Tag Archives: Multinationals

It’s easier to make lofty pledges about saving the world when the world isn’t battling multiple crises. The World Economic Forum’s programme last week included the word “crisis” 42 times. Throughout the four-day event, “crisis” was uttered on panels on climate change, in interviews on the war in Ukraine, and in conversations on food shortages held around lavish buffet tables. There’s no denying that the world is gripped by multiple crises. There’s also no denying...

Big consumer brands are leaving Russia in droves but for many Swiss companies untangling ties isn’t that easy. Last week Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli joined a chorus of brands like McDonald’s closing shops and suspending deliveries to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The decision by Lindt & Sprüngli took some by surprise. The company’s CEO, Dieter Weisskopf, had said during its annual results call a day before, that it was planning to keep...

US President Joe Biden called Switzerland a tax haven during his State of the Union address in April Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved A major global corporate tax deal agreed by more than 130 countries in October aims to curb tax abuse by multinational companies, but many important details remain on how this will be implemented. When US President Joe Biden called Switzerland a tax haven earlier this year, Swiss authorities promptly rejected...

Jessica Davis Pluess Companies come to Switzerland for tax reasons all the time. Should that be illegal? It’s fairly common to find companies that are “based” in Switzerland but do very little business in the country. These aren’t shell or letterbox companies in many cases. They have real people, in real offices but what they do here is miniscule compared to their activities outside the country. A couple weeks ago, the NGO Bread for All reportedExternal link on such...

Massive nickel mining projects are underway on New Caledonia. Last year, plans to sell a major nickel mine to a foreign consortium led by Trafigura faced major local opposition. © Biosphoto / Thibaut Vergoz – Droit Géré – Oeuvre Protégée Par Copyright – – – – Electric car manufacturers and other green energy companies are trying to get a grip on their mineral supply chains. In doing so, they are bringing commodity traders out from the shadows. To meet global climate...

Massive nickel mining projects are underway on New Caledonia. Last year, plans to sell a major nickel mine to a foreign consortium led by Trafigura faced major local opposition. © Biosphoto / Thibaut Vergoz – Droit Géré – Oeuvre Protégée Par Copyright – – – – Electric car manufacturers and other green energy companies are trying to get a grip on their mineral supply chains. In doing so, they are bringing commodity traders out from the shadows. To meet global climate...

The Swiss narrowly voted in favour of a free trade deal with Indonesia on Sunday. Will future agreements also have to win popular support? It’s rare that the people get to decide the fate of a free trade deal – it’s only happened twice in the last half century in Switzerland. The vote was less about trade and more about palm oil, which has become synonymous with deforestation and the decimation of wildlife like the Orangutan. I asked my colleague Anand...