Topic > A Study of the Impact of Transnational Corporations on the Environment of Third World Countries

The typical transnational corporation (TNC) is a large corporation headquartered in a first world country with sales of hundreds of millions or billions of dollars , with affiliates or branches in several Third World countries. This ability to move capital, technology and entrepreneurship across national borders and economic importance that in many cases is worth more than the total GDP of some poor countries provides them with enormous power and results in governance without government. The presence of transnational corporations in Third World countries is encouraged by favorable economic conditions, such as low operating expenses and cheap labor, but their operation causes environmental hardship for host communities and contributes to global environmental degradation. However, many multinationals have realized the importance of not only being part of the problem, but also being part of the solution. This essay will analyze whether transnational corporations as a private authority are capable of addressing environmental degradation; and if so, will illustrate with examples the effectiveness of these efforts. In doing so, the essay will address the success of NGO cooperation with multinational corporations in terms of environmental protection. To illustrate this point, the essay will use the example of the partnership between WWF and Volvo in the climate protection program, as well as WWF's cooperation with fashion brands to fight toxic waste. Furthermore, the essay will present the advance of multinationals on some poor countries, thanks to their financial and technological independence to primarily address environmental problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Greenhouse gas emissions represent a serious environmental challenge that requires the need for effective innovations in the industrialized world. Temperatures have already risen 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and scientists predict a rise of more than 4 degrees, which could be catastrophic and irreversible. The main cause of the temperature increase is CO2 emissions, so there are several attempts to regulate it but, given the statistics, multilateral environmental agreements and market-based regulations, such as the Cap and Trade system, do not show success. However, a transnational company, the Volvo Group, has realized that companies that produce carbon dioxide have a huge duty to take part in protecting the planet. Ensuring environmental integrity is not only the responsibility of nation-states, but also of multinationals, since they are the ones causing the problem. The Volvo Group has joined forces in the Climate Savers program with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world's largest and most respected environmental organisations, committed to stopping the degradation of the planet's natural environment. The Volvo Group argues that, as a leading company, they must take a leadership position and encourage other vehicle manufacturers to introduce the necessary innovations. Volvo's commitment includes reducing CO2 emissions from products and production, as well as developing truck prototypes with lower fuel consumption and developing technologies with efficiency improvements. The results are checked by independent experts. This cooperation between an NGO and a TNC seems more efficient than national commitments, since producers are directly and voluntarily involved. Companies are expected to make decisions that serve their economic interest, so it's fair to assume that Volvo profits by investing in environmentally friendly innovations. Environmental protection is usually seen as a waste ofmoney as it does not generate short-term revenue. However, thinking responsibly can be profitable. Since this is positive publicity for the company, users of their products can also contribute to the good cause and this encourages them to buy their products rather than the more polluting one. Furthermore, this modernization brings significant long-term revenues not only for the company but also for the user of the vehicle, since it will require less fuel. Volvo's commitments demonstrate that multinationals can effectively contribute to solving environmental degradation, and Volvo is determined to serve as an example to follow in this journey. Therefore, Volvo Group hosts climate change workshops with WWF as a strategy to promote the benefits of a change and share existing knowledge and resources to help the sector make a difference for future generations. Another pressing problem is toxic waste pollution, which requires transnational corporations to stop polluting and change the way they make their products. The toxic waste produced has been associated with increases in miscarriages, birth defects and skeletal disorders, and this toxic waste poses a threat to the water supply of multinational host regions. The fashion industry is a huge polluter of toxic waste, as clothes contain dangerous chemicals, the discharge of which into natural waters leads to a lack of access to clean drinking water. Given that fashion is a billion-dollar business, you can see that it has the financial resources for the necessary change; for production without dangerous and hormone-disrupting chemicals. Between 2003 and 2006, the WWF ran a DetoX campaign to raise awareness among European citizens and decision-makers about the lack of safety information for the vast majority of chemicals used in daily life. The campaign was successfully managed, ran in parallel in 13 European countries and used various media communication tools to attract and maintain public attention. The campaign strategy was a consumer boycott and pressure on polluting companies. As a result of increased attention, numerous fashion brands, such as H&M, Adidas and Puma have joined the campaign and successfully made zero waste pledges. These participating companies have ambitions to eliminate dangerous chemicals from their products and make their process open to the public, which provides a new type of marketing source. Since this campaign has reached a huge number of people in different countries, including fashion designers and models, the companies that have engaged in it not only effectively fight against environmental degradation, but also provide a positive reputation to their brands. From an economic perspective, these transformations involve financial costs for companies, but they result in long-term efficiencies, such as reductions in healthcare costs and reductions in tertiary environmental remediation costs, which reduce overall costs. The more companies participate, the more effective the result will be and the commitments of the previously mentioned brands can be seen as the beginning, leading to other buyers willing to take the right steps and actions. In terms of global environmental protection, the emphasis is on the commitment of multinationals, since their industrialization is the main cause of environmental problems. This approach is commonly accepted, as representatives of large multinationals, such as Shell or Coca Cola, are also invited to climate conferences. It is essential to note the enormous progress of multinationals on poor and underdeveloped countries. The countries.