Environment protection – A Global Corporate Social Responsibility.

When countries engage in certain practices due to their belief that those practices are required to be present among the global fraternity, it is called Customary International Law. To become customary law, a practice must be generally followed, rather than just being the practice of a few countries. In contrast, treaties such as protocols and conventions are legally binding laws which govern the countries and various international organizations.

Many environmental activists and other observers believe that the countries have an obligation through the customary international laws to not cause any kind of trans-boundary environmental harm in any way. The current shift in the world’s climate has raised concerns in the minds of humans but rarely do we consciously choose to be proactive about it. In the corporate world, profit always comes before preventive measures for environmental damage. Hence, it is the Corporate Social Responsibility of the web of corporate organizations to be proactive and as eco-friendly as possible not only in their home countries, but also in the countries where they expands their business.

This is the dawn of the era of globalization in India and as our local government seeks to attract foreign investment; our environment protection agencies are made to take the back seat for a while, as no strict measures for pollution hazards that may or may not be caused by multinational corporations are taken. This legal oversight coupled with weak governmental control over multinational corporations may become a growing cause of concern for our future.

What is generally tended to assume by heavily polluted countries is that multinational companies abide more strictly by the law than their domestic companies do. But the truth of the situation is that those companies pay strict adherence to the environmental laws and create good impressions only because the implementation of environmental laws in those foreign countries is very strict. The same company when doing business in a poor country where adherence to pollution control is not as strict, may not be as law abiding and environment friendly as in those countries. The principles of Corporate Social Responsibility do not permit such corporate inclinations. Poor environmental performances by domestic enterprises should not be used as an excuse by multinationals to perform the same way.

India ought to keep in mind that globalization does not only entail economic growth, but it is accompanied with environment protection and promotion practices which help us protect against the phenomenon of Global Warming. The Chinese Government sets a good example for other countries in this regard.

Over the last three years, the Chinese government has punished 33 multinational corporations such as American Standard, Panasonic, Pepsi, Nestle, and 3M for violating the nation’s environmental laws and regulations, according to Ma Jun, director of the non-governmental Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs. They were punished mainly for discharges of substandard waste water and for unauthorized construction activities that occurred in the absence of proper environmental impact assessments.

Perhaps India should be vary and alert, and stick to our environment policies and not get carried away by the new wave of foreign investments that is expected to splash our country in the near future.