Corporate accountability in the Samarco chemical sludge disaster
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore avenues of corporate accountability in disasters, using the Samarco chemical sludge disaster, which took place in 2015 in Brazil, as case study.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper considers possible ways of enhancing corporate accountability in disasters, focusing on one particular international mechanism on multinational enterprises (MNEs), which addresses both human rights and environmental issues. The research is based on the location and assessment of a variety of written sources (i.e. normative instruments, academic literature, publications by practitioners, civil society organizations, and the media). The paper makes suggestions on the potential of using existent international accountability mechanisms in similar disasters.
Findings
The paper identifies key measures taken by national authorities to address the disaster. It also considers how the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for MNEs could be used to pursue corporate accountability.
Research limitations/implications
This is a desk-based research, chiefly conducted on documental analysis rather than fieldwork.
Practical implications
The paper might provide useful insights for organizations and communities facing similar challenges linked to multinational corporate activities that adversely affect human rights and the environment.
Originality/value
The study brings to attention normative standards relatively unknown to the disaster community, which may help raise interest on them, and lead to their potential use in future disaster situations. Furthermore, to date the Samarco chemical sludge has received scant attention from the academic literature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section: International Law and Disasters.
Citation
da Costa, K. (2017), "Corporate accountability in the Samarco chemical sludge disaster", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 540-552. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-07-2017-0171
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited