Responsible Business Conduct Matters – Achieving environmental sustainability objectives under the OECD Guidelines

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Entreprises on Responsible Business Conduct (OECD Guidelines) provide for comprehensive measures intended to assist companies in addressing adverse impacts arising from environmental issues. Having regard to the objectives of ensuring sustainable development, the OECD Guidelines recognize that enterprises are prone to the environmental risks and hazards occasioning adverse impacts such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, deforestation, pollution, unsound waste management and other damage to the environment. In response to these issues, the OECD Guidelines call for companies to adopt best practices across their chain of operations to mitigate risks to the environment.

How can the OECD Guidelines help?

The OECD Guidelines have made extensive provisions on environmental matters and recommend that companies adopt the following practical solutions and measures:

• Implement an environmental action plan based on risk-based due diligence to identify and mitigate environmental impacts from their operations;
• Address and assess negative environmental impacts by conducting environmental impact assessments in high-risk areas on the environment;
• Establish systematic, realistic and structured indicators alongside strategies to mitigate environmental impacts on critical environmental areas while regularly reviewing the effectiveness of those indicators;
• Promote active engagement with affected stakeholders through regular communication initiatives on potential harms and corrective actions towards the reduction of those harms;
• Resolve environmental and related human harm and promote a culture of conflict resolution and remediation; and
• Adopt technology and additional environmental friendly products and services to enhance environmental sustainability objectives

The above recommendations are based on the provisions set out under Chapter VI on Environment as part of the OECD Guidelines.

National Contact Point Mauritius

The National Contact Point Mauritius (NCP Mauritius) has been set up to promote the recommendations of the OECD Guidelines and provide for a remedial mechanism on potential violations of the OECD Guidelines In line with its roles and functions, NCP Mauritius encourages enterprises to adopt proactive approaches in accordance with the recommendations of the OECD Guidelines on the protection of the environment and ensure environmental sustainability objectives across business operations. Governments equally play a critical policy coherence role by spearheading projects in concordance with sustainability objectives promoted by the OECD Guidelines. Taken together, these initiatives contribute towards the effectiveness of the OECD Guidelines in a holistic approach.

Doing business responsibly today builds a better planet tomorrow. Should you or your business require further information on responsible business conduct matters, do not hesitate to contact the National Contact Point – Mauritius on secretariat@ncpmauritius.mu