CEO is a Brussels-based research and campaign group working to expose and critically examine the privileged access of companies and their lobbyists to EU lawmakers, which enables these groups to exert influence on policymaking. Corporate access to EU decisions leads to policies that exacerbate social injustice and accelerate the degradation of the global environment.

Why we support CEO

CEO also draws attention to the influence of corporate lobbying on the institutions of the EU in the areas of environment and agriculture. Research conducted by CEO has revealed to what extent corporations’ efforts to lobby EU decision-makers are aimed at influencing EU agricultural regulations in their favour.

We have been supporting CEO since 2015.

The environmental and consumer-protection organisation DUH, with offices in Radolfzell and Berlin, monitors the effective application of environmental legislation and fights for clean air and other issues in order to protect citizens and the climate. The DUH focuses heavily on the transport sector, which is responsible for a large percentage of the world’s climate-damaging CO2 emissions. For example, the DUH proved that diesel carmakers had been illegally manipulating emissions data and that, as a result, the amount of pollution produced in real operation was significantly higher than the vehicles’ laboratory measurements for type approval. The DUH is fighting to uncover further facts about the diesel-emissions scandal and to ensure future compliance with environmental standards.

Why we support the DUH

In the context of the diesel emissions affair, the DUH has been fighting for the health of citizens, as a large proportion of the nitrogen oxide in our air stems from diesel engines. Older people are particularly vulnerable to the associated health risks and therefore have a special need for protection. In the interest of health, the DUH fights for compliance with the legal limits.

We have been supporting DUH since 2016.

Ecoaction is a civil society organization that unites efforts of experts and activists in a joint struggle to protect the environment. They advocate for energy efficiency, renewable energy, countering climate change, clean air for all and sustainable development of transport and agriculture in Ukraine.

Why we support Ecoaction:

Intensive agriculture and especially, industrial stockbreeding, causes a vast amount of ecological damage and contribute massively to global climate change. Ecoaction is advocating for sustainable and ecological agricultural production through the implementation of modern standards, norms and technologies.

They suggest that one of the basic principles of the green post-war reconstruction should be sustainable and decentralized agri-food systems to ensure sustainable economic and community development.

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) uses the law to fight for a world free from torture, oppression and exploitation. It supports the oppressed in their struggle for justice and makes use of legal tools to enforce human rights worldwide.

Why we supported the ECCHR

In its programme “Business and Human Rights”, the ECCHR focuses primarily on strategies for holding transnational corporations accountable for human and environmental rights violations.

We have been supporting ECCHR since 2021.

The French environmental and human-rights organisation Les Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth) is fighting for a sustainable society. Its mission is to help create a world in which the basic human needs of every individual are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Why we support Les Amis de la Terre

One of the organisation’s projects is aimed at convincing French banks to not only stop their financial investments in new coal projects, but also pursue a sectoral policy that rules out the financing of companies within the coal industry. Les Amis de la Terre is working to promote the adoption of binding investment guidelines for banks.

We have been supporting Les Amis de la Terre since 2017.

The organisation Lobby Control in Cologne and Berlin exposes the power structures and strategies of business influence “in the grey zones of politics” in Germany and the EU. It fights for transparency, democratic control and clear limits for the influence of lobbies on politics and public life.

Why we support Lobby Control

By exposing the one-sided influence of corporate lobbyists on political decision-making processes, Lobby Control seeks to give the general public the opportunity to have their voices heard. The organisation is also calling for transparency obligations for lobbyists.

We have been supporting Lobby Control since 2013.

This Berlin-based association of journalists seeks to strengthen research journalism in media and raise awareness of its importance. One of its main goals is the improvement of educational and training programmes in the area of research. In line with this aim, the organisation develops concepts, organises conferences and awards research grants.

Why we support netzwerk recherche

The media plays a significant role in the dissemination of information about environmental problems and is an important influencing factor in the context of sociopolitical debates on environmental issues. netzwerk recherche and Olin gGmbH work together to award grants for research projects in the areas of environment and ecology. In order to qualify for a grant, the project must pursue new theories and questions in these areas and be of an investigative nature.

We have been supporting network recherche since 2015.

The Berlin-based organisation advocates for an energy industry and global economy based on solidarity and environmental sustainability while addressing issues related to economic, energy, climate, raw-materials and trade policy. Through research, political activities and educational and public-relations work, it contributes to the global energy revolution and to fairer global-economic relations.

Why we support PowerShift

One of the organisation’s main areas of focus is the critical monitoring of Germany’s raw-materials policy and the associated ecological and social risks. PowerShift advocates for mandatory human-rights due diligence for companies and for the implementation of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation.

We have been supporting PowerShift since 2018.

The organization Pracownia (“Association Workshop for All Beings”) fights for the protection of Polish forests. It supports and connects local civil society organizations and citizens who are campaigning against deforestation in Poland’s remaining primeval forest areas. The organization advocates for the introduction of far-reaching and binding legal protection mechanisms.

Why we support Pracownia:

Large parts of Poland’s forests, including primeval forest and protected forest areas, are threatened by deforestation. Poland is thereby violating current EU legislation on the protection of biodiversity and forest use. Pracownia uses EU legislation as leverage for change at the national level and works with local initiatives to develop legislative proposals for long-term, sustainable protection of Poland’s forests.

We fund Pracownia in 2021.

The Italian organisation Re:Common initiates research projects and campaigns with the aim of stopping the worldwide environmental destruction associated with the reckless exploitation of natural resources and large-scale public and private infrastructure projects.

Why we support Re:Common

As part of a European network of civil-society organisations, Re:Common encourages Italian insurance companies and banks to distance themselves from investments in coal-fired power plants and to stop financing the development of new power stations.

We have been supporting Re:Common since 2017.

Their mission is, to protect and defend victims of economic crimes drawing on the power of the law. They fight against the new forms of impunity linked to globalization.

Why we support Sherpa

Sherpa pursues of a binding legal framework to make economic actors, and transnational companies in particular violating human rights and causing environmental damages, accountable for their impacts.

We have been supporting Sherpa since 2019.

Stay Grounded is committed to reducing aviation and its negative impacts on health, nature and climate. Aviation is the most climate-damaging form of transportation and one of the fastest growing sources of emissions worldwide.

Stay Grounded is a global network of more than 160 initiatives and organizations.

Why we support Stay Grounded:

Stay Grounded creates a global network across different initiatives and organizations. Aviation is responsible for 5-8% of global warming, in european countries the share is even higher.

We have been supporting Stay Grounded since 2021.

Systemic Justice works to radically transform how the law works for communities fighting for racial, social, and economic justice.

Centring affected communities in joint litigation, Systemic Justice helps broaden access to judicial remedies for those fighting for justice and equality. This helps dismantle the power structures that underpin and fuel racial, social, and economic injustice.

Why we support Systemic Justice:

Right now, many local community groups do not have the knowledge or tools to make informed choices about incorporating litigation as a tool for change. Systemic Justice is developing resources based on the needs of organisations and movements, so they can better decide if and how to integrate strategic litigation in their causes and campaigns.

We have been supporting Systemic Justice since 2023.

The Institute for Independent Impact Assessment of Biotechnology, which is part of the Munich-based organisation Testbiotech, promotes independent research and social debate on the effects of biotechnology. The Institute focuses on the environmental, social and ethical impacts of new biotechnologies, particularly those associated with the use of genetic engineering in agriculture.

Why we support Testbiotech

What are the consequences of genetic engineering for humans and the environment?Testbiotech shares information on the risks associated with these technologies from a critical perspective. The Institute provides scientific expertise that is completely independent of the biotech industry to help strengthen the decision-making capacity of politicians and society.

We have been supporting Testbiotech since 2012.

Those who provide the funds are responsible for the business – or, as they say, “follow the money”: the environmental and human-rights organisation urgewald, with offices in Sassenberg and Berlin, uses this strategic approach to fight environmentally destructive projects. Accordingly, urgewald’s campaigns primarily target the investors and financiers of these projects, because no nuclear power plants, dams or pipelines can be built without loans or investors.

Why we support urgewald

The Paris climate targets cannot be achieved if the unrestricted burning of coal worldwide continues. Banks, insurance companies and investors are being called upon to withdraw their funds from coal and join the “coal divestment” movement. Instead of supporting this harmful industry with further investments, financiers should turn to more environmentally sustainable projects.

We have been supporting urgewald since 2014.

The World Rainforest Movement (WRM), based in Montevideo, Uruguay, is an international network of environmental organisations, social movements and NGOs that support small farmers and indigenous peoples. The WRM works worldwide to protect rainforests for the traditional forest dwellers who rely on them for their livelihood and to defend the rights of these groups in opposition to destructive projects.

Why we support the World Rainforest Movement (WRM)

Forests and the biodiversity they contain must be preserved. The WRM facilitates the networking among local communities and indigenous peoples committed to protecting the forests that are closely connected to their identity, culture and way of life. Their rights are routinely violated when forests are destroyed by industrial logging and mining, converted to monoculture plantations, cattle pastures or flooded for large hydro reservoirs while the designation of forests as protected areas or carbon stores often disregards local land and use rights and prohibits traditional forest use. 

We have been supporting World Rainforest Movement since 2015.