The Colombian association accuses Glencore of illegal or irregular activities in the La Jagua and Calenturitas mines with "coal dust that for years has not met the standards set by the WHO" and contamination "of water sources, both surface and ground, by materials such as lead and other toxic substances". according to the formal notices sent Tuesday to the establishments.

"Prodeco is not aware of any evidence supporting the complaints about the alleged pollution of rivers," a Glencore spokesman told AFP.

According to Tierra Digna, "to carry out its activity, Glencore benefits from numerous financing and investments from international financial institutions", NGO reports having "highlighted the involvement (of the three French banks) in these climate-friendly financial flows".

Since 2017, the French law on "the duty of vigilance" requires large companies to take effective measures to prevent human rights and environmental abuses throughout their business chain.

Since the first action launched in 2019, against TotalEnergies, their number has multiplied and about twenty procedures are now underway.

In October, BNP Paribas was the target of two due diligence notices for its financial support for Marfrig, Brazil's second largest meatpacking company, and its impact on deforestation and its support for companies developing new oil and gas projects.

No credit in 2022

According to Lucie Pinson, director of the NGO Reclaim Finance, this new "case should serve as a warning to other banks that finance the destruction of the environment in the world".

"Crédit Agricole and BNP Paribas have pledged to stop financing coal, but continue to support Glencore, despite the devastation caused by its mines," she added, calling on investors to "take advantage of general meetings to hold polluting companies accountable".

BNP Paribas told AFP that it had "no more banking relationship with the company cited by the NGO and that no credit was granted to it in 2022", as did Crédit Agricole, which said it had "suspended all business relations with the company cited by the NGO" and that "no credit was granted to the company cited by the NGO in 2022".

The two institutions reiterated their commitment to a full exit trajectory of financing for the entire value chain of thermal coal-related companies (coal mines, coal-fired power plants and coal-related infrastructure) by 2030 in Europe and OECD countries, and by 2040 in the rest of the world.

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© 2023 AFP