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Janelle Krystine S. Reserva

Comprehensive sentence outline

Greenwash: The reality behind corporate environmentalism Jed Greer(Introduction)

EJ 50 Professor Irma Pal

A. Corporate Leaders in ozone destruction are also leaders in ozone protection.

1. Oil transnational precautionary approach to global warming

2. Agrochemical manufacturer employment

3. Petrochemical firms replaces natural rainforest with exotic species

B. Definition: Greenwash

1. Preserving and expanding their markets by posing as friends of the environment and

leaders in the struggle to eradicate poverty.

2. Cooperating with government and intergovernmental organizations for protection

3. Creating various & dangerous kinds of unsustainable technology

C. Corporate Responses to Environmental Problems

1. Denies problems

2. Avoids responsibility

3. Resists political control

4. Engages in job blackmail

D. Birth of Greenwash

1980s TNCs could no longer deny their role in environmental degradation

1990s presented themselves as proponents of sustainable development

E. TNCs Role in Environmental Destruction

PLACES Seveso, Italy Bhopal, India Basel, Switzerland

OTHERS Fossil Fuels Chlorofluorocarbons and related compounds Mining Agriculture Toxic Chemicals Trade in Hazards

F. The Power Behind Greenwash

1. Participates in business collaborations

2. Involves in internationalizing national financial markets

3. Increases investment in less-industrialized worlds

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G. Sovereignity Eroded

Stateless The decline of power in governmental and non-governmentalinstitutions to regulate the behavior of global corporations because they are the

worlds most powerful economic force.

Free Trade an international trade that is not subject to protective regulationsintended to restrict foreign imports, a way to weaken the policies of nations.

Example:US-Canada Free Trade Agreement has abandoned Pacific salmon

protection, lowered pesticide standards and ended reforestation subsidies.

H. Greenwash Goes Global: Corporates Hijack of United Nations Conference on the

Environment and Development (UNCED)

UN Framework Convention- proposals to regulate and monitor practices of large corporations were

removed in Agenda 21 (the 800-page document intended to provide an action

plan for future work on sustainable development)

Earth Summits Agenda 21- the urgent local and global need to change dirty technologies was ignored

- ensure the benefits and profits of new technology stay with corporations not

the country of origin or where it was developed or tested

- failed to alert the world the root causes of environment and didnt mention

TNCs dirty technologies

I. Climate Change Convention

- failed to obligate countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

J. Biodiversity Convention

- US administration (Bush and Clinton) only focused on business rights and not

in biodiversity protection

K. Greenwash Elites

Maurice Strong UNCED Secretary-General and millionaire businessman emphasizes

their extremely important contribution to the Earth Summit

Stephan Schmidheiny the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BSCD) chair;

one of the boards of director of both Asea Brown Boveri, the marketers and

builders of nuclear plants and Nestle, the aggressive marketers of infant

formula as a substitute for breastfeeding

48 members of the World Industry Council for the Environment came from

transnational corporations

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L. Greenwash Professionals (Burton-Martseller)

Burton-Martseller is the professional, multi-million dollar public relations campaigner

who have helped improved the image of nations to attract international investments.

Examples: They improved the business image of Argentina despite its ruling military junta -

responsible for the disappearance 35,000 people; and were the advisers of the Union carbides

Bhopal gas disaster.

M. The Greenwashing of Corporate Culture

Corporate induced environmental departments within the corporation Corporate made environmental programs like waste reduction Corporate responded to the publics concerns for the environment Corporate made environmental advertising and PR Corporate passed environmental problems & responsibilities to the users of

their products

Corporate failed to include the vast majority of environmental costs and long-term damage to people and the environment

N. Inside the World of Greenwash: Corporate Codes of Conduct

Corporations pretentiously established these conducts to be prepare themselves from

citizen demands and the key words: environmentally sound & sustainable

development were subtly changed in meanings to cover industrys behavior.

O. Responsible Carea chemical manufacturers major environmental program originated in

Canada in 1984 and adopted in the US following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill

PROBLEMS:

informs citizens that they have self-evaluation but evaluations are not publiclyavailable

their guiding principles to develop safe products have no criteria under Pollution Prevention Code heading is only the control measures not the

preventative measures

fewer accidents in the company means an increase in toxic material production never addresses overseas operations & environmental policies fails to answer research groups about chemical usage & storage

P. The Rotterdam Charter for Sustainable Development

- similar to Responsible Care but emphasizes on business roles in creating sustainable

economic development

-emphasizes that the convergence of environmental protection and economic growth is

natural

Q. Greenwash Exposed an excerpt

Polluting companies sponsor Earth Day celebrations, business associations form environmental

front groups, plastic companies fund recycling curricula for public schools They say they have changed,

that they will regulate and police themselves, that their technologies are safe, that their projects help the

poor. We urge you to look critically at their real-world behavior.