GSK Consumer Healthcare Australia

This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2010 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about a print ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified.
Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2010)

In 2018 and 2019 the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Complaints Resolution Panel upheld complaints about seven ads by this company on the grounds that they breached advertising codes. The TGA received multiple complaints on the matter. These complaints have been consolidated into one investigation.
Source: TGA Complaints Register (2019)

In 2016 Greenpeace East Asia ranked the world's 30 biggest personal care companies on their commitment to eliminating microbeads from their personal care products. The scorecard was based on four main criteria: commitment & transparency, definition, deadline and global application. This company ranked towards the bottom of the scorecard. Microbeads are not retained by wastewater treatment and end up in the ocean where they are a threat to the marine environment.
Source: Greenpeace (2016)

In 2007, ITUC listed several key multinational having business links with
Burma, including GlaxoSmithKline. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: ITUC (2007)

This company appeared seventh on RepRisk's top ten "Most Controversial Companies of 2013". Companies on the list were severely criticised during 2013 by the world's media, governments and NGOs. Criticisms of GSK included conducting unauthorised vaccine trials in India, lawsuits over the health and safety of its products, bribery and fraud in China and USA, and workers rights in India. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: RepRisk (2013)

In 2016 an advertisement showing in the UK for GlaxoSmithKline's Aquafresh toothpaste brand was banned by the UK Advertising Standard Agency due to bogus claims that it provided '24 Hour Sugar Acid Protection'.
Source: news article (2016)

GSK agreed to pay a $750 million settlement in response to criminal and civil complaints against the company. SB Pharmco Puerto Rico Inc., a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline, has pled guilty to producing and distributing a number of adulterated drugs, including popular medications Paxil and Avandamet. An investigation of the company's manufacturing practices showed that as many as 20 different drugs were unsafely produced for years at a large plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. [Listed under Information due to age of court finding]
Source: US Dept of Justice (2010)

This company has been criticised by ActionAid for having subsidiaries in tax havens. One of the main reasons companies have subsidiaries in tax havens is to dodge their taxes. Developing countries lose more to tax dodging than they receive in aid each year.
Source: ActionAid (2011)

In 2014 China fined this company US$490m after a court found it guilty of bribery. The record penalty follows allegations the drug giant paid out bribes to doctors and hospitals in order to have their products promoted. [Listed under Information due to age of court finding]
Source: news article (2014)

This company is listed on the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database as having 33 instances of misconduct since 1995 amounting to US$8,804 million in penalties. Instances include deceptive marketing, litigation related to its antidepressant Paxil, fraud, antitrust issues and vaccine trial fines.
Source: Project on Government Oversight (POGO) (2014)

As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target; responsible corporate engagement in climate policy; report climate change information in mainstream reports as a fiduciary duty; commit to electric vehicles; commit to 100% renewable power.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)

This company was named in the Working Mother 100 Best Companies 2020 for being a mum-friendly employer. Listed companies demonstrate progress in offering paid parental leave and opportunities to return to work gradually, as well as family-friendly benefits and opportunities for women to advance.
Source: Working Mother (2020)

The Female FTSE Board Report 2020 measures of the number of women executive directors on the corporate boards of the UK's top companies. This company has 5 women on its board of directors (42%), and was one of 28 in the FTSE 100 with women in executive roles.
Source: Cranfield University (2020)

This company is a member of the AMR Industry Alliance, a coalition of biotech, diagnostics, generics and research-based pharmaceutical companies set up to provide sustainable solutions to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is an increasingly significant threat to global public health which puts at risk the effective prevention and treatment of a wide range of infections.
Source: AMR Industry Alliance (2021)

Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 41%.
Source: Forest 500 (2021)

California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2017)

Friends of the Earth's 2014 report "Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks" names this company as one of over 200 transnational food companies engaged in nanotechnology research and development, and on their way to commercializing products. New studies are adding to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating nanomaterials may be toxic to humans and the environment.
Source: FOE (2014)

OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)

This company received a score of 54.2/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)

The Corporate Research Project's Corporate Rap Sheets are dossiers summarising the most significant crimes, violations and other questionable activities of the world's largest and most controversial companies. Follow link to see this company's Corporate Rap Sheet. "In recent years, GlaxoSmithKline has become known as the company that pays massive amounts to resolve wide-ranging charges brought by U.S. regulators and prosecutors. These included a $750 million payment relating to the sale of adulterated products from a facility in Puerto Rico and a record $3 billion in connection with charges relating to illegal marketing, suppression of adverse safety research results and overcharging government customers. The company also set a record for the largest tax avoidance settlement with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service."
Source: Corporate Research Project (2018)

This company is listed on the Facing Finance website as a company that manufactures weapons or profits from violations of human rights, pollution, corruption, or international law. Follow link for further details.
Source: Facing Finance (2015)