Clean and Green: a manifesto on how the UK’s anti-corruption efforts can help tackle environmental harm

As the world faces a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and the UK government warns that “every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse”, the need to accelerate action against environmental harm is clearly more urgent than ever. 

The clean and green manifesto – developed in consultation with civil society organisations working to counter corruption and environmental harms and promote social justice – identifies five areas of consensus where anti-corruption efforts could help tackle environmental harm to promote an economy that is both clean and green. 30 civil society organisations have endorsed the manifesto’s recommendations.

If implemented, these measures are designed to ensure corrupt actors who engage in environmental harm are exposed and held to account, public spending to address climate change is transparent and fair, and public policy to address environmental harms is not undermined.

Spotlight on Corruption’s Senior Policy Researcher (who led the drafting of the manifesto), James Bolton-Jones, said:

“Corruption and environmental harm often go hand in hand but the UK government is turning a blind eye to the dirty money that domestic and international criminals make from destroying the environment. 

“The ‘clean and green manifesto’ calls for much more to be done to expose and punish corrupt actors who cause environmental harm, for public spending to address climate change to be more transparent and fair, and for lobbying reforms to prevent the undermining of policies addressing environmental harms like climate change.

This manifesto breaks down silos to pool the expertise and knowledge of anti-corruption, environmental, and social justice campaigners, and identifies new opportunities to redouble our collective efforts to secure a just energy transition.”

Vanessa Richardson, Forests Advocacy and Policy Campaign Lead at the Environmental Investigation Agency, said:

“Corruption sits at the heart of environmental destruction – from the illegal trade in timber, palm oil and wildlife to mining and climate super-pollutants. After years of investigations, we see the same patterns again and again: bribed officials, fraudulent permits, and criminal profits flowing through unchecked systems.

This corruption drives threats and violence against Indigenous Peoples and local communities, destabilises governments and fuels natural-resource conflicts. It also poses a direct risk to the UK when our markets, financial systems and companies are used to enable or profit from environmental crime.

The UK can help stop this. We need global collaboration and domestically we need strong due-diligence laws with full traceability, real penalties that deter abuse, and much tougher enforcement against corruption linked to environmental crime. Without tackling corruption, we cannot address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.”

Clare Oxborrow, corporate justice campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

“This manifesto comes at a critical time, as the Department for Business and Trade carries out a high-profile review into Responsible Business Conduct – its initiative for ensuring UK companies respect human rights, workers and the environment in their global supply chains. 

It’s clear that the existing regulatory landscape and weak voluntary measures companies can opt into are failing to prevent harm to people and planet fuelled by UK companies. 

One of the ways the government should address this is by introducing a new UK Business, Human Rights and Environment Act. This would put the legal onus on companies to prevent such harms, and help ensure that UK growth and prosperity is built upon foundations that uphold human rights, treat workers fairly and safeguard our environment.”