November 19, 2019

A dozen international and local NGO activists will hand over a petition with 100,000 signatures directly to the Swiss bank's headquarters. 

WHO: The international consumer group SumOfUs and the NGO Earthworks, from the Ditch Ocean Dumping campaign, together with the Swiss NGOs Campax, Pro Natura - Friends of the Earth Switzerland. 

WHAT: Submission of a petition with 100,000 signatories calling on the Swiss bank to stop financing mining companies that dump their toxic waste into our oceans and rivers. 

WHEN: Wednesday, November 20th, from 2pm to 3pm

WHERE: At Credit Suisse headquarters - Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland 

WHY: Credit Suisse facilitates financing for three companies that are dumping - or plan to dump - a total of more than 810 million tonnes of toxic mining waste in a beautiful Norwegian fjord and waters off the coast of Papua New Guinea and Turkey. This real chemical cocktail, which can contain mercury, arsenic, lead and more than three dozen other chemicals, does not dissolve in water, suffocating aquatic life and poisoning the water where local people fish and swim. 

Despite these disastrous consequences and the fact that one of its main competitors, Citigroup, abandoned the ocean dumping, Credit Suisse continues to support these mining companies and refuses to change its responsible investment policy. Credit Suisse's profits from this irreversible destruction are appalling for a bank that prides itself on having a "lasting positive impact".

For more than a year, the Ditch Ocean Dumping campaign, including the global NGO SumOfUs, has been alerting Credit Suisse to its responsibility and these risks. 

While the coalition welcomed Credit Suisse's first step towards respecting the rights of indigenous peoples, many people will continue to suffer from the funding of these mining projects, as is the case with the Sami population in Norway. 

To make their message heard by Credit Suisse officials, SumOfUs and the NGO Earthworks, from the Ditch Ocean Dumping campaign, together with the Swiss NGOs Campax, Pro Natura - Friends of the Earth Switzerland, decided to go directly to the bank's headquarters.

For more information and press inquiries, please contact : 

Leyla Larbi, SumOfUs, +33 7 50 96 01 30, leyla@sumofus.org (French and English)

Brendan McLaughlin, Earthworks, bmclaughlin@earthworksaction.org (English)

Friedrich Wulf, Pro Natura / Friends of the Earth Switzerland: +41 79 216 02 06 (German and English)

Bertrand Sansonnens, Pro Natura / Friends of the Earth Switzerland: +41 76 396 02 22 (French)

Ingvild Fonn Asmervik, Naturvernforbundet/ Friends of the Earth Norway, +47 909 83 936 (English, Norwegian)

Urs Arnold, Campax, uarnold@campax.org (German, English)

More information: 

Credit Suisse, stop financing mines that dump toxic waste into the ocean!. SumOfUs

Why is the Ditch Ocean Dumping Campaign focused on Credit Suisse?. Earthworks 

Citigroup limits financing for mines that dump tailings at sea. Mongabay. 12 juin 2018

Norway approves mine project that will destroy fjord and Indigenous Sámi livelihoods. Earthworks. 14 février 2019

Wut ist eine Kraft! Pro Natura