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Proponents of the corporate responsibility initiative draw attention to your request with orange flags. image: wikipedia / MHM55
5 things you need to know about the Corporate Responsibility Initiative
Orange flags saying yes to the corporate responsibility initiative adorn a large number of Swiss house facades. But what is this all about? The 5 most important facts.
What does the initiative require?
Child labor, poisoned rivers, deadly pesticides: Corporations repeatedly violate human rights and ignore environmental standards, according to the authors of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative (KovI).
The initiators want to put an end to this. They demand that companies comply with environmental and human rights standards. This also applies to suppliers and affiliates abroad. To verify compliance, Swiss companies must periodically issue a Due diligence carry out and about this exam posts.
If a company violates environmental regulations or human rights, it must to be responsible Y to pay for the damage – even if a foreign affiliate was liable for the damage.
Would all Swiss companies be affected?
According to the initiators, some 1,500 companies would be affected. Small and medium-sized companies with up to 250 employees would be excluded from the initiative, unless they are active in high-risk sectors such as the gold trade.
Who is in favor of Kovi?
The initiative has wide support among the population. It has the support of organizations such as Public Eye and Amnesty International and others Aid agencies Y Churches supported. Left parties like that SP and the Vegetables they are also for it. There is also a civic committee with representatives CVP, LPG, EVP, FDP Y Please.
The initiative is pragmatic and feasible, said Dominique de Buman, a former member of the Freiburg CVP. “Most companies are already implementing the rules.” Now the “black sheep” would have to do the same. “Our prosperity should not be built on the hump of other people,” said Simon Stadler, Uri’s CVP National Counsel.
Who are Kovi’s opponents?
Trade association resists initiative Economiesuisse and much of the Please. Parliament and the Federal Council recommend rejecting the corporate responsibility initiative. However, Parliament approved an indirect counterproposal that takes effect automatically if the initiative is rejected.
The “incomparable and risky global liability for third parties” is a thorn in the side of the initiative’s opponents. They make Swiss companies a scapegoat and make empty promises, according to the non-partisan committee made up of SVP, FDP, CVP and GLP. The Swiss model of success is at stake.
Are other countries aware of such regulations?
Switzerland wouldn’t be the only country with legally anchored due diligence. What happened in 2017 Parliament in France a duty of care with respect to human rights and environmental standards. Corporations are required to develop a due diligence plan and publish it. If damage occurs, French corporations can be held liable.
In the Netherlands there is a government agency that checks to see if the child labor law is being followed. Violations of the law can be punished with fines or imprisonment. In addition, due diligence contracts are concluded with companies, NGOs and unions in sensitive industries. These include, for example, the financial sector or the gold trade.
The initiative was presented about five years ago. Image: sda
Also in the United States you already know the due diligence of a company. And in England UK company law requires boards of directors to be aware of the community and the environment in the performance of their duties.
When do we vote for it?
A.M November 29th the corporate responsibility initiative titled “For Responsible Businesses: Protecting People and the Environment” comes with a Counter proposal in front of the people. Like the initiative, the counterproposal provides for the duty of care and notification, but no liability provision for subsidiaries abroad.
With sda material
