"We consider the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in all our activities."
Márcia Balisciano, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, RELX (2023)
Scientists who began a dialogue with RELX about its facilitation of fossil fuel expansion announced a human rights grievance mechanism, which can include anyone wishing to address the company's negative impacts. Learn more and decide if you or your organization care to be involved.
Scientists who began a dialogue with Elsevier about its facilitation of new fossil fuel projects have announced a human rights grievance mechanism, something that can include anyone wishing to address Elsevier's negative impacts. Learn more and decide if you or your organization care to be involved.
NOTICE
Due to the negative impacts resulting from a series of legal threats issued by the company prior to and after the launching of this United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Humans Rights grievance mechanism, I no longer feel that I can continue spearheading this process. One such communication included the claim that RELX has responded to the Climate Rights Coalition in the form of an email to an Advisory Board member from a company employee. The message generates no substantive answers to the questions and requests that were submitted to the RELX Board in 2024. A scientist petition was generated in 2024, requesting the UK OECD National Contact Point engage with RELX about its human rights impacts; it will be up to others to bring this forward or carry on this process. The Climate Rights Coalition will find other ways to address the growing dangers of fossil fuel expansion.
—Kip Lyall, CRC Director
LATEST UPDATES
February 2023: Statements and questions were sent to RELX's Board of Directors, along with an explanatory human rights complaint that was also submitted to The Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In May 2024, RELX CEO Erik Engstrom and Global Head of Corporate Responsibility Márcia Balisciano were contacted to understand when the company will provide answers to questions that were submitted. This generated a reply that failed to disclose anything that would suggest RELX maintains credible environmental or human rights due diligence processes.
FULL TEXTREPORT TO THE UNAt the launch of this initiative, Elsevier was listed as a member in an industry group with oil majors misaligned even with 2.5°C of global heating by 2100—and still uncovering more resources. 5 are being sued for "discrediting science."
Learn more about the OSDU Forum.
August 2024: A lawsuit was filed in US Federal Court observing that RELX has made "numerous business decisions that contradict their climate pledges in materials filed to the SEC and disclosed to investors, marketing materials, and commitments to international organizations." The filing states that RELX's “greenwashing practices are materially misleading to consumers, investors, and impose severe public harm.”
RELX has insufficiently considered the human rights impacts of accelerating fossil fuel discoveries for years, interpreting its environmental and human rights obligations as allowing it to "promote denial of climate change and block action against global warming." In 2021, employees pointed to the company’s neglect of its obligations, just as scientist groups did in 2022—and as the UN has done with other companies still facilitating fossil fuel expansion, pointing to "significantly worsened climate change-related human rights impacts." With company products and messaging continuing to serve the disasterous business aims of fossil fuel and petrochemical majors, this grievance mechanism can involve anyone seeking to generate dialogue, mitigation, and access to remedy.
The company is neglecting its human rights obligations by facilitating new fossil fuel projects around the world.
Learn more
The UNGP grievance mechanism is open to all stakeholders concerned about the company's business activity.
Learn more
Concerns have been raised by scientists, organizations, and the company's employees and customers.
Learn more"We consider the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in all our activities."
"If this were the case, Elsevier would be 'discontinuing activities with potentially adverse climate change-related human rights impacts'…We are concerned that RELX/Elsevier is not living up to its ethical commitments.”
"We have to keep fossil fuels in the ground…life on Earth really does depend on how fast we can do this…There’s no more room [in the carbon budget] for fossil fuel expansion.”
“We may disagree because the world still needs fossil fuels...We do provide data and analytics and information” for customers still engaged in fossil fuel expansion.
