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Dugaan Genangan Limbah Milik Unilever: Bedah Kasus Pelanggaran Etika Bisnis PT Unilever

Etika bisnis sejatinya adalah norma-norma tidak tertulis yang harus dipatuhi para pelaku bisnis. Norma ini berguna untuk melindungi dan menjaga para pelaku bisnis dari hal-hal yang merugikan, baik itu merugikan perusahaan atau merugikan orang sekitar mereka. Ada empat teori besar yang dipelajari dari konsep etika bisnis ini.

Ada teori keutamaan yang menjelaskan bagaimana seharusnya pelaku bisnis bersikap, teori hak yang berbicara tentang hak-hak yang bisa didapatkan pelaku bisnis, teori deontologi yang berbicara tentang kewajiban dan tanggung jawab pelaku bisnis, dan teori teleologi yang menjelaskan tentang hasil dan manfaat dari bisnis.

Selain itu ada juga prinsip etika bisnis yang terdiri dari lima poin. Prinsip otonomi menekankan pengambilan keputusan yang baik, prinsip equilibrium menekankan keputusan yang seimbang, prinsip free will di mana individu mendapatkan kesempatan yang sama, prinsip responsibility yang menjelaskan tentang tanggung jawab, dan prinsip honesty yang menjelaskan tentang kejujuran.

Meskipun bisnis memiliki etikanya tersendiri, rupanya masih banyak perusahaan yang melanggar etika tersebut. Salah satu perusahaan besar yang melanggar etika bisnis adalah PT Unilever.

Kasus Pelanggaran Etika Bisnis PT Unilever Tbk

PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk adalah perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang produk rumah tangga sejak tahun 1933. Perusahaan mereka dibagi menjadi dua segmen yaitu Home and Personal Care dan Nutrition and Ice cream. Saat ini Unilever memiliki 149.000 karyawan di seluruh dunia dan 400 merek di lebih dari 190 negara.

Sebagai salah satu perusahaan multinasional besar di Indonesia, banyak yang menyangka bahwa Unilever tidak akan melanggar etika bisnis dan peraturan yang berlaku. Namun, nyatanya tidak demikian. Melansir WahanaNews, pada 18 Februari 2022 PT Unilever diduga membuang limbah ke areal kawasan ekonomi khusus Sei Mangke, Sumatra Utara. Terdapat genangan air yang diduga bercampur limbah di areal PTPN III yang berdekatan dengan lokasi PT Unilever. Air tersebut berbau dan berwarna tidak seperti layaknya air tanah biasa. Dikatakan juga bahwa ketika diminta penindakan, PT Unilever terkesan tutup mata dan mengabaikan dugaan air limbah tersebut.

Berdasarkan paparan kasus di atas, PT Unilever jelas melanggar etika bisnis yang ada. Kasus pelanggaran etika bisnis PT Unilever ini melanggar teori keutamaan. Tindakan pihak Unilever yang terkesan tutup mata dan mengabaikan genangan air tersebut dianggap tidak mencerminkan tindakan yang baik. Mereka pun juga abai terhadap tanggung jawab mereka sebagai satu perusahaan yang menghasilkan limbah karena limbah dibuang ke tempat yang tidak benar. Mereka juga melanggar hak para penduduk sekitar untuk mendapatkan lingkungan dan air bersih yang bebas dari limbah. Pengambilan keputusan untuk membuang limbah dan mengabaikan keresahan masyarakat akan limbah juga merupakan pelanggaran terhadap prinsip otonomi etika bisnis. Unilever jelas mengambil keputusan yang tidak bijak akan kasus ini.

Setelah menyimak paparan mengenai etika bisnis dan kasus pelanggaran etika bisnis PT Unilever di atas, bisnis seolah terkesan banyak aturan. Namun, aturan-aturan dan norma-norma tersebut justru dibuat untuk melindungi para pelaku bisnis dan konsumen mereka serta penduduk sekitar. Jika tidak ada etika bisnis, bisnis pun akan dipenuhi oleh orang-orang tidak bertanggung jawab yang hanya ingin mendapatkan keuntungan saja.

Maka dari itu, kita, terutama mahasiswa yang hendak berbisnis atau para pebisnis pemula, tidak perlu takut untuk memulai bisnis. Kamu bisa memulai bisnis semudah menjentikkan jari dengan Hi-Fella. Hanya dengan mengunduh aplikasi Hi-Fella dan membuat akun, kamu bisa menemukan supplier sesuai kebutuhan bisnismu. Yuk, daftar sekarang!

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Nadhifa Syafiera

Nadhifa Syafiera

Weaving realism and surrealism in a piece of paper with her quill.

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The Intersection of Religion and International Business: Understanding Pope Leo's Influence
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Pope Leo’s Emphasis on Social Justice: Implications for Corporate Governance and ESG Reporting Pope Leo XIII might not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about supply chains, board structures, or ESG metrics—but perhaps he should be. In 1891, with the encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII became one of the earliest modern figures to articulate a systematic philosophy of social justice grounded in dignity, fairness, and responsibility within economic life. Over a century later, his message is finding surprising resonance in boardrooms, compliance frameworks, and ESG reports. As global businesses, particularly those operating across borders in the export-import arena, face mounting scrutiny over how they treat workers, engage communities, and protect the environment, the principles championed by Pope Leo offer more than ethical guidance. They offer a blueprint for long-term, resilient corporate governance. Revisiting Rerum Novarum: The Origins of Modern Social Doctrine Issued in response to the harsh conditions of the industrial revolution, Rerum Novarum—Latin for “Of New Things”—was Pope Leo XIII’s response to capitalism’s rapid evolution. The encyclical didn’t condemn free markets outright but warned against the dehumanisation of labour and unchecked industrial power. Its key tenets included: The right to private property, balanced by the obligation to use it responsibly. The dignity of labour and the necessity of a living wage. The importance of trade unions and collective bargaining. The role of the state in protecting vulnerable populations. A critique of both unregulated capitalism and radical socialism. In effect, Leo XIII laid out a social framework that prioritised human dignity over profit maximisation. And while this doctrine was originally written for a 19th-century Europe grappling with mechanisation and urban poverty, its philosophical architecture is highly relevant to today’s conversations on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards. From Papal Doctrine to ESG Standards: The Bridge ESG has become the de facto language for expressing how corporations manage risks and opportunities beyond traditional financial metrics. But at its core, ESG is about values translated into systems: how we treat people, how we steward resources, and how we design institutions to be accountable. In this context, Pope Leo’s teachings become not only compatible with ESG but foundational to it. Consider the thematic overlap: Social justice aligns with Social (S) in ESG, covering labour conditions, employee wellbeing, and equitable supply chains. Ethical use of property aligns with Governance (G), touching on shareholder responsibility, executive accountability, and ethical decision-making. Concern for the common good parallels Environmental (E) imperatives, especially the long-term view of sustainability and stewardship. This is particularly relevant for multinational export-import players who straddle jurisdictions, labour regimes, and supply chains that often include both highly regulated markets and vulnerable geographies. Corporate Governance: A New Moral Imperative Corporate governance is no longer just about fiduciary responsibility and compliance checklists. Boards are now expected to think critically about systemic risks—climate, inequality, supply chain fragility—and to embed values into business models. This is where Pope Leo’s influence becomes strategically significant. His emphasis on subsidiarity, a principle later elaborated in Catholic social teaching, holds that decisions should be made at the lowest competent level. Applied to corporate governance, this suggests empowering local suppliers, decentralising certain ESG strategies, and trusting community-rooted partners rather than imposing top-down mandates. For export-import firms, especially those operating in developing economies, this governance model encourages: Partnering with local stakeholders on environmental and social policies. Ensuring board diversity includes voices with on-the-ground operational or social insight. Establishing ethical trade committees that go beyond legal compliance into moral accountability. A good example comes from Unilever, which embedded sustainability goals directly into board oversight mechanisms, giving ESG performance equal weight to traditional financial KPIs. This approach reflects not just smart governance but the moral sensibility that Leo XIII envisioned—a business accountable not only to shareholders but to society at large. Social Justice in Supply Chains: From Ethics to Action One of Pope Leo’s most striking contributions was his insistence on a “living wage”—a concept that remains radical in many parts of the world. Today, the globalised supply chain continues to struggle with this legacy. From textile factories in Bangladesh to cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, millions of workers form the backbone of export-import networks, yet live on precarious wages with minimal protections. ESG reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) now require disclosure of workforce conditions, safety, gender pay gaps, and forced labour risk. These aren’t just regulatory pressures—they're extensions of the same ethical imperative Leo XIII articulated: the dignity of work and the rights of workers. For global firms, this means: Auditing suppliers for not only compliance but dignity—ensuring workers have safe conditions, fair pay, and voice mechanisms. Moving from reactive CSR donations to proactive value-chain transformation. Embracing long-term contracts with suppliers that reward ethical practices over lowest-cost bids. Apple, for instance, began publishing annual supply chain responsibility reports in the 2010s, and while not perfect, the move to public accountability mirrors the moral transparency that Pope Leo would consider essential in any economic structure. ESG Reporting: The Shift From Optics to Substance Pope Leo XIII warned against philanthropy as a substitute for justice. Today, businesses are often accused of “greenwashing” or “social-washing”—presenting ESG initiatives as branding exercises rather than embedded values. This is where his legacy offers a potent corrective. True ESG alignment demands that social impact is not confined to a side office in marketing, but woven into procurement strategies, capital allocation, and product development. To do this effectively, companies must move beyond disclosure to deliberation: What ethical lens do we use when selecting markets or partners? How are decisions about automation, relocation, or workforce reduction made—and who benefits? Does our ESG data reflect lived realities, or merely pass the materiality test? The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), set to impact over 50,000 companies by 2026, moves toward this deeper integration by requiring not just narrative sustainability reports, but auditable, standardised ESG data. Firms that fail to build internal ESG data systems now will face reputational and regulatory penalties soon. Investor Sentiment and Catholic Social Ethics Interestingly, investor behaviour is also converging with Leo XIII’s ethics. Impact investing, faith-based investing, and ESG screening are no longer niche. According to the Global Sustainable Investment Review, global sustainable investment reached $35.3 trillion in 2020, accounting for more than a third of total assets under management. Faith-aligned investment groups, including Catholic institutions managing multi-billion-dollar endowments, increasingly exclude companies that violate labour rights, degrade ecosystems, or operate in high-conflict zones. Pope Leo’s social vision now directly influences capital flows. Export-import players hoping to attract institutional investors must demonstrate more than quarterly earnings—they must articulate how their operations align with justice, stewardship, and human dignity. These are not soft values; they are becoming capital differentiators. The Strategic Advantage of Moral Clarity It’s tempting to see ESG as a chore, an imposition from regulators and activist investors. But Leo XIII saw something deeper: that systems built without moral clarity eventually become unstable. Whether it’s collapsing supply chains during a pandemic, extreme weather disrupting logistics, or social unrest in response to inequality, businesses today are paying the price for ignoring the societal context in which they operate. For those in export-import—where interdependence, visibility, and velocity define competitive advantage—moral clarity is not just a compass. It’s a risk management tool. Embracing the social justice principles articulated by Pope Leo XIII is not about religious observance. It’s about recognising that every contract, every shipment, and every business decision takes place in a moral landscape. Companies that map that terrain wisely will build trust, attract capital, and sustain value in a turbulent century. Final Thought: The Long View Matters Pope Leo XIII understood that economic systems shape souls, not just markets. As ESG matures from a trend to a global standard, his insistence on dignity, justice, and moral economy becomes increasingly relevant. Businesses that embrace this long view—treating social responsibility as governance, not charity—will not only report better metrics. They’ll build more enduring, ethical, and ultimately profitable operations. Join Hi-Fella Today! As Pope Leo’s enduring emphasis on social justice gains renewed relevance in today’s ESG-driven business landscape, export-import companies must rise to the challenge of aligning profit with purpose. Hi-Fella supports this shift by connecting you with ethically aligned partners, offering transparency tools to enhance ESG reporting, and enabling responsible sourcing across global markets. Whether you're aiming to meet new governance standards or build a supply chain that reflects your values, Hi-Fella empowers you to trade responsibly while staying competitive in a world where ethics and economics go hand in hand.
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