Implementing Indigenous Rights’ Concerns in Corporate Activity

Abstract

Today, we hear a lot about the companies that need to be more “sustainable” or “responsible”. “Sustainability”: A word that is often pronounced in a lot of different contexts but what does it exactly mean? Is it a ground-breaking and crucial theme of the 21st century or is it merely a fad that will vanish in a few years?

In this regard, it is worth noting that there is no universally agreed definition of the word “sustainability”, which seems to be a new “catch-all” phrase. It can mean something entirely different to every person with whom you speak, with meaning going from ‘environmental effort’ to ‘a combination of business efficiency for a better world’. Nevertheless, there seems to be a consensus on the following definition that defines sustainability as a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Broadly speaking, it is about finding the balance between economic profit and responsible behaviour in order to leave a viable world to our children and grandchildren.

Sustainability may be implemented within businesses through are three pillars: economic, environmental, and social. These three aspects are interdependent and not mutually exclusive and need to be considered as a whole.

In short, environmental sustainability refers to the protection of the environment (greenhouse emissions and carbon footprints, protection of natural resources, management of waste), social sustainability deals with the wellbeing of the society at large (communities including indigenous peoples, employees’ welfare) and economic sustainability emphasizes a viable and ethical economy (effective corporate governance, transparency and fight against the corruption).

The question is: why should businesses care about sustainability? The common purpose of corporations is to make profit and not to take social and environmental issues into account. In fact, businesses should feel concerned by these aspects because sustainability is “the lifeblood of long-term business prosperity, growth and ultimately survival”. Indeed, sustainability affects various stakeholders of the society including communities, regulators, customers and shareholders. Our society currently faces numerous global challenges including environmental degradation, social scandals, and economic crisis. The solution of these problems are interlinked and companies have a part to play as they impact various levels of the society: the global economy, community relations and the ecosystem. It is therefore incumbent on the businesses to take these issues into account.

To sum up, sustainability rests on these three pillars (environmental, social, and economic). If one pillar is weak, the rest collapses. Organisations then should not focus on one pillar at the time and should rather consider them all.

That being said, what is the linkage between sustainability and indigenous peoples? When we think of “sustainability”, we think of environmental initiatives such as automobile companies trying to reduce their carbon footprint. We think of philanthropy such as these large oil and gas firms attempting to regain public trust by building up a school or a hospital in a third-world country. Do we think of efforts towards indigenous groups? Not that much although we should.