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Corporate Accountability International (formerly InFact) is a non-profit organization, founded in 1977. Campaign headquarters is in Boston, MA with offices in Oakland, CA, Seattle, WA, and Bogotá, Colombia. They are a multi-campaign organization. Currently their most prominent campaign is Think Outside The Bottle.

History

Corporate Accountability began in 1977, as InFact, with their involvement in the Nestle boycott. After Nestle, InFact's next boycott target was General Electric, due to the company's involvement in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.[1] InFact commissioned the film Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment, directed by Debra Chasnoff, which won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1992.[2]

Campaigns

Since 1977 Corporate Accountability International (formerly INFACT) has been involved with a number of high-profile campaigns waged against major corporations.

From 1977-1986 the Infant Formula Campaign and Nestlé Boycott brought about significant reforms in the life-threatening marketing of infant formula in developing countries. The work of INFACT contributed to the passage of the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in 1981.

From 1984-1993 the Nuclear Weaponmakers Campaign and General Electric (GE) Boycott helped push industry leader GE out of the nuclear weapons business and exposed the human and environmental costs of the corporation's nuclear weapons production and promotion. The international boycott of GE products cost the company over $19 million in lost medical equipment sales and $100 million in overall sales[3]. Major retail stores including Safeway and Target began stocking light bulbs made by other companies. In 1991, Corporate Accountability International created a short subject Academy Award winning documentary, "Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons, and Our Environment" that juxtaposed "GE's rosy 'We Bring Good Things To Life' commercials with the true stories of workers and neighbors whose lives have been devastated by the company's involvement in building and testing nuclear bombs."[4] In 1993, GE caved under enormous public pressure and moved out of the nuclear weapons business.[5]

In 1994 Corporate Accountability International launched the Challenging Big Tobacco Campaign[6]. In 2003, years of campaigning culminated in the adoption of the world's first public health and corporate accountability treaty -- the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Challenging Big Tobacco Campaign is currently focused on expanding implementation and enforcement of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

In 2004 Corporate Accountability International launched the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign[7] to promote, protect and ensure public funding for public water systems and challenging corporations who undermine public confidence in tap water. [8] Recently, Corporate Accountability International’s Think Outside The Bottle Campaign has garnered international notice. The campaign has been supported by Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, who has also begun his own “Knock Out Bottled Water” website,[9] San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, and more.[10] The campaign also played a major role in the July 2007 decision by PepsiCo. to change the label on their Aquafina bottled water to more plainly state it is sourced from public water.[11] The campaign was also featured on NBC Nightly News in October 2007.[12]


In 2009 Corporate Accountability International launched the Value [The] Meal Campaign [13]challenging corporate abuse of food by the fast food industry. The campaigns demands to the fast food industry include: stop fast food marketing, promotion and sponsorship that appeals to children and teenagers; stop manipulating public health policy and nutrition science; and provide complete, accurate and non-promotional information about the health risks of fast food.[14] Members of the campaign advisory board include Frances Moore Lappé author of Diet for a Small Planet, Susan Linn, EdD co-founder and director of The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Marion Nestle Ph.D., M.P.H., the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Ronnie Cummins National Director of the Organic Consumers Association, David L. Katz MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP Director and founder of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, Raj Patel, PHD author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, Scot Quaranda the Campaign Director for Dogwood Alliance, Michele Simon, JD, MPH author of Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back, and Judy Wicks founder of Philadelphia’s White Dog Cafe.[15]

Water Campaign

Recently, Corporate Accountability International’s Think Outside The Bottle Campaign has garnered international notice. The campaign which, “encourages consumers to choose tap water over bottled water and support the efforts of local elected officials to do the same at the city, state, and national level,"[16] has been supported by Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, who has also begun his own “Knock Out Bottled Water” website,[17] San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, and more.[18] The campaign also played a major role in the July 2007 decision by PepsiCo. to change the label on their Aquafina bottled water to more plainly state it is sourced from public water.[19] The campaign was also featured on NBC Nightly News in October 2007.[20]

Tobacco Campaign

Corporate Accountability International played an integral part in 2005’s World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world’s first public health and corporate accountability treaty[21] They spent the fall of 2005 working alongside other organizations to get a number of African countries to ratify the treaty and also gained notice for their attempts to get the US to ratify the Global Tobacco Treaty.[22]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Joanna (April–May 1990), "Infact's General Electric Boycott", Peace Magazine{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  2. ^ Rosenfeld, Megan (1992-04-23), "US: General Electric Expose Garners an Oscar", Washington Post, retrieved 2009-10-17
  3. ^ Zheutlin, Peter (November 1990). "Doctors Join GE Boycott". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists', p 8.
  4. ^ http://www.newday.com/films/DeadlyDeception.html
  5. ^ Interview with Kathyrn Mulvey (July/August 2001). "GE Can Be Beat". The Multinational Monitor, http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2001/01july-august/julyaug01interviewmulvey.html Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  6. ^ http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/tobacco-campaign
  7. ^ http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org
  8. ^ http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/think-outside-bottle/
  9. ^ Choate-Nielsen, Amy (2007-10-13), "Rocky slowing flow of bottled water", Deseret News, retrieved 2009-10-17
  10. ^ Vega, Cecilia (2007-06-22), "Mayor to cut off flow of city money for bottled water", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved 2009-10-17
  11. ^ Aquafina labels to spell out tap water source: Water originates from public reservoirs, CBC News, 2007-07-27, retrieved 2009-10-15
  12. ^ Thompson, Anne (2007-10-17). "On Water, Thinking Outside the Bottle". NBC Nightly News. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  13. ^ http://www.valuethemeal.org
  14. ^ http://stopcorporateabuse.org/value-meal
  15. ^ http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/value-meal-advisory-board
  16. ^ "Think Outside the Bottle". Corporate Accountability International. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  17. ^ Choate-Nielsen, Amy (2007-10-13), "Rocky slowing flow of bottled water", Deseret News, retrieved 2009-10-17
  18. ^ Vega, Cecilia (2007-06-22), "Mayor to cut off flow of city money for bottled water", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved 2009-10-17
  19. ^ Aquafina labels to spell out tap water source: Water originates from public reservoirs, CBC News, 2007-07-27, retrieved 2009-10-15
  20. ^ Thompson, Anne (2007-10-17). "On Water, Thinking Outside the Bottle". NBC Nightly News. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  21. ^ "FCA Membership Directory". Framework Convention Alliance. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  22. ^ Schalch, Kathleen (2005-11-08). "Deadline Reached for Global Tobacco Treaty". NPR. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
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