(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In recent weeks, there have been numerous revelations of fundamental labor rights violations at Telenor's suppliers in Bangladesh and Hungary, and a total of seven people have died in work accidents.
It would be naive to think that the problem only applies to Telenor, so it becomes important to look at the system, not just focus on individual cases. Companies are realizing that consumers are now becoming more aware, which is why companies are messing around with wording that they take corporate social responsibility. But corporate social responsibility is so far based on volunteerism, and companies are completely free to formulate as much or as little commitment as they want.
Ny Tid has therefore investigated how different companies profile themselves as ethical, and also tried to find out who can decide whether the promises hold water or not.
Despite the disclosures, Telenor has not gained poor confidence. Telenor "provides secure products" and offers "solutions that meet society's challenges", they write on their website. Another company that has previously been criticized for portraying itself as ethical without being, is the fruit supplier Bama. On their websites, Bama says that they take corporate social responsibility, including by being part of the Ethical Trade Initiative (IEH), and thus have committed to striving for continuous improvement of working and environmental conditions.
The cheap shoe retailer Eurosko goes further, and writes that «Euro Shoes is part of the organization INITIATIVE FOR ETHICAL TRADE! This is a collaboration for trade that ensures human rights, development and the environment – which are extremely important issues. "
So where does the border go? Are all these claims ok?
- No, thunders Trond Blindheim, rector of Oslo Market College. He believes Eurosko is conducting misleading marketing.
No guarantee
Ethical trade initiatives have been criticized in recent weeks because Telenor is not excluded from the organization, but IEH replies that they are a resource center, not a guarantee scheme. Since IEH is not a guarantee scheme, Blindheim believes that Eurosko cannot use a wording that "secures".
- This is reindeer spike manipulation, there is no substance in this. Such companies are charlatans, that's what they are. This reminds me of when the shampoo Pantene-Pro-V claimed that the Vitamin Institute in Switzerland, pronounced with sch-sound, could prove that the shampoo had a documented effect. But there is no such thing as the Vitamin Institute in Switzerland, it was just a bluff and a fantasy, says Blindheim.
Read the whole case in the paper edition
