Milieudefensie

Description

Milieudefensie is a Dutch environmental organization campaigning for climate justice and against corporate pollution.

It was founded on 6 January 1971 by a group of scientists responding to a report by the Club of Rome, and it is the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth. Its mission is a good life for all people on earth, now and for future generations, with a focus on a fair distribution of the costs and benefits of climate solutions. In recent years it has focused especially on holding corporations accountable for their role in the climate crisis.

Milieudefensie has around 90,000 members and a support base of about 175,000 people, whom it engages through public campaigns, legal action and political lobbying. In 2018 it sued Shell to force the company to cut its emissions in line with international climate targets, and in 2024 the appeal court ruled in Shell’s favor. In 2024 it also issued a notice of liability against ING bank over its climate responsibilities. It works internationally through the Green Livelihoods Alliance and the Fair, Green and Global alliance, and lobbies on EU and international rules such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.