When Greens Go Corporate

But integrity and independence are always at stake. Can NGOs continue to campaign against corporate wrongdoing when they are taking corporate funds? If the arguments for collaboration are compelling for NGOs, they may be less clear to the public. "It's like pop stars appearing with politicians," says Tom Woollard, of the international consultancy Environmental Resources Management. "The politicians get a temporary increase in their street credibility; the pop stars appear slightly less cool."

Among larger NGOs, Greenpeace is rare in that it still depends wholly on private donations to fund its work. Yet many others remain ambivalent about getting into bed with business. Friends of the Earth will deal only with the most planet-friendly companies (one recent arrangement allowed the Eurostar high-speed rail service to use FoE's endorsement in its advertising). Environmental Defense won't accept donations from companies in sectors like automobiles or waste management, and total corporate contributions are limited to 3 percent of the operating budget. "The environment is our only client," says Gwen Ruta. "Business is our ally."

But business is an ally to be treated with extreme caution, say the skeptics. Well-meaning NGOs are too easily duped, says Michael Marx of the U.S. lobbying group Corporate Ethics. Smart companies will use the link to burnish their environmental reputation while making no changes in other areas. "Wal-Mart is now leveraging its good public relations around the environment to neutralize its bad public relations around labor relations and its treatment of communities." And there's a danger of unhealthy financial reliance as the NGOs seek to widen their role and must compete for funds. "A lot of NGOs are now almost totally dependent on corporate funding," according to the leading British eco-campaigner, George Monbiot.

Saving the planet will certainly prove an expensive business. The total budget for WWF in 2006 ran to $636 million, with more than 1,300 projects, including tree planting and World Bank lobbying. Multinationals, most agree, should pay their share. But persuading business to change its ways will take more than partnerships. When it comes to twisting arms in the boardroom, governments still have more muscle than NGOs.

© 2008