The Issues
Over the years, numerous issues have been addressed within the domain of corporate responsibility:
Apartheid in South Africa
Sale of Infant formula
Nuclear and conventional Weapons
Tobacco, alcohol, gambling
Drug pricing by pharmaceutical companies
Ultimately, the definition of the domain of corporate responsibility is the following: Where do a company’s actions have the power to do harm? Where do a company’s actions have the power to change things for the good? If the company has that power for good, they should be using it.
Corporate Responsability Issues Today
The issues addressed in the work of cooperate responsibility can be separated into several large grouping:
1. Supply Chains – includes, but is not limited to:
a. Human rights, labor rights,
b. Wages, benefits and related topics
c. Quality control, d. Product safety
2. Environment – includes, but is not limited to:
a. Global warming,
b. Product recycling,
c. Water use and misuse,
d. Water contamination
e. Free prior and informed consent (FPIC)
f. Chemicals in products i.e. (bPA, phthalates, etc.)
g. Destruction of ecosystems, especially in developing countries
3. Community Development
a. Land use and misuse
b. Water use and misuse
c. Lack of payment of taxes or other community development monies.
4. Human Trafficking
a. Sex trafficking
b. Worker trafficking
5. Pharmaceuticals
a. Product availability in poor countries
b. Use of biosimilars
6. Sustainability
a. Environmental sustainability
b. Economic sustainability
c. Social sustainability
