The green group has shown itself expert at drawing attention to things that big corporations would rather not discuss. Soon Cadbury and Nestlé will be faced with very public questions about where they source their palm oil, which NGOs complain is a hidden ingredient in products from margarine and soap to chocolate and toothpaste.
Whatever form Greenpeace’s protest takes, if it is anywhere near as effective as the one targeting Unilever in April, it will come as a shrill wake-up call for any global company. First, be extremely careful about where you source your raw materials. Second, remember that a seemingly local issue can quickly take on a global significance. A bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk or Nestlé Crunch tastes different in the knowledge that it could be driving the orang-utan and the Sumatran tiger towards extinction, especially to a young, eco-aware generation.
The news also reveals Greenpeace to be strategically shrewd. The NGO has not chosen to target the Indonesian government or the country’s palm oil suppliers publicly. Instead, it has chosen to strike closest to where the real power is: the consumer.The Olympics is the perfect stage for NGOs to highlight the environmental misdemeanours of Olympic sponsors in front of an audience of billions. It’s a reminder that NGOs are becoming some of the best in the business at ambush marketing.
