May 11, 2016
Mobile Billboard Reading “U Against TTIP” Circles Unilever Headquarters, Urges Employees to Denounce TTIP
Corporate watchdog SumOfUs commissions mobile billboard targeting Unilever
London, UK — On Wednesday, May 11th, a mobile billboard will circle the headquarters of consumer goods giant Unilever from 9am to 5pm, asking employees to take a stance against the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade deal between the United States and European Union. The deal is said to exclude environmental safeguards and would allow companies to sue governments over environmental protection policies.
Unilever has committed to sustainable business practices in the past, touting leadership in the fight against climate change. However, the company is alsoan influential member of FoodDrinkEurope, a pro-corporate lobby group pushing for the passage of TTIP.
“Unilever is a company that has committed to doing business sustainably and called for action to tackle climate change. Yet Unilever is one of the companies pushing for TTIP as a member of lobbying group FoodDrinkEurope,” said Wiebke Schroeder, campaigner at SumOfUs. “That is why SumOfUs members are calling on Unilever to rethink their support for the deal.”
WHAT: Mobile billboard demonstration targeting Unilever for its support of TTIP
WHEN: Wednesday, May 11th, 09:00am LOCAL TIME
WHERE: London - Unilever House, 100 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DY, United Kingdom
VISUALS: Billboard reading “U against TTIP”
Over 150,000 SumOfUs members have called for Unilever to re-think their support of TTIP. This past weekend, thousands of SumOfUs members donated to crowd fund advertising outside Unilever’s London offices, encouraging employees to ask questions about their bosses’ stance on TTIP.
“TTIP is being negotiated behind closed doors by politicians and corporate lobbyists,” said Schroeder. “Most of what we know about this secret deal we know from leaks – and those leaks suggest that the deal would be incredibly damaging to our democracies and the environment. If passed, TTIP will jeopardise vital environmental and health regulations and threaten working standards in Europe, allowing corporations to sue governments behind closed doors.”
The organization will be targeting a host of companies in Europe and the US over the coming months, challenging them to make their position on TTIP clear - and calling on them to oppose the deal where it conflicts with their position on climate change, and other critical issues.