SumOfUs

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SumOfUs is an internationally active non-profit organization and consumer movement registered under American law (501 (c) 4), which organizes itself primarily via the Internet.

Its aim is to get large corporations to act responsibly. The campaign topics range from climate change to employee rights, discrimination , human rights , animal rights , corruption and the growing power of large corporations. The organization is a non-profit and non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. The administration is located in San Francisco . The director is Deepa Gupta.

Founder

Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman (* 1981) is the founder and former managing director. The Australian-American activist graduated from Duke University in 2004 with a degree in mathematics . She previously worked for various other organizations, including Avaaz , GetUp and the US trade union confederation AFL-CIO .

history

The organization began in 2011 with a campaign that exposed Google's links with the US Chamber of Commerce , an influential lobby group; a public thank you to the Starbucks restaurant chain , which campaigned for same-sex marriages, and an appeal calling on Apple to improve working conditions at its suppliers.

The number of members is growing steadily. There are currently members in over 130 countries; most of them live in the US , UK , Canada , Australia , France and Germany .

The organization employs approximately 35 people in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Lithuania , Colombia and the Netherlands .

purpose

According to its own description, it is “a worldwide association of consumers, investors and employees who fight together to ensure that companies take responsibility for their actions. Together we want to pave the way for a new, sustainable and fair world economy ”.

The organization is based on the following assumption: “Companies that are responsible for environmental degradation, violation of labor rights and discrimination are ultimately ours. They depend on us to buy their products. They rely on us to buy their shares. They need us as workers. And ultimately we choose the governments that make corporate-friendly policies ”.

Successful campaigns

In December 2013, members put public pressure on the fashion chain Zara as well as the British chains Topshop and Asos . As a result, the companies undertook not to sell any more angora wool, the production of which was tortured to rabbits.

In February 2014, the Kellogg Company and the palm oil producer Wilmar undertook to ensure that no more rainforests would be cut down for products in their supply chain. The British newspaper The Guardian described this as a "great success for environmental and consumer movements". SumOfUs members played a decisive role in this.

In 2015, the organization helped to ensure that airlines like Delta no longer transport trophies from big game hunts, that Nestlé in Canada pays a fair price for water from public sources, and that the Standard Chartered Bank from the financing of a controversial coal project on the Great Barrier Reef has withdrawn.

aims

One goal is to support other group-critical organizations in certain critical moments for the campaigns. The organization works across national borders in order to exploit possible weaknesses of the transnational companies.

financing

She receives around 85 percent of her money through small donations. The organization explains: "This financing model ensures that we remain independent, that we can exert pressure on governments and corporations and that we can react quickly to crisis situations".

Community

The organization runs campaigns in English, French and German. It has members in 130 countries.

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c SumOfUs FAQ: Where is SumOfUs registered?
  2. ↑ 26 USC § 501 (c) 4
  3. ↑ https://www.sumofus.org/de/about/board/
  4. ^ Google needs to quit the US Chamber of Commerce . Googlequitthechamber.org. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ Thank Starbucks for standing up for gay rights . SumOfUs. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 3, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sumofus.org
  6. ↑ April 2012 Campaigns Update . SumOfUs. April 28, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 3, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sumofus.org
  7. ^ Sum of Us . Huckmagazine.com. August 27, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ 5M SumOfUs . Fivemillion.sumofus.org. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ https://www.sumofus.org/de/about/staff/
  10. ↑ VICTORY: Corporate Watchdog Applauds The Sun's Decision to Drop Page 3's Topless Model . SumOfUs. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 21, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sumofus.org
  11. ↑ Welcome to . SumOfUs. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  12. ↑ Zara and Gap finally ban angora as shoppers threaten to boycott shops over the horrific plight of rabbits plucked alive for their fur . In: The Daily Mail , December 27, 2013. 
  13. ↑ Kellogg's to buy only sustainably sourced palm oil . In: The Guardian , February 19, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016. 
  14. ^ Kellogg to Stop Buying Deforested Palm Oil Amid Pressure . In: Bloomberg , February 14th. Accessed March 2016. 
  15. ^ After Killing of Cecil the Lion, Delta Joins Airline Ban on Game Trophies . In: The New York Times , August 3, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2016. 
  16. ↑ BC government criticized for water-rates 'flip-flop' . In: The Province . Archived from the original on November 17, 2015 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved March 21, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.theprovince.com 
  17. ↑ How online activist groups are raising millions to keep corporations in line . In: Mashable , November 29, 2015. 
  18. ↑ SumOfUs: Online petition site passes 2.5 million members . In: The Washington Post , Jan. 8, 2014. 
  19. ↑ mashable.com
  20. ↑ Financial Information . SumOfUs. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 21, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sumofus.org