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Controversial Business Practices in 2020

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Controversial Business Practices in 2020 Retrospective Controversial Business Practices in 2020 Inrate Analyst Team January 22, 2021 Zurich Office Geneva Office Memberships Partner Inrate AG Inrate SA Binzstrasse 23 Rue de Berne 10 CH-8045 Zürich CH-1200 Genève Tel. +41 58 344 00 00 Tel. +41 58 344 00 00 [email protected] [email protected] www.inrate.com www.inrate.com Executive Summary The food processing industry proved to be especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. Inrate manages a database with more than While several companies came under scrutiny for 16’000 controversial business practices of over mismanagement and neglect of occupational safety measures during the pandemic, the Tyson 3’000 companies of major indices such as MSCI Foods case stood out due to its extent. The Developed Markets, MSCI Emerging Markets and company’s negligent behavior had severe the Swiss Performance Index collected over ten consequences for local communities as it was years. News articles are screened on a daily responsible for several outbreaks by ignoring basis, recorded, categorized as well as evaluated basic hygiene standards resulting in a large in detail. number of infections and a considerable death toll. As the year comes to a close, we have taken One of the biggest accounting frauds occurred in some time to reflect upon controversial business 2020 when Wirecard filed for bankruptcy shortly practices of 2020 and have compiled a list of five after it was published that EUR 1.9 billion in controversies that caught our attention the most balances were missing. These revelations were during the last twelve months. Every chosen followed by the arrest of the chief executive officer example is unique in nature, albeit for different and an international manhunt for the former chief reasons. The list includes controversies that were operating officer, who is now on Interpol’s Most relevant because of the impact of the corporate Wanted list. conduct on the environment and society as well as the perception of stakeholders thereof. All of A devastating incident happened mid-year when the below described controversies began in 2020, Rio Tinto detonated ancient caves with around but have yet to come to a close. 46’000 years of human history. The incident raised questions over the social license to The year 2020 was exceptionally challenging in operate of the extractive industry in Australia and many regards. Society and businesses were hit its accountability towards local communities. by the outbreak of COVID-19, which led to devastating social consequences, crashing Finally, another mining company was at the financial markets and rapidly increasing center of attention as the Russian authorities uncertainty. Businesses and their stakeholders were forced to declare a state of emergency. A across all industries were suddenly faced with subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel was held responsible challenges that had been unknown in the past. for dumping 20’000 tonnes of diesel fuel into a The pandemic revealed, which business were river, which contaminated an area of 350 square ready to adapt to increased or newly emerging metres. The incident was considered the worst ESG risks. The ability to appropriately react to spill in the arctic to date. new conditions in turn enabled companies to All of the listed controversies are examples of resume operations once the situation allowed it corporate irresponsibility with far reaching to. Particularly health and safety concerns were in consequences for stakeholders involved. the limelight of the public discussion since Moreover, such accidents pose considerable employees were heavily affected by the reputational as well as financial risks for the pandemic. At the same time, 2020 witnessed respective businesses. misconducts by corporations across a wide range of topics, bringing a number of ESG issues to light unrelated to the pandemic. Swiss chemicals and biotechnology company Disclaimer: This report represents Inrate’s view Lonza was reportedly responsible for only. It is based on interpretations Inrate made of approximately 1 per cent of the annual Swiss facts and figures disclosed in public documents. greenhouse gas emissions. The company was As such, this report does not constitute any criticized for increasing environmental costs by recommendation to offer, sell or hold any financial reacting hesitantly after detecting the leakage at instrument. one of its production facilities. Page 2 of 10 Company Controversy Page Lonza Nitrous oxide emissions over decades (Switzerland) 3 Tyson Foods Employees' health put at risk during coronavirus outbreak (US) 4 Wirecard Alleged accounting fraud and market manipulation 4 Rio Tinto Destruction of sacred caves (Australia) 5 Norilsk Nickel Fuel spill in Arctic Tundra, Siberia (Russia) 6 Lonza Simultaneously Lonza entered negotiations to Nitrous oxide emissions over decades classify the installation costs of 12 million to the (Switzerland) FOEN as a climate compensation project. The Topic: Environmental damages of production emission savings would have been admitted to the emissions trading system, allowing Lonza to In February 2020, the Swiss Federal Office for the sell each ton of saved CO2 for up to 95 CHF. Environment (FOEN) published a press release Lonza and the FOEN reached an agreement in identifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions November 2019. According to a press release of the Swiss industry sector to be higher than by the company in December 2020, the catalyst anticipated (FOEN 2020). The unforeseen will be put into operation by the end of 2021 increase of around 600’000 tons of CO2- (Lonza, 2020b). To comply with Swiss emission equivalents (eq) per year was traced back to a targets, the FOEN took on the financial nitrous oxide leakage at Lonza AG’s production responsibility to buy the emission allowances for facility in Visp. The additional CO2eq Lonza for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020. corresponded to approximately 1 per cent of the Furthermore, emissions emitted prior to 2018 annual Swiss GHG emissions. It was reported that will be neglected, following the rationale that the nitrous oxide was formed in Lonza’s production emissions were approved only with the external process of the vitamin niacin. Lonza has produced assessment in 2018 (Tagesanzeiger 2020). niacin at the Visp site since 1971 (Lonza, 2020a). While the global warming potential of nitrous oxide Inrate’s view: The magnitude of causing 1% is around 300 times that of CO2, it is unharmful, at of Switzerland’s annual emissions over the such a level of concentration, to living beings’ course of possibly 50 years through the health. For this reason, it has not been regulated leakage in Visp highlights the relevance of this in the Swiss clean air act to date (LRV 2020). controversy for Inrate. It was reported that the company had a hesitant approach to installing The nitrous oxide emissions were discovered by a catalyst which further exacerbated the issue. Lonza in the spring of 2017 in a control inspection This would suggest that the company of the Visp production location. In March 2019, the knowingly accepted the leaking of further GHG source of the nitrous oxide emissions was emissions into the atmosphere and thus confirmed by FOEN’s external experts. Lonza and causing negative externalities. Lonza installs the FOEN were criticized by the media for causing currently a catalyzer to filter out the nitrous delays (Tagesanzeiger 2020). According to a oxide. Federal regulation wants to avoid press release by the company from December similar cases regarding nitrous oxide in the 2020, the steps towards finding a technical future. The high emission of greenhouse solution started immediately after detecting the gases by Lonza seems to be a serious special emissions. It involved among other things case. obtaining a building permit for the elaborate catalyzer (Lonza, 2020b). Page 3 of 10 Tyson Foods that widespread screening tests will be implemented. Employees' health put at risk during coronavirus outbreak (US) Inrate’s view: Tyson Foods is the second Topic: Health and safety among employees largest meat processor in the world and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in company had one of the highest numbers of early 2020, the meatpacking industry proved to be COVID-19 infected employees. Inrate especially vulnerable to local coronavirus considers this event significant as numerous outbreaks, as observed in several companies employees died due to the lack of sufficient including Tönnies, JBS and Tyson Foods. Since safety measures in the company’s facilities. April 2020 several lawsuits, including an The company refused to shut down plants, Occupational Health and Safety Administration which would have avoided the further (OSHA) complaint, have been filed against the spreading of the virus, even when multiple food processing company Tyson Foods, for not cases were known. Furthermore, testing providing proper safety equipment for the workers programs were only implemented late in the and thus violating OSHA standards (Who13 News course of the pandemic and under public 2020). Further lawsuits were also filed against pressure. Thus, the company presented very Tyson Foods by the family of the workers, who weak measures to deal with the health and contracted COVID-19 and died due to the infection safety risks of its employees. (PRNewswire 2020, AP News 2020). Wirecard The company stated that they had taken all the necessary measures for the safety of their Alleged accounting fraud and market employees with flexible attendance policy and manipulation training on COVID-19. The employees and their Topic: Compliance with legislation families, however, reported about lack of tests and safety equipment as well as frequent sick In June 2020, the German payment processor leaves and employees, which were forced to work and provider of financial services Wirecard filed with symptoms (Who13 News 2020, Biz Journal for insolvency after its announcement that EUR 2020). Thus, it was claimed that the company 1.9 billion in balances was missing (Financial knowingly put the workers at risk.
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