Epworth Investment Management is continuing its work alongside Methodist churches and ecumenical partners to raise concerns about the relationship between international finance and the Cerrejón coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia.

A new feature from the World Council of Churches examines the reported health consequences experienced by communities living around Cerrejón, one of the world’s largest open-cast coal mines. The article shares testimony from members of the Indigenous Wayúu community, who describe respiratory illness, pollution and the effects of coal dust on families living close to the mine. It also considers wider research into the potential health consequences for communities living near coal mining operations.

Epworth’s involvement

On 5 June 2026, Epworth Investment Management joined the Methodist Church of Great Britain, Methodist Church in Ireland, Iglesia Metodista de Colombia and the Ecumenical Centre for Communication in Latin America (CEPALC) in submitting a complaint to the UK National Contact Point under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.

The complaint concerns HSBC Holdings plc and its financial relationship with Glencore, which operates the Cerrejón mine. It asks that HSBC’s relationship with Glencore be considered in the context of expectations for responsible business conduct and due diligence under the OECD Guidelines.

For Epworth, participation in the complaint forms part of our wider approach to responsible stewardship. Working alongside churches and international partners enables us to raise concerns with financial institutions where their financing relationships are connected to significant environmental, social and human rights issues.

This latest World Council of Churches feature provides further context to those concerns by focusing on the experiences of people living near the mine. It highlights why investors and financial institutions need to consider not only the companies they finance, but also the consequences those business activities can have for communities and the environment.

The article is the second in a three-part World Council of Churches series examining Cerrejón, following an earlier feature on the experiences of Indigenous communities and ahead of a further piece focusing on water access and pollution.

Read the full World Council of Churches feature, “Around Colombian coal mine, ‘people get very ill from the dust’”:
Read the full article on the World Council of Churches website