It’s been a busy year so far for Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s Planet Over Profit campaign, as we’ve continued building local support for stronger laws to hold businesses accountable for human rights abuses and environmental harm in their supply chains.
We started the year by bringing the campaign into the community. On 21 March, to mark the International Day of Forests, we hosted a special screening of Savages at The Warehouse, a film about a family fleeing conflict in the rainforest of Borneo. The screening gave us an opportunity to raise awareness of the links between what we consume, environmental destruction and the impacts on communities around the world.
Since then, we’ve continued collecting petition signatures at stalls and community events across Birmingham, while taking the campaign directly to our elected representatives.
Taking the conversation to our MPs
Volunteers have also been meeting MPs across Birmingham to hand in our petition and discuss the campaign, which is calling for a new Business, Human Rights and Environment Act. The proposed law would introduce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, requiring businesses to identify, prevent and address human rights abuses and environmental harm connected to their operations and supply chains.
Catherine and Noama welcomed MP Laurence Turner to The Warehouse. They discussed how stronger legislation could protect workers, alongside Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland CEO Assad Rehman, who was visiting that day. Laurence was particularly interested in the policy and worker protection aspects of the proposed legislation, and the meeting led to a positive and productive discussion.
In Edgbaston, Aden met with MP Preet Gill to hand over the petition and raise the campaign directly with her.
We also met with MP Al Carns, where much of the conversation focused on how mandatory due diligence could work in practice. Al was interested in how countries such as France, Germany and Norway have approached similar legislation and what the UK could learn from their experiences. We’ll be following up with further research.
Why does this matter?
There’s often a lot of emphasis on individuals making environmentally and socially responsible choices. But consumers can’t carry that responsibility alone.
Most of us don’t have the time, information or ability to trace products through complex global supply chains to establish whether they have been linked to deforestation, environmental damage or exploitation. Businesses are much better placed to understand where their products and materials come from. That’s why we’re calling for the responsibility to sit with businesses too.
Our work in Birmingham is part of a much wider Friends of the Earth campaign, supported by local groups and volunteers across the country. Every petition signature, community conversation and meeting with an elected representative helps demonstrate public support for stronger corporate accountability.
That collective campaigning is helping build national momentum. In June, MPs debated safeguarding human rights in supply chains in Westminster Hall, including calls for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. The Government’s ongoing review of Responsible Business Conduct is also considering mandatory due diligence as a potential policy option.
What’s next?
We’ll continue meeting MPs and councillors, collecting signatures and building support across Birmingham.
We’re also bringing some craftivism into the campaign with our upcoming Pride Flag Stitching Event, where we’ll turn donated scrap and disused fabric into a large-scale Pride flag banner. It’s a chance to keep fabric out of landfill, celebrate our diverse community and bring people together through creativity and campaigning.
There’s plenty more to come! From community events to conversations with our elected representatives, we’ll keep pushing for a future where protecting people and the planet isn’t left to individual consumers. Businesses must play their part too.
