News
Logo: VENRO e. V.

Global consumption of raw materials at this point is not sustainable for the Earth. Germany consumes an above-average of resources compared to other countries. If they were to consume as much as Germany, it would take three Earths to satisfy global demand. We therefore welcome the German government’s initiative of a National Circular Economy Strategy to reduce raw materials demand, but press for adverse effects for the Global South to be addressed.

Publication
Cover
The coverage of the financial sector across a core set of EU regulatory measures

In our new briefing, Germanwatch and the sustainable finance think tank Climate & Company analyse the expected reporting and due diligence obligations in the financial sector across a number of key EU regulatory measures on sustainability. In particular, the briefing focuses on potential obligations resulting from the respective regulatory measures that may help to identify and minimise the risk of deforestation.

Press Release
Pressemitteilung
Joint press release by Germanwatch and others: New Law Includes Obligation to Address Abuses in Battery Supply Chains

The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks, Finnwatch, Germanwatch, Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International, INKOTA, PowerShift, RAID, SOMO, and Transport & Environment, as well as human rights and environmental activists from producer countries.

News

Over 20 leading NGOs working on corporate transparency have published a statement calling on EU policy-makers to define companies’ disclosure obligations on sustainability issues on the occasion of today’s high-level conference on the future of corporate reporting hosted by the European Commission in Brussels.

Publication
Cover: 2017 Report: The Global Energy Sector and Human Rights
Putting German Business and Policy to the Test
This executive summary of the report by Germanwatch and MISEREOR is all about energy – a sector that is inextricably linked to globalisation and is associated time and time again with human rights violations. The study explores the question of whether and to what extent German business and the German Government have implemented the demands of the UN Guiding Principles to date.
News
G7 Summit Japan - Lieferketten / Supply Chain
Public letter by Germanwatch and 58 other civil society organisations to the countries of the Group of Seven
The 2015 G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau was ground-breaking in that G7 leaders for the first time discussed such supply chain responsibility. They pledged to promote “responsible supply chains”, and strongly supported the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The G7 leaders also stressed the need to increase transparency, the identification and prevention of human rights risks, and the strengthening of grievance mechanisms to promote better working conditions, and urged the private sector to implement human rights due diligence. These commitments were made under the leadership of Japan and Germany, as current and preceding G7 chair.