Brumadinho dam: NGOs urge companies and investors to use leverage and require Vale to remedy the situation

21/02/2019

Press release

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Today, 86 organisations addressed a letter to companies and investors of the mining and steel industry following the rupture of the Brumadinho tailings dam, on January 25. The letter urges the companies to exercise their due diligence regarding the situation in Brazil and to require Vale S.A. to adequately repair the victims of these events and provide guarantees of non-repetition.

The organisations alert about the negligence of Vale despite the warnings given by human rights defenders and State authorities about the risks and irregularities concerning the dam. Vale S.A currently has 168 dams throughout the Brazilian territory, among which 1 out of 3 present a high "potential associated damage" equivalent to the Mariana and Bumadinho dams, according to information from the National Water Agency of Brazil. Concrete actions must be urgently taken to remedy the situation.

The responsibility to take actions relies not only on Vale S.A. but also on their business partners and actors in the supply chain. As such, they must exercise their leverage to prevent further damage and ensure integral, prompt and effective redress.

Two versions of the letter to business partners and actors in the supply chain were made public: