Cinema Tip: Stopping the power of corporations

The film «The Green Lie» documents the misdeeds of international corporations and highlights the importance of civil society.

From palm oil cultivation in Indonesia, to coal mining in Germany, to meat production in Brazil – the documentary «The Green Lie» by Werner Boote exposes the cover-up of the exploitation of people and the environment by international corporations, which NGOs like Südwind have been criticising for years.

«The film underscores the importance of the work of NGOs like Südwind and motivates viewers to actively help shape the future. Because critical citizens and an active civil society are key factors in stopping the power of corporations», says Nora Niemetz, coordinator of the Südwind Cinema series.

Binding rules for corporations

«Whether in the cultivation of palm oil or the extraction of raw materials: corporations profit from violations of human and labour rights. Voluntary commitments do little to help», says Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl, campaign director of Südwind. The UN Human Rights Council therefore established a working group in June 2014 with the aim of developing a binding agreement to regulate transnational corporations (TNC Treaty). On 8 March 2018, an interim report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and a first draft of the treaty is to be negotiated in October. «The UN agreement offers a historic opportunity to finally deliver justice to those affected by human rights violations committed by corporations. We call on Foreign Minister Kneissl to engage constructively and in the spirit of human rights in the negotiations on the UN agreement», explains Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl.

A different way of doing business is possible

«The Green Lie» highlights the negative effects of an economy geared toward profit maximization. A counter-movement is the solidarity economy, an alternative form of economic activity. Südwind, in cooperation with NGOs from 23 countries, has analyzed and mapped this movement. The online map «SuSY-Map» has so far recorded nearly 1’800 social and solidarity economy initiatives, businesses, and organizations across Europe, around 350 of which are in Austria.

Finding your way through the “quality label flood”

“To bring about change, we need to rethink our lifestyle and consumption habits. Consciously and enjoyably consuming only what you actually need, wasting nothing, and paying attention to where it comes from and how it was produced are important steps,” says Nora Niemetz. Quality labels help when selecting products. But what standards do the different labels stand for? To help navigate the growing “quality label flood,” Südwind and Global 2000 have published a quality label check.

Release date: Austria 9 March 2018 | Germany 22 March 2018. More on the topic Environment and Nature Conservation.