NGOs and big business: Too close for comfort?
Campaigners can wield great power by working with rather than against the companies they want to influence. But they must always stay in control, says Brendan May. WWF explores the fine line NGOs must tread when engaging with big companies. WWF is not alone in finding itself attacked by those who believe the conservation movement is at risk of ‘selling out’ to the extent that it will no longer be effective. Big global NGOs are particularly vulnerable here, as Conservation International discovered when one of its admittedly junior representatives was taped being rather too cosy with journalists posing as executives from an arms firm. As with so many things, much of the debate boils down to money. It isn’t engagement per se that bothers critics, it’s the financial transaction that can come with it. Not to mention the apparent endorsement that can be ‘bought’, often in exchange for little fundamental change in business practices. This is one of the strongest arguments for independent certification programmes. Although many dissenters of eco-labels refuse to accept it, you cannot buy a Rainforest Alliance or Marine Stewardship Council logo, because certification is an arm’s length assessment process, with practice measured against robust standards. The NGO has no say in the outcome, maddening though that can be. Yet even certification systems must be careful not to be seen to be piecemeal, allowing a logo on one product line while the rest of a business carries on pillaging as usual. Can NGOs ever be effective engagers of business without taking the corporate shilling? The Greenpeace experience suggests they can. Some of the most significant sectoral changes have come about through Greenpeace campaigns. Soy and cattle in the Amazon, tuna companies raising their game and palm oil progress in south-east Asia are but a few. And […]