Mapping Corporate Harm to Human Rights and the Environment: The Brave Database

Abstract

Mapping and measuring corporate harm to human rights and the environment remains difficult due to limited data transparency and inconsistent reporting standards. Yet robust information is essential to understand the magnitude of the problem, track progress and support an empirical research agenda capable of identifying what effectively curbs business-related misconduct. This paper introduces a new open-access dataset documenting alleged human rights and environmental abuses—the REBALANCE Business-related Human Rights and Environmental (BRAVE) database—involving 83 of the largest publicly listed European multinational corporations between 2000 and 2020. Built from systematic data collection from the Business & Human Rights Centre, the dataset codes allegations by type of abuse, country, victims affected, corporate involvement (direct or indirect) and severity, enabling comparative and longitudinal analyses. By offering a replicable empirical foundation, BRAVE aims to support evidence-based research, policy development and stronger corporate accountability in the business and human rights field.