Even if the case of Cheminova is hardly known to anyone but Danes (perhaps a few poisoned Brazilians) it epitomizes the new reality of business too well not to mention here. Cheminova has been continuing to produce chemicals for especially farming documented to be harmful for both the farmers and involved ecosystems. Now, a Danish newspaper revealed how they have started to sell methyl parathion, a chemical known to be very poisonous. When criticized, they wave Code of Conducts in the air:

“We’re doing nothing illegal in Brazil”.

“True”, FN and Danish politicians answers, “but what you are doing is unethical”.

“Well, that might be”, Cheminova’s CEO responds, “but I do not deal with ethics”.

Now that is an impressively … ahem … ‘brave’ statement. And it might have worked until the 80′ies. But today, it’s not too bright and probably pretty expensive to dismiss ethics like that.

He probably realized that before an avalanche hit him. Today, four days later, Cheminova has invited Danish politicians to come and visit the facilities because ‘their 1500 employees try to promote responsibility every day’….
And, what’s worse for Cheminova, some of their main investors have started to get impatient and making threats. What’s interesting from an Actics point of view (we’re operating with a scenario just like this) is that some of these investors are semi-public retirement funds handling investments for many Danes. They are themselves under a lot of pressure from an increasingly concerned and aware public, which will soon start asking: Why are you placing OUR money in Cheminova?

So what can we learn from this little real world tale? Companies cannot hide behind legal compliance any longer. And before long neither can anybody investing in such companies or people buying products and services from or deal with or work for these companies for that matter. We’re all in the same boat.

Read the story for yourself: http://politiken.dk/indland/article206218.ece