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SOMO

SOMO is a critical, independent, not-for-profit knowledge centre on multinationals.

The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) is an independent, not-for-profit research and network organisation working on social, ecological and economic issues related to sustainable development.

30/04/2026

Would you trust your phone company under an authoritarian regime? 👁️

After the 2021 coup in Myanmar, the military started cracking down on activists and protesters. And upon request, it obtained personal data like names, call logs and locations, from telecom company Telenor.

This led to arrests, detention, and torture, and at least one person was executed

The world should be paying attention.

Because the next time a government turns authoritarian, it may not need to build new tools of repression.

It may simply open the database.

Full story via the link in our bio.

23/04/2026

Imagine your home is cracking because of gas extraction nearby... and when your government finally steps in to protect you, it gets sued by the gas companies ⚠️

Welcome to the upside-down world of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).

In Groningen, the Netherlands, communities have lived with the consequences of decades of gas extraction by Shell and ExxonMobil.

And when the Dutch government closed the gas field, these companies used ISDS to claim billions in lost profits, while denying their responsibility for the harms caused and refusing to fully compensate affected communities.

ISDS allows foreign investors like big polluters to sue governments in private courts when public interest policies affect their profits.

This system is completely legal. Yet, most people have never heard of it. And it is standing in the way of public good, climate action and a just transition.

As governments gather in Santa Marta for the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, this reality cannot be ignored.

There can’t be a fossil fuel phase out as long as ISDS exists and protects Big Oil.

If governments are serious about phasing out fossil fuels, they must confront and dismantle ISDS. ⛔️

All eyes on the Netherlands, as a key player in this system and co-host of the Conference. 🇳🇱

Together with , we’ve developed a roadmap gathering legal options for states to curb or end ISDS in the context of a fossil fuel phase out. 🔗Access it via the link in our bio.

21/04/2026

A groundbreaking lawsuit was filed today against Levi Strauss Nederland B.V. and Levi Strauss & Co Europe BV (together Levi’s). 💼

Through public statements on responsible production and respect for workers’ rights, Levi’s presented itself as an ethical brand.

These claims helped convince Dutch consumers they were making a responsible choice. But in 2025, CCC uncovered a different reality.

A campaign amplified testimonies of severe worker repression at a Turkish factory producing exclusively for Levi’s. Workers who peacefully protested for better conditions faced violence from provincial security forces and were later dismissed.

Hundreds are still demanding compensation.

Dutch law protects consumers against misleading claims. Brands’ statements must accurately reflect workers’ conditions.

The case is brought by the Dutch office of the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), together with four consumers who purchased Levi’s products on the basis of these claims.

SOMO supports the proceedings and has assisted the case with factual research and legal strategy development.

Read more: Link in bio

16/04/2026

An unknown, but very legal tool is blocking climate action and the fossil fuel phase out:

👉 Investor State Dispute Settlement, or ISDS.

ISDS allows foreign investors - like big polluters - to sue states when public policies affect their investments and profits.

Billions have already been claimed by investors through ISDS. That’s taxpayer money.

And there’s one country that plays a major role in the ISDS system.

Ironically, that same country is co-hosting the First Transition Away from Fossil Fuels that starts next week:

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

If The Netherlands is serious about phasing out fossil fuels and supporting a just energy transition, it must take the lead in dismantling legal barriers like ISDS. 🚨

The legal options and precedents to curb or end ISDS already exist. Together with , we’ve developed a roadmap for states to do so in the context of a fossil fuel phase out. Check it out via the link in our bio.

14/04/2026

The updated SOMO CSDDD Datahub is out! 📢

Following the Omnibus I deregulation, the Datahub identifies:
- the 1,450 corporate groups that will have to comply with the CSDDD by July 2029
- the companies meeting the thresholds
- their sectors
- the countries where they’re headquartered.

This free resource can be used by activists, communities, trade unions and civil society organisations.

Swipe for a summary of what the Datahub reveals 👉

Read the full piece via the link in bio.

This update is supported by and .

08/04/2026

Myanmar customers are suing Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor ASA 🚨

At its peak, Telenor ASA’s subsidiary in Myanmar served over 18 million people.

During and after the coup, the military junta repeatedly requested user data from Telenor Myanmar, including of individuals suspected of opposing the regime.

Telenor Myanmar complied with these requests, disclosing customer data linked to at least 1,253 phone numbers, despite clear risks.

Telenor ASA did not prevent it, and sometimes even recommended it.

Following the disclosures, several customers experienced surveillance, arbitrary detention, and torture, and at least one customer was executed.

Now, a class action lawsuit filed in Norway seeks accountability from Telenor ASA for not sufficiently protecting user data from an authoritarian regime.

The case raises urgent questions about corporate responsibility in high-risk contexts.

Full story via the link in bio.

02/04/2026

Real resilience is not just about securing more. It’s about needing less. 🔥

The EU is facing a minerals dilemma. With the US financial power and China’s dominance in processing, Europe’s options are limited.

Its current strategy?
- Expanding mining
- Mobilising public finance
- Easing social and environmental safeguards

At the same time, demand for and competition over critical minerals are rising rapidly. Not only from the energy transition, but also from defence, AI, and the automotive sector.

The result?
- More competition.
- Higher risks.
- Deeper dependence on volatile supply chains.

But there is another path, one that the EU is largely ignoring: reducing demand ✨
- Reducing material use.
- Improving resource efficiency.
- Rethinking how key sectors operate.

All while supporting climate goals and reducing geopolitical exposure.

A more resilient strategy is within reach. But it requires a shift in focus.

Read the full article (link in bio)

01/04/2026

We’re updating the CSDDD Datahub! 🔍

The CSDDD Datahub is a database of the corporate groups and companies covered by the CSDDD, as well as their sectors and home countries.

The next update will reflect the Omnibus I revision and show which corporations will need to comply with the CSDDD by 2029, and should start preparing now.

It will be available on 14 April. Watch this space! 👀

This Datahub update is supported by and

31/03/2026

Big Tech companies rely heavily on thousands of data workers for their AI products, like chatbots, self-driving cars and smart devices.

🚨 But data workers have raised the alarm bell on their precarious conditions, like low pay, insecure contracts and limited protections.

While these workers are often hired through intermediaries, Big Tech firms set the terms and conditions in which they work.

👉 They must also bear the responsibility.

Read our analysis via the link in our bio.

19/03/2026

We’ll be at the first conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia 👋

Ahead of the event, we’ve answered the call for input on “enabling pathways for a just transition”. Our main recommendations:

- Divesting responsibly from fossil fuel operations
- Ending Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)

People and justice must be at the centre of the fossil fuel phase-out. That’s why we recently developed the International Principles on Responsible Divestment from Fossil Fuels, together with and .

🗓️ Are you campaigning for a just transition and interested in hearing more? We’ll launch the principles in a webinar on Tuesday, 24 March at 15:00 (CET).

✍️ Sign up via the link in our bio (English with live interpretation to Spanish, French & Arabic)

12/03/2026

Nobody should ever have to move from their home so that a polluting industrial site can expand. (Dutch below)

In Moerdijk, The Netherlands, residents are going through this right now.

Local authorities want to expand the massive fossil chemical site that’s next to the village, in the name of the ‘energy transition’.

But if you look closer, you can see it’s not really about the energy transition. It’s about industrial expansion.🚩

One that could be partially avoided if we were to make a choice to replace some of the existing oil refineries in Rotterdam.

This case reiterates a systemic issue: when industry is in private hands, shareholder profit comes before public interests.

The pressure on Moerdijk residents is the result of choices that still haven’t been made: what industry do we want, and what industry do we not want?

As long as those choices are postponed, it is the residents of Moerdijk who will pay the price.

👉 Swipe to learn more.

Full analysis via the link in bio.

—
Niemand zou ooit uit zijn huis moeten verhuizen zodat een vervuilende industriële locatie kan uitbreiden.

In Moerdijk, maken bewoners dit momenteel mee.

Lokale autoriteiten willen de enorme fossiele chemische locatie naast het dorp uitbreiden, in naam van de ‘energietransitie’.

Maar als je beter kijkt, zie je dat het niet echt om de energietransitie gaat. Het gaat om industriële uitbreiding.🚩

Dit zou gedeeltelijk kunnen worden voorkomen als we zouden kiezen om een aantal van de bestaande olieraffinaderijen in Rotterdam te sluiten.

Deze zaak bevestigt opnieuw een structureel probleem: wanneer de industrie in particuliere handen is, gaat het belang van aandeelhouders boven het algemeen belang.

De druk op de inwoners van Moerdijk is het gevolg van keuzes die nog steeds niet zijn gemaakt: welke industrie willen we wel en welke industrie willen we niet?

Zolang die keuzes worden uitgesteld, zijn het de inwoners van Moerdijk die de prijs betalen.

👉 Swipe om meer te weten via link in bio.

04/03/2026

A secretive alliance of US companies that worked to destroy the EU’s supply chain law is a big democratic problem. 🚨

Following SOMO’s revelation of the alliance working behind the scenes to scrap or massively dilute the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Dutch parliament held two of its member companies to account today in a public hearing.

The secretive cabal of eleven companies called itself the ‘Competitiveness Roundtable’ and consisted largely of US-based fossil fuel companies, like ExxonMobil and Chevron.

This wasn’t just business-as-usual lobbying in Brussels. This was a highly problematic political campaign aimed at, in its own words, “dividing and conquering” EU democracies.

That’s what our researcher David Ollivier de Leth brought up to the Dutch Parliament today.

EU institutions have been putting corporate profit before public interest. But that won’t lead to a more competitive EU.

Our European institutions need to start standing up against corporate power and protect the interests of workers, communities and the climate.

A first step is banning fossil fuel companies from politics, similar to the limits already applied to the to***co industry.

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Openingstijden

Maandag	09:00 - 17:00
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