If human rights and the environment are endangered by economic activities abroad, companies based in Switzerland also have a duty: this was the message of a broad coalition that launched the Responsible Business Initiative in Bern today. It aims to ensure that Swiss companies integrate the protection of human rights and the environment into their business practices in a binding manner.
Catastrophic working conditions in clothing factories in Asia or Eastern Europe, abusive child labor in cocoa production in West Africa, deadly emissions in Zambia: Swiss companies are also involved in such abuses through their global activities. Such cases have been the subject of much discussion in recent years, but no concrete measures have been taken. The Federal Council and Parliament continue to rely exclusively on voluntary measures by corporations. This is why a broad coalition of different organizations launched the Responsible Business Initiative today. The aim of the initiative is to oblige all companies based in Switzerland to carry out due diligence in the area of human rights and the environment.
The 66 launching organizations are now collecting signatures for the Responsible Business Initiative. You can find a signature form as a pdf on our subpage on the Responsible Business Initiative.
Based on the UN Guiding Principles
This instrument is based on the “UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” adopted in 2011. According to these principles, a company must first examine all its business processes and relationships in order to identify potential risks for people and the environment. It must then combat such potentially negative impacts of its business activities with effective countermeasures. And as a third step, it is obliged to report transparently on any violated rights and the precautions taken against them.
Switzerland has a great responsibility
Cornelio Sommaruga, former ICRC President and member of the initiative committee, sees the initiative as an important step for our business location: “Switzerland has a great responsibility both as the home country of humanitarian organizations and as the home of many transnational corporations. In the interests of our country’s reputation, we must also hold our companies to account.”
Binding tool to minimize risks independently
Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter, former Chairwoman of the Swiss Stock Exchange and now CEO of Forma Futura Invest AG, emphasizes: “With this initiative, we can create a new basis on which civil society and private sector voluntary initiatives and state regulatory efforts to protect human rights and the environment can interlock. This will give companies a binding tool to minimize their risks. This strengthens their value as well as their competitiveness.”
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