Corporate activity can be bad for your health. From tobacco to pesticides, water pollution, factory releases of toxics and greenhouse gasses, corporate activity can directly affect public health. It can also effect those who work for those corporations, who may face hazards on the job consumers might never imagine: asbestos, mining collapses, failing eyesight and arthritic hands among sweatshop workers, exposure to radioactivity and more are often the unseen costs of the new global economy.
The ABPI is the UK's largest pharmaceutical association. It has over 75 member companies who research, manufacture and supply more than 80% of the NHS's prescription medicine. It's membership is open to 'all other organisations with an interest in the pharmaceutical industry. A complete list of member companies and affiliates can be found on the ABPI's web site.
'''Sodexo''' (Sodexho Alliance prior to 23 January 2008, Euronext: SW) is a French multinational corporation and one of the largest food services and facilities management companies in the world. It is present in 29,000 sites within eighty countries, earning revenue in 2007 of €13.385 million. Sodexo has two major lines of business: food and facility management services, and service vouchers and cards.
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units (RBU's) located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America. Barrick is currently undertaking mining and exploration projects in Papua New Guinea, the United States, Canada, Australia, Peru, Chile, Russia, South Africa, Argentina and Tanzania. On January 20, 2006, Barrick acquired a majority share of Placer Dome.
Braskem S.A. is the largest Brazilian petrochemical company with head office in São Paulo. The company was formed in 2002 as part of a major restructuring of the Brazilian petrochemical industry which saw Copene merge with petrochemical companies controlled by Odebrecht, a heavy engineering and construcution company owned by the Odebrecht family, and another family-owned conglomerate, the Mariani Group.
The Clorox Company headquarters are located in Oakland, California. Clorox manufactures bleach and other cleaning products, Glad-brand trash bags and other plastic products, cat litter, car polishes, Brita water-filtration systems, condiments, and charcoal barbecue briquettes. They also own Burt's Bees, a line of natural body care products.
The Stericycle headquarters are located in Lake Forest, IL. Stericycle processes and disposes of medical waste.
Abbott is a health care products manufacturer whose products extend from nutritional products and laboratory diagnostics to medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The company conducts business in at least 130 countries around the world.
Sappi Ltd., a global player in the pulp and paper industry, is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sappi Ltd is comprised of two divisions: Sappi Fine Paper (domiciled in London), and Sappi Forest Products (domiciled in Johannesburg), and employs some 16,000 people in Southern Africa, North America, and Europe; it bills itself as "the world's leading producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose" on its corporate website.
Roche is a healthcare company that does diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and research and development. It is arranged in two operative divisions; pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. The headquarters are in Basel and the company has many sites around the world - including: Nutley, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Branchburg, Indianapolis, Florence in the US, Welwyn Garden City in the UK, Mannheim, Penzberg in Germany, and Shanghai in China.
Rio Tinto is a multinational mining and resources group founded originally in 1873. The group is one of the world's largest mining companies. Since 1995, Rio Tinto has been a dual listed company. Rio Tinto Limited, formerly known as CRA, is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, with Rio Tinto plc (formerly RTZ) listed on the London Stock Exchange as well as New York Stock Exchange (under ticker RTP).
