Heineken, the world’s third biggest brewery, is hatching plans to build hospitals and schools in crisis-torn Haiti. The move demonstrates the growing role of the private sector, particularly the consumer goods industry, in taking on public sector roles in poorer countries. Food and drink makers as well as soft commodity traders have been [...]

Plusieurs grandes entreprises, dont Shell, seront présentes au Forum mondial de l’eau, qui se déroule à Marseille du 12 au 17 mars. Une présence qui pourrait déclencher quelques controverses concernant les impacts des entreprises sur la ressource en eau. Certaines d’entre elles tentent cependant d’appréhender ce nouveau risque. « Le management du risque-eau par les [...]

Nestlé has decided to work with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate whether children are working on cocoa farms supplying its factories. The FLA is a non-profit multi-stakeholder initiative that works with major companies to improve working conditions in their supply chains. In January the FLA will send independent experts to Côte [...]

A recent decision by food giant Nestlé to re-instate a previously banned palm oil supplier on sustainability grounds may help make the business case for more sustainable palm oil. Alex Wilson reports. Mid-September 2011 was a significant moment in the world of sustainable palm oil. After months of long conversations between Greenpeace [...]

For decades, packaged-food companies have been reducing fat and calories in their products. More recently the industry undertook a broad-based effort to eliminate trans fats, and even high-fructose corn syrup. But today, big food is at a crossroads. The companies that introduced products such as Doritos, Miracle Whip, Butterfinger and the venti caramel Frappuccino now [...]

Public revolt in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere makes it clear that many yearn for rights and liberties. But states are not the only institutions obligated to respect human rights. Companies also have human rights responsibilities and can be complicit in violating human rights. For example, during the first days of [...]

Classé 182ème sur 183 pays pour la faiblesse de sa réglementation des affaires, selon le rapport Doing Business 2010 de la Banque Mondiale, la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) n’a jamais été réellement attractive pour les investisseurs étrangers ces dernières décennies. Mais, encouragé [...]

Now you see it, now you don’t. Wait: Now you do. A global game of Whack-a-Mole broke out Wednesday on the Internet when YouTube removed a gruesome anti-Nestlé commercial by Greenpeace after the multinational food giant complained, only to have viewers flock to the video-sharing site Vimeo.com, where the spot became an instant cause célèbre [...]

Nestlé today announced three new company initiatives aimed at creating new partnerships with governments, NGOs and small enterprises. The announcement comes as Nestlé launches a two-day forum on Creating Shared Value in New York in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations. The initiatives include [...]

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests” (Article 23, Section 4). As human rights advocates around the world celebrate International Human Rights Day, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has released “Working for Scrooge: 5 Worst [...]