

"GRI has published a linkage document that explains how the GRI Guidelines can be used in conjunction with ISO 26000, new guidance on social responsibility that was launched on 1 November 2010.

This publication helps to relate the Social Responsibility (SR) guidance in ISO 26000 to reporting guidance provided by GRI. In particular, this publication aims to help companies and other organizations that follow the GRI Guidelines to prepare their reports, understand how GRI reporting aspects and indicators are related to ISO 26000 clauses."

full story:
http://www.globalreporting.org/NewsEventsPress/LatestNews/2010/GRIPublishesISOLinkageDocument.htm

Sustainable business market to hit $60bn by 2013

Analysts suggest growing spend and increased recognition of benefits will see green business sector reach a "tipping point". The world's largest firms are set to spend $60bn on green initiatives such as energy efficiency and clean tech innovation by 2013, according to new research.

Analyst firm Verdantix examined spending rates of 2,500 firms with revenues over $1bn and operations in North America, the UK and Australia, and forecast that growth rates for investment in sustainable business programmes will be between 50 per cent and 100 per cent higher in 2013 than this year.

read the full article here:
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2072007/sustainable-business-market-hit-usd60bn-2013?WT.rss_f=&WT.rss_a=Sustainable+business+market+to+hit+$60bn+by+2013

Nike wins Ceres-ACCA North American Awards for Sustainability

10 years ago Nike had some serious 'social license to operate' issues. They were taking hits from every NGO in town and it created a huge shift in their business.
Now one would be hard pressed to find an organzation making athletic footwear with more rigerious standards and a better vision of the future. They sure aren't perfect, but they have come a long:

"Sustainability is no longer just a values based question. It's a core strategic imperative for any company that intends to thrive and grow in the years ahead."- Nike

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/05/12/why-sustainability-reporting-revolutionary#ixzz1MMD4cJ8z

Investment Managers Pushing Companies to go Green

“During the last three years of prolonged financial and economic turmoil, investors voted with their dollars, showing that they understand the value incorporating environmental, social and governance factors in the investment process,” says Cheryl Smith, chair of the Social Investment Forum.

The group says that about $1 in every $8 under professional management is involved with a “socially responsible investment.” That equates to about 12.2 percent of the $25.2 trillion in total assets under management that is tracked by Thomson Reuters Nelson. The value of those investments have risen by 13 percent “in the current economic downturn,” it says.
See full article:
http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/11/05/investment-managers-pushing-companies-go-green