CSR News Stories
AccountAbility hits back at 'untenable' standards board
The management of embattled standards organisation AccountAbility has issued a letter to stakeholders attacking the actions of its own AA1000 Standards Board following the collective resignation of that group earlier this week.
Sustainable tuna claims dropped after Greenpeace campaign
One of the UK's main brands of tinned tuna, Princes, has said it will drop claims from its packaging that fishing methods used for its product protected the environment and marine life. The move came after Greenpeace complained to the Office of Fair Trading about the claims which, the group said, were misleading to the public.
AA1000 standards board collectively resigns
The Standards Board that oversees the AA1000 standard has announced that it has collectively resigned over loss of trust between it and the directors of Accountability. This had arisen following changes to the business model of AccountAbility and how this leaves the standard as a 'public good' shaped by stakeholder governance.
Japan: Astrazeneca settles claims over cancer drug side effects
Astrazeneca will settle with 15 people who brought a suit against it and the government claiming that the company hadn't taken enough measures in the face of major side effects from its cancer drug Iressa.
UK: Ethical consumers buck the recession
Spending on products that carry a green or ethical label has grown by almost a fifth over the last two years, in spite of the recession, according to the latest report by Co-operative Financial Services.
McDonald's CEO attacks the rise of 'the food police'
In an interview with the Financial Times, McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner has defended the company's 'Happy Meals' against the growing number of critics that link McDonald's with the epidemic of childhood obesity.
US: Former GlaxoSmithkline executive charged as law targets individuals
The Justice Department has charged a former vice president of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithkline with obstructing an investigation into illegal marketing of the company's drug Wellbutrin. The move is attracting attention because it signals a shift in government focus from suing the companies to one that targets individual executives.
US: Mixed messages for BP from Oil Spill Commission report
BP was able to take heart that the US government inquiry into the Gulf of Mexico disaster has concluded that it agrees with 90 percent of the company's own conclusions about the event. However, the company is still strongly criciticised, and others have been bitterly attacking the report for letting the company off too easily.
India: Bhopal survivors use Obama visit to press case
Campaigners and survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster used the visit of President Obama to India to highlight their call for the former head of Union Carbide Warren Anderson to be extradited to face charges in an Indian court.
Shell amongst firms fined for bribes
Seven companies have been fined $236m to settle charges that they paid bribes to foreign officials for favourable treatment. The companies include Royal Dutch Shell, as well as oil service companies and shipping firms.
BP links staff bonuses to safety improvements
BP's new chief executive Bob Dudley has told employees that the only basis for judging performance in the coming quarter will be on progress made in reducing risk and raising safety standards. The message, which was announced in an email leaked to the Wall Street Journal, was the latest sign that the new regime at the company are working on improving its image.
UK: Reckitt Benckiser fined for market abuse
Household products group Reckitt Benckiser admitted abusing a dominant position in the marketplace, and is likely to be hit with a 10m pound fine. The company had withdrawn its Gaviscon Original Liquid from National Health Service (NHS) prescription use when it came off patent - forcing doctors to prescribe an alternative Reckitt product which was still covered by patent.
Sony pulls support from climate change campaign after 'tasteless video'
Sony is withdrawing from the climate change campaign 10:10 following a video aimed at building support for the initiative that graphically shows non-supporters being blown up. The company said that the video was "ill-conceived and tasteless".
US: Hershey accused of child labour in cocoa sourcing
A report from a coalition of NGOs has said that Hershey trails some of its competitors on human rights, with forced and child labour present in some of the cocoa plantations it sources from.
Germany: Deutsche Telekom CEO in bribery investigation
Deutsche Telekom chief executive Rene Obermann and seven others are being investigated by the German authorities over allegations of bribery, according to the company.
Russia: Microsoft tries to sidestep crackdowns on political groups
Microsoft has announced that it is instructing its Russian business not to take part in software piracy actions. The move follows criticism that the security services in Russia had been using alleged software piracy as an excuse to harrass and suppress opposition groups.
Apple suppliers in bribery charges
The two Apple suppliers named as having benefited from bribery allegedly received by its procurement executive Paul Devine have responded to charges. Devine has been accused by the company of having received more than $1m from Asian suppliers in return for confidential market information.
UK: Gap, Next and Marks & Spencer respond to Indian worker abuses
Major retailers Gap, Next and Marks & Spencer have responded to evidence of working rights abuses at factories in India. Workers have been forced to carry out excessive overtime with pay that is below the legal minimum wage, according to the Observer newspaper.
British court delays Yevgeny Chichvarkin extradition hearing
Russian businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, founder of mobile phone retailer Yevroset, has had court hearings into his extradition delayed until September. The case has been brought, according to Chichvarkin, because he refused to pay bribes or to comply with Russia's culture of corruption.
New integrated reporting coalition launched
A new initiative aimed at overhauling international company reporting has been launched. The International Integrated Reporting Committee says that it will undertake a radical review of reporting, aiming to transform the way companies make financial, governance, and CSR statements.
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Special Feature
Social responsibility and finance - on the precipice
In a recent article, the BBC's economics editor Robert Peston highlighted the fact that in 2012 the chances are that the economy - punch drunk as it is from the various flavours of debt crisis it has been pummelled with over the course of the year - will be hit by the collapse of a major bank and / or government.
Currently most popular articles
AccountAbility hits back at 'untenable' standards board (14 Jan 2011)
Procter & Gamble most consistent top corporate citizen (20 May 2004)
Apple investigation into sweatshop claims 'still open' (28 Jun 2006)
Australia: HIH former deputy chairman cleared of dishonesty (8 Jun 2005)
