Chemicals & Manufacturing

Mining are embarking on another round of deals that promises industry juggernauts with great influence over the cost of raw materials -- and, by extension, the price of consumer electronics, cars and new apartment blocks. Read More

The Forest Stewardship Council -- a widely recognized third-party labeling system to identify "green" wood and paper products -- has acknowledged that some companies using its label are destroying pristine forests and says it plans to overhaul its rules. Read More

Toyota is scrambling to protect its green reputation in the US, its largest market, where environmental groups are urging it to drop its opposition to a draft fuel economy bill. Read More

A Charleston attorney has filed more than 70 cancer lawsuits against Monsanto and related companies over its old plant in Nitro. Read More

Which are the world's worst multinationals? Which are the best? These are questions CorpWatch gets asked practically everyday. Just to clarify, we do not rank good corporations or endorse any of them, for several reasons: today's idols sometimes turn out to have feet of clay. And we see our job as investigators of malfeasance. For those who want to do the opposite, there are plenty of groups out there who promote "socially responsible" businesses, and we encourage you to look them up. Read More

The decision Monday by the United Auto Workers to walk off the job at General Motors highlights yet again the divisive element of healthcare in labor relations, and how what began as a historic accident is now the single biggest liability for both businesses and workers. Read More

Wal-Mart will set out how it will cut costs by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout its supply chain Monday. Read More

Students at Madison protest against Halliburton Co. recruiters, evoking memories of a 1967 protest of Dow, which made napalm for the US military. Read More

After years of favoring the hands-off doctrine of the Bush administration, some of the nation's biggest industries are pushing for something they have long resisted: new federal regulations. Read More

A company controlled by Democratic Party donor Norman Hsu recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run by Joel Rosenman, who was one of the creators of the Woodstock rock festival in 1969. That money, Mr. Rosenman told investors this week, is missing. Read More