Moving from promise to practice: Upholding the corporate environmental accountability in Cambodia
Center for Business & Law Organization in this report examines the extent to which relevant authorities have positively enforced the Code on Environment and Natural Resources (ENRC). The report finds that enforcement of Cambodia’s ENRC against businesses has increased since the Code took effect in June 2024. Between June 2024 and July 2026, at least publicly available 72 instances of ENRC enforcement against business enterprises, primarily targeting small-to-medium food processing and garment factories in 11 provinces across Cambodia although the actual number may be higher. The 34 documented, detailed cases highlighted widespread pollution affecting water and ecosystems, with 22 of the companies involved having Chinese investment. Measures focused on administrative penalties, such as suspending operations and requiring wastewater system upgrades to address breaches in environmental standards.