Activist Efforts to Pressure Corporations Find Some Success
Speaking of corporations, it seems they may be more amenable to reforming their ways than governments — and with that in mind, activist groups are seeking eco-friendly commitments from companies. One group that’s had notable success is the Rainforest Action Network: In January, the group persuaded Citibank, the largest U.S. bank, to tighten lending standards based on environmental principles. This week, the second-largest U.S. bank, Bank of America, signed on with an even greater commitment, pledging not to fund oil and gas exploration, mining or logging in old-growth tropical rainforests, or companies or projects involved with illegal logging operations or logging operations in lands contested by indigenous groups. Also of note is a campaign launched this week by ForestEthics and Greenpeace to pressure U.S. companies that either make wood pulp or paper or buy those products from companies who do to audit their supply chains and avoid buying timber from companies that log in Canada’s boreal forest.
