Private sector

CAFOD's policy and research papers examining the effect that the operations of multinational companies have on local communities and recommending policy change.

Case studies

Jun

2023

Case study: Gold mining in Brazil

Gold sold on our high streets could be linked to the destruction of indigenous communities’ lives...

Case study: Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia

Jun

2023

Case study: Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia

People living in communities in La Guajira, Colombia, have repeatedly denounced harm to their liv...

Case study: Business activity in the occupied Palestinian territory

Jun

2023

Case study: Business activity in the occupied Palestinian territory

Key documents

Civil society policy recommendations on illicit gold

Apr

2026

Civil society policy recommendations on illicit gold

Gold Mining in Yanomami Indigenous Territory (TIY)

Feb

2023

Gold Mining in Yanomami Indigenous Territory (TIY)

Protecting our common home: Land and environmental human rights defenders in Latin America

Jul

2021

Protecting our common home: Land and environmental human rights defenders in Latin America

Jan

2019

How to achieve decent green jobs?

Nov

2016

Leader or laggard?: Is the UK meeting its commitments on business and human rights?

Oct

2013

Policy and research

CAFOD's policy team provides briefings, reports and research on our advocacy and lobbying work, plus materials to support our campaigns.

Campaign with CAFOD

Find out more about campaigning on social justice issues with CAFOD.

UK city scape, offices, economics, climate change — Mining in province of Espinar in the Cusco region of Peru, negatively impacts communities and the environment. Credit: Lucy Jardine, CAFOD

CAFOD's policy and research papers examining the effect that the operations of multinational companies have on local communities and recommending policy change.

Communities around the world are experiencing human rights abuses, environmental destruction and the impacts of climate change as a result of the operations, investments, subsidiaries and supply chains of multinational companies.

This includes:

Modern slavery
The removal of communities from their lands or operations on their lands without their consent
Mass pollution and large-scale deforestation
Intimidation, abuse and killing of human rights and environmental defenders who resist the presence and operations of business
Rising sea levels as a result of fossil fuel emissions.

Many of these impacts are driven by global demand for crops, minerals and energy, which benefit companies and consumers in the UK and other richer nations, while the environmental and social costs of business are pushed down supply chains.

Key areas of work

CAFOD is calling for:

Local community control and decision-making over land, water and forests.
Effective legislation to ensure businesses respect for human rights and the environment.
Access to justice for those harmed by company actions.
Circular and regenerative business models, and a rebalancing of corporate governance away from a singular focus on shareholder profit.
Changes to our own lifestyles, to how and what we produce, consume and dispose.

Because of the huge imbalance in power between communities and large companies, it’s often very difficult for those harmed to get justice for the harms they suffer.

Recent years have seen an increase of voluntary measures to address companies’ social and environmental impacts – also known as “Corporate Social Responsibility”. But they have failed to prevent harm, or dislodge a primary focus on profit and shareholder value over people and planet.

Case studies

Jun

2023

Case study: Gold mining in Brazil

Gold sold on our high streets could be linked to the destruction of indigenous communities’ lives...

Jun

2023

Case study: Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia

People living in communities in La Guajira, Colombia, have repeatedly denounced harm to their liv...

Jun

2023

Case study: Business activity in the occupied Palestinian territory

Key documents

Apr

2026

Policy and research: Private sector

Case studies

Key documents

Policy and research: Private sector

Key areas of work

Case studies

Key documents

Key areas of work