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Articles by Bennett Freeman
After Nestle and Auchan seizures, Russia is coming for others
By B4Ukraine Steering Committee members Nataliia Popovych and Bennett Freeman. This article originally appeared in The Kyiv Independent. The recent Russian seizure of assets belonging to corporate giants Nestle and Auchan made headlines, all the more striking given the companies’ years of loyalty to the Kremlin regime, including throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This action seems shocking, but should not be surprising.
Critical minerals need secure supply chains – increasingly that depends on responsible production
Nickel ore mining in North Konawe, Indonesia, August 3, 2023. Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images Global trade wars, geo-economic competition and climate change are catalysing threats within minerals supply chains. The Business and Human Rights Centre recorded a 73% increase in human rights abuses linked to transition minerals between 2024 to 2025. Seven in ten implicated mines were tied to listed companies.
The business case for human rights is more important and urgent than ever
August 25 - The continuing backlash against corporate sustainability today risks becoming something more consequential: a retreat from responsible business itself. This overreaction, driven in part by domestic political pressures in the U.S., is a short-sighted course for American multinationals. The business case for respecting human rights has never been more compelling.
We pay taxes in Russia that helps war — Oreo-maker's confession demands action on Russia remainers
By Nataliia Popovych and Bennett Freeman, members of the B4Ukraine Steering Committee. This article originally appeared in The Kyiv Independent The CEO of the U.S. snacking giant Mondelez has openly acknowledged that the taxes the company pays in Russia help Russia’s war against Ukraine, but that it was the “right decision” to remain in the aggressor country. Just three days after that shameless interview, Russian drones struck a Mondelez factory in Ukraine, injuring two people.
"We pay taxes in Russia that helps war" — Oreo-maker's confession demands action on Russia remainers
The CEO of the U.S. snacking giant Mondelez has openly acknowledged that the taxes the company pays in Russia help Russia's war against Ukraine, but that it was the "right decision" to remain in the aggressor country. Just three days after that shameless interview, Russian drones struck a Mondelez factory in Ukraine, injuring two people. However much the management of Russia remainers may wish to look away, corporate entanglement in Russia's war economy has real and violent consequences.
Trump’s policies and actions pose serious risks to corporate America
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US business leaders must voice their fears about Trump
The writer is an associate fellow at Chatham House and former senior vice-president at Calvert Investments Business Roundtable — the top...
Over 300 U.S. companies still operate in Russia–and risk being complicit in the Kremlin’s war crimes - NewsBreak
American firms, especially from the fast-moving consumer goods sector (FMCGs), remain some the most profitable in the Russian market. Two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Government finally issued a business advisory on Russia. We first called for such guidance to be issued in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in November 2022.
Over 300 U.S. companies still operate in Russia-and risk being complicit in the Kremlin’s war crimes
Over 300 U.S. companies still operate in Russia-and risk being complicit in the Kremlin’s war crimes
Two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Government finally issued a business advisory on Russia. We first called for such guidance to be issued in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in November 2022. This overdue development should nonetheless be an urgent wake-up call to the American companies still operating in Russia: It’s past time to drop their keys and leave.
Geopolitical corporate responsibility can drive change
The massive exit of more than 1,000 international companies from Russia has surpassed – by a factor of nearly ten in merely four months – the number which pulled out of apartheid-led South Africa over an entire decade. These company exits extend beyond those industries targeted for sanctions – oil and gas, banks and financial services, aerospace, and certain technology sectors – to include hundreds in consumer products ranging from Levi’s and H&M clothing to Coca-Cola and McDonalds.
G7 Summit Will Test Biden’s Moral Leadership on Uyghur Genocide
Bennett Freeman and Louisa Greve call on Biden to demonstrate to the world that the U.S. is prepared to be a leader on human rights again. As a candidate in 2020, President Biden made “restoring America’s moral leadership” a central part of his appeal to American voters. Since taking office, he has stated that human rights are a guiding light for his administration’s approach to foreign policy.
Transparency and Natural Resources: How the U.S. Can Regain Its Leadership
Transparency and Natural Resources: How the U.S. Can Regain Its Leadership Ben Cardin, Daniel Kaufmann, Stephen Comstock, Bennett Freeman, Dotun Oloko, Simon Taylor, and Michelle Kosmidis In 2010, the United States made history by becoming the first country to require all oil, gas and mining companies listed on its stock exchanges to publish their payments to governments around the world—without exception.
Why and how companies should stand up for human rights when they do business
This article was originally published in the BSR Insight. Companies around the world have embraced the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (PDF) (the Guiding Principles), which have catalyzed new efforts to ensure respect for human rights across business operations and beyond.
Rethinking Responsibility in Innovation
Rethinking Responsibility in Innovation Emerging technologies have the potential to promote significant change in public health and national security and the economy, particularly in manufacturing. But innovation can pose serious risks and have unintended consequences. Who should manage those risks? Who is responsible for those consequences? What kinds of institutions and policies can be implemented to ensure responsible innovation?
Davos: businesses need strong human rights defenders
Let’s start with a seemingly unconventional proposition: civil society and business share the same space, and therefore should share an interest in defending what unites them. How controversial is that proposition, really? This “shared space” is anchored in accountable governance. Civil society actors and companies both depend on the same legal and institutional frameworks that define the shared space to operate.
Why businesses are nothing without strong human rights
Let’s start with a seemingly unconventional proposition: civil society and business share the same space, and therefore should share an interest in defending what unites them. How controversial is that proposition, really? This “shared space” is anchored in accountable governance. Civil society actors and companies both depend on the same legal and institutional frameworks that define the shared space to operate.
Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian writer and activist who campaigned on human rights and environment issues for the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta. He was an eloquent spokesman who carried a sustained campaign against Shell Petroleum Development Corp. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian writer and activist who campaigned on human rights and environment issues for the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta.
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