The Bench Marks conducts toxic tour every year, since 2007, on coal, gold, uranium, and platinum. We have given tours to the Swedish, Norwegian, UK parliamentarians and Dutch government. Church leaders from around the world, including universities from the USA, and a host of countries, and our donors and interested parties. These toxic tours give people first hand insight into the impacts of mining on the environment and communities and show how mining impacts on community health, livelihoods,land and water and air quality.
Since 2008 Bench Marks has hosted an Annual Conference often referred to as a Showcasing Conference on all the work we do. We invite the churches, business leaders, governments and foreign dignitaries. Each conference has a theme, such as CSR the Truth, Enough is Enough-Change Now; Climate Catastrophe and a Just Transition; New Dawn or Continuing Nightmare? These are just some of the themes, whereby we challenge the industry and civil society and inform our programmes going ahead. This is Bench Marks most looked forward event with people from all over the world wishing to attend. We usually have a key note address but most importantly display our work, from research, to community monitoring and our other programmes. It is all very visual and generates media interest..
BENCH MARKS THEORY OF CHANGE
The TOC of Bench Marks Foundation is informed by a strong analysis of the external context at the following levels: the broader context of neo-liberal capitalism; the specific context of mining, extractives, health and the environment; and the complex community terrain. In is in this context that BMF is positioned as a player with substantial influence, credibility and reputation.
Bench Marks Foundation Brochure
The Bench Marks Foundation is a non-profit organisation committed to social and economic justice. Its focus is on the corporation as an ethical entity.
PROGRAMMATIC AREAS
To promote a culture of ethical investments in the churches and faith communities. To monitor multinational corporations operating in Southern Africa and the rest of the African continent to ensure that they meet minimum social, environmental and economic standards. To promote an ethical and critical voice on what constitutes corporate social responsibility
BENCH MARK PRINCIPLES
The Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance” (Bench Marks) is the founding document of the Bench Marks Foundation. This document promotes positive corporate social responsibility consistent with the responsibility to sustain the human community and all creation. For more information visit: www.bench-marks.org For simplicity we have attempted to modularise all relevant information into conveniently-sized sub-documents. Documents consisting of more than 2 x A4 sized pages are available only as PDF files and may be viewed and/or downloaded as required.
CURRENT WORK AND CAMPAIGNS
TOXIC TOURS
The Bench Marks conducts toxic tour every year, since 2007, on coal, gold, uranium, and platinum. We have given tours to the Swedish, Norwegian, UK parliamentarians and Dutch government. Church leaders from around the world, including universities from the USA, and a host of countries, and our donors and interested parties. These toxic tours give people first hand insight into the impacts of mining on the environment and communities and show how mining impacts on community health, livelihoods,land and water and air quality.
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
We Specialize in design-led brand communication and digital innovation
LIFE AFTER MINING
CHURCH LEADERS CALL FOR RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT
We Specialize in design-led brand communication and digital innovation
We have a responsibility to take care of the land and environment.Private corporations operating within a system of aggressive competition, pursue profit with disregard to the destruction caused to land and the environment. Governments and government officials operating under the influence of private corporations tend to be inconsistent and unreliable in carrying out their responsibilities over land and the environment.Communities are called to take on the challenge of stewardship for the environment.