Complaint against Drax Group PLC under the OECD Guidelines brought by the Lifescape Project and others

In October 2021, a complaint was submitted to the UK National Contact Point (“NCP”). The NCP is part of the Department for Business and Trade. It is responsible for promoting the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises on responsible business conduct and for operating the complaints mechanism set out in the guidelines.
The complaint was brought against Drax, a UK-based energy company, which operates several biomass and hydroelectric power stations in the UK. Drax has an international supply chain operation, including in Canada, Estonia, and the United States, for sourcing wood pellets for use at one of its power stations.
The complaint was brought jointly by The Lifescape Project, The Partnership for Policy Integrity, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Biofuelwatch, Save Estonia’s Forests, and Conservation North.
The complainants allege that Drax has not observed the OECD guidelines by publishing a range of misleading or inaccurate statements about its carbon emissions and the environmental impacts of its business and supply chain activities.
In July 2022, after an initial assessment, the NCP decided the complaint merited further consideration in respect of provisions in the guidelines on the environment and on consumer interests. That will have triggered an offer by the NCP to the parties of mediation. If any party declined this offer, the NCP will conduct a further examination of the complaint. This would include a determination on whether Drax had acted consistently with the Guidelines. If non-adherence is found, the NCP may provide non-binding recommendations for improving Drax’s adherence.