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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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FROM POVERTY TO POWERMotivated by a combination of pressures, including judicial rulingsin Australia, concern over the damage <strong>to</strong> its reputation caused bya bad press, and NGO campaigns, the CEO of the Australian halfof the company championed an effort <strong>to</strong> rebuild its ‘social licence<strong>to</strong> operate’ from local communities and governments. Over 20years, the company conducted prepara<strong>to</strong>ry research and trustbuilding with local communities and NGOs before moving forwardwith the project.Initially sceptical NGOs have been won over by Rio Tin<strong>to</strong>’s changeof approach (the Worldwide Fund for Nature and ConservationInternational among them). The transformation was alsoencouraged by pressure from inves<strong>to</strong>rs, and by partnershipswith experienced NGOs which helped Rio Tin<strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong> address theproject’s social and environmental impacts.Some general lessons emerge from this and other experiencesof changing corporate behaviour:• The company recognised there was a business case forsustainable development.• Communities, consumers, and NGOs put initial pressureon the company.• NGOs acted as an important bridge for the company <strong>to</strong>work with local communities.• Government regulation forced strategic change.• There was buy-in and leadership for change at the <strong>to</strong>pof the company.Sources: <strong>Oxfam</strong>, based on published sources and telephone interviews with protagonists.Regrettably, there are still many companies whose operations abroadfall well short of the legal standards of their home countries. Theproblem with voluntary standards in these situations is precisely thatthey are voluntary, leaving enforcement <strong>to</strong> the companies themselvesand allowing ‘free-riders’ <strong>to</strong> ignore such standards, and so gain a costadvantage over their more scrupulous rivals. Voluntary standardsare important but they cannot replace the need for internationalstandards that prevent the abuse of power by large TNCs operating indeveloping countries.342

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