Statements and Pledges

UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;  
Example: 
Discontinue “activities with potentially adverse climate change-related human rights impacts.”  

Businesses "should conduct appropriate and adequate consultation on their own decisions and actions likely to have climate-related human rights impacts."

Example: 
Companies "should be guided by the severity of the potential or actual impact identified, including whether a delayed response may make the impact irremediable."  

UN Race to Zero;  
Members “must restrict the development, financing, and facilitation of new fossil fuel assets in line with appropriate scenarios.” Appropriate scenario referenced are the IPCC and IEA’s requirement of no new coal, oil, and gas after 2021.

NOTE: a UN Race to Zero Policy & Engagement Lead has indicated that RELX is not in Race to Zero and "thus should not be presenting themselves as such." She reaffirms R2Z's interpretation guide, which indicates members must restrict facilitation of new fossil fuel assets in line with the IEA's net zero pathway. (2024)

RELX Global Environment Policy;  
The company is committed to the protection of the environment, through "minimising its contribution to climate change, in line with the scale of action deemed necessary by science." 

We Are Still In Declaration;  
"We will continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement… will pursue ambitious climate goals, working together to take forceful action and to ensure that the U.S.remains a global leader in reducing emissions… Together, we will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to well below 2℃ and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health."  

The Media Climate Pact;  
"We will commit to implement science-based targets on climate and drive actions that are consistent with a1.5-degree pathway." ‍

RELX Climate Change Statement;  
"We believe the Paris Climate Agreement is our best hope for avoiding dangerous climate change and limiting average temperature change to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and even below 1.5 degrees Celsius. We support global efforts to mitigate climate change through the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to achieve net zero emissions before 2050." 

UN Sustainable Development Goals;  
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.   

Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data;  
A global network using data to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals  

UN Global Compact
Example: 
Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges: Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation… When there is reasonable suspicion of harm, decision-makers need to apply precaution and consider the degree of uncertainty that appears from scientific evaluation. Deciding on the "acceptable"level of risk involves…acceptability to the public.   

The company is "obtaining prior approval before certain products, deemed to be potentially hazardous, are placed on the market."

Example: 
“Avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their activities and relationships.”  

‍Example: 
Complicity means being implicated in a human rights abuse that another company, government, individual or other group is causing…An act or omission (failure to act) by a company, or individual representing a company, that “helps” (facilitates, legitimizes, assists, encourages, etc.) another, in some way, to carry out a human rights abuse.  

RELX Code of Ethics‍
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