CORPORATE FOCUS: Ten Worst Corporations of 2000

By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman, AlterNet. Posted January 2, 2001.

Self-regulation is all the rage in Washington, D.C. these days.

Responsible corporations, perhaps working in conjunction with government, can band together to devise standards of ethical conduct that will protect people and the planet, without unnecessary costs -- that's the line among a wide array of beltway players. And with Christine Todd Whitman anointed to head up the Environmental Protection Agency, it's going to become even more faddish.

There's one problem with the self-regulation theory: it doesn't work.

Every corporation regulates itself. It chooses whether to obey the law, or not. It chooses whether to permit its employees to unionize, or to fight organizing efforts, whether to bargain fairly with unions, or to try to bust them. It chooses whether to use clean production technologies, or to pollute.

The self-regulation record is clear. Too often, corporations choose to despoil the natural environment, deny care to the sick, smash workers' unions, retaliate against whistleblowers who seek to cal attention egregious corporate abuses, endanger consumers, and more.

Need evidence? That's why we've compiled this list of the Ten Worst Corporations of the Year. Appearing on this year's list:

Aventis: Making Human Guinea Pigs

The biotech company recklessly raced its genetically modified StarLink corn to market. Not approved for human consumption, Starlink soon found its way into the food supply (through Taco Bell shells and other food items), through cross-pollination with conventional corn crops, improper mixing in grain elevators or otherwise. Critics say StarLink corn poses serious allergenic risks, including fever, rashes and diarrhea.

BAT: Smuggler of Death

Industry documents uncovered in connection with the U.S. state litigation against the tobacco industry reveal that British American Tobacco for decades promoted and facilitated a worldwide cigarette smuggling scheme, with extensive efforts in Latin America and Asia. Cigarette smuggling evades excise taxes -- lowering cigarette prices and increasing smoking rates.

BP/Amoco: Lawbreaker

The oil giant which likes to portray itself as environmentally responsible paid major fines and entered settlements in 2000 for illegal disposal of hazardous waste, alleged Clean Air Act violations, and underpaying royalties for oil produced on federal and Native American lands.

DoubleClick: Cookie Crook?

DoubleClick is rubbing up against the edge of internet privacy protections, having acquired the ability to match consumer information from web usage and purchases -- mostly gained without consumer knowledge or informed consent -- with consumers' names and addresses.

Ford/Firestone: Reckless Homicide?

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