Excerpted the Fourth Quarter 2025 Impact Update
At Domini, we recognize the financial and systemic risks associated with climate change and nature loss, as well as the opportunities that come with their protection and resilience. Human rights defenders (HRDs) play an important role in upholding human rights and environmental standards by bringing attention to impacts associated with corporate activities on communities, workers, and the natural environment. They stand up to corporate abuses, advocate for and help to shape better business practices, and protect land rights and natural resources. For companies and investors, HRDs can also be an important stakeholder group that can provide critical on-the-ground insights into human rights risks and impacts, which can help to reduce financial and reputational risks.
Sadly, the advocacy of these courageous individuals is often met with violence. The Business and Human Rights Centre documented over 6,400 attacks on HRDs globally between 2015 and 2024, including killings, harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and surveillance. These attacks occurred across almost every business sector and in every region, but mining and agriculture were among the sectors connected with the highest number of attacks. For companies, these attacks can escalate into litigation, supply chain disruptions, and reputational harm.
In accordance with our goal to promote universal human dignity, we believe it is imperative that companies act to prevent these attacks and protect the human rights of HRDs, especially when operating in high-risk sectors and regions. Respect for human rights is a fundamental consideration for us across all of our investment evaluations, and we expect companies to recognize, support, and take concrete steps to adhere to international human rights standards, including the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We recognize that corporate supply chains are often extremely complex, with multiple tiers of suppliers between the raw material and final product levels. Still, we expect companies to make concerted efforts to confront adverse impacts on human rights in their operations, even if those controversies are found deep within their supply chains.
To help us assess how effective a company’s policies and practices are at protecting human rights and preventing abuses of HRDs and other stakeholder groups, we conduct extensive research that includes comprehensive press reviews and analysis of company and NGO reports. When essential information is unavailable, we often seek to engage directly with companies to obtain clarity.
Amid increasing threats to civic freedoms globally—including press freedom and freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and public participation—access to reliable, impartial
information about human rights conditions aligned with international standards is weakening. This makes the work of HRDs—and our responsibility to help protect them—more important than ever.
Over recent years, a lot of progress has been made to raise awareness of the risks faced by HRDs and the steps companies can take to help protect them, including the creation of global frameworks shaped by companies, investors, and civil society. However, there is still a gap when it comes to effective implementation. In our engagements focused on human rights defenders, we are seeking to respond to this current context—while also considering the human rights and biodiversity risks posed by the mining of transition minerals—and to enhance alignment between environmental and social expectations. We are urging companies to (1) adopt commitments to respect the rights of human rights defenders, (2) effectively implement existing commitments and demonstrate effectiveness, and (3) disclose how positive engagement with HRDs helps to improve trust, mitigate risk, and reduce the likelihood of controversies, project delays, or litigation.