Cheap prices are no longer the only driver for consumers. A growing number of Europeans are demanding information about the origin of the products they consume.
This week a petition was delivered to the European Commission calling on the EU to support a UN treaty which will bring greater fairness to international trade.
The European Environmental Bureau’s (EEB) ‘Justice for My Cookies’ campaign highlighted the use of palm oil in foods and the negative impact it has on people and the environment.
Over 7,500 signatures were collected as part of the campaign which saw many Europeans take a stance against the environmental damage and human rights abuses within product supply chains.
Eva Izquierdo, Global Policies Project Officer at the European Environmental Bureau said:
“Citizens, business and policy makers get lost in a myriad of agreements and voluntary measures that regulate each commodity. We propose simplicity. One single alternative to regulate abuses in global supply chains: the UN treaty.”
In Geneva, negotiations are continuing as part of a campaign to push the United Nations to adopt a legally binding treaty to end the impunity enjoyed by some international corporations who violate human rights and cause severe environmental damage often in developing countries.
This is the third session of the UN Open-Ended Inter-Governmental Working Group (OEIGWG), taking place from October 23 to 27. The session has attracted over 400 activists representing social movements, civil society groups and environmental justice groups who want corporations held legally accountable for violations.
