Close dirty loopholes for cleaner supply chains
6 August 2013

This year's horse meat scandal highlighted just how easy it is for things to go wrong when companies don't know exactly how their products are made.

But horse meat is just the tip of the iceberg. Samsung says it had no idea that the tin in its mobiles is linked to deadly mining and environmental destruction until we raised the alarm.

We'll only stop these scandals going unnoticed with new rules to help ensure companies keep track of the full impact of the things they make.

The good news is that there is a new EU law already in the pipeline. The bad news is that a few glaring loopholes could allow scandals like horsemeat and smartphone tin to slip through the net.

Please ask the Business Minister Jo Swinson to help close the loopholes.

Please email the Business Minister now

Dear Ms Swinson,

Our political representatives in Europe are discussing what major companies should have to report on annually. By reporting both the good and bad impacts of their operations, companies can improve efficiency while protecting people and the environment. However, current reporting requirements mean recent scandals like horse meat, the horrific Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka and the effects of tin mining on Bangka, Indonesia, can be completely ignored even by the companies linked to those places. Proper reporting gives businesses the chance to improve efficiency and exposes otherwise hidden, and potentially costly, problems. Please ensure the Government builds on the promises made by David Cameron to improve company transparency and press for improvements to the proposed EU law so that it includes: - A definition of risks that includes those to communities and the environment, not just the company's profits - A requirement for companies to exercise due diligence and report on the worst impacts and risks to communities and the environment associated with their supply chains - Robust guidelines to ensure all companies provide clear, relevant and comparable reporting. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Close dirty loopholes for cleaner supply chains6 August 2013

Please email the Business Minister now

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Close dirty loopholes for cleaner supply chains
6 August 2013