Facing the Seductive Lure of Corporate Greenwashing: How Should NGOs Respond? | Food Talk Vol.46
Recently, there has been much discussion surrounding a shift in attitude from delivery platforms, which have indicated they will pay social security for delivery riders. We shall see how many riders truly benefit from this and whether it leads to a genuine improvement in their working conditions.
In the latest episode of Foodthink’s podcast, *Food Talk*, we take a serious look at the challenges and dilemmas environmental organisations face when interacting with corporations, using the environmental crisis caused by food delivery—the staggering volume of single-use plastic waste—as a starting point.
The impetus for this episode was our discovery that Meituan, a company that generates massive amounts of single-use plastic waste, has started providing funding to environmental organisations working on plastic reduction.
We cannot help but wonder whether this will affect the independence and operational logic of environmental organisations advocating for waste reduction and opposing the use of single-use plastics. We also hope to use the food and agriculture sector as a lens to explore the complex relationship between the corporations that create various environmental and social problems, the non-profit organisations attempting to solve them, and their interactions with the government, the media, and the public.
- Why do polluting companies fund environmental organisations?
- What methods can non-profit organisations use to protect the environment and uphold social justice? What role does the government play, and how should the public understand these roles?
- Beyond funding for the purpose of ‘buying’ them off, what other means do corporations use to influence NGOs?
- What other public relations strategies do they employ to sway public opinion and lobby the government?
- As environmental issues become increasingly complex, how should non-profit organisations navigate this landscape? How can conflicts of interest be managed when funding (or potential funding) is involved?
- Is there an ethic to NGO fundraising? What discussions, case studies, and principles exist on this both in China and internationally?
- How can non-profit organisations and the media help the public understand the complexities of the food and agriculture sector, see through corporate greenwashing, and make informed choices?
This Episode’s Guests
Sun Shan
An ecological practitioner and co-founder of the Mountain Nature Conservation Centre. Since 2015, she has been farming to experience the land, agriculture, food, ecology, and the lifestyle of homesteading. Now based in Canada, she runs the “Chi Garden Ecological Farm and Fermentation Kitchen”. She attended the 15th and 16th Conferences of the Parties (COP15 and COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity held in Montreal and Colombia in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Ma Tianjie
A freelance writer specialising in the environment. He has been engaged in environmental advocacy since 2004 and previously served as the head of an international environmental organisation. He has long focused on environmental governance in China, writing analyses and commentaries for various media outlets. His new book, *In Search of Green China*, is due for publication shortly.
This Episode’s Host
Tianle
Founding editor of Foodthink and convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market.
Timeline
06:29 How do corporations begin to intervene in these issues to protect their own interests? How should NGOs respond?
08:18 The prevalence of “false solutions”
09:07 Over 3,000 companies attended the global biodiversity summit—what does this signify?
13:44 Should environmental organisations maintain their moral integrity? Why has the phenomenon of taking ‘dirty money’ or becoming beholden to corporate funding emerged?
15:13 Do the “green choices” on delivery platforms actually reduce plastic waste?
17:00 The APP (Asia Pulp & Paper) environmental scandal 20 years ago and how grassroots environmental organisations have changed since then
22:28 Non-profits “dancing with wolves”: who sets the pace?
26:12 The mismatch between the development of non-profit organisations and China’s socio-economic growth
28:53 The elephant in the room
30:01 How non-profits and corporations engage in strategic manoeuvring internationally
32:09 Who represents the public interest?
34:22 Greenwashing has created “50 shades of green”
35:52 Whose side should non-profit organisations be on?
37:23 AI and algorithms
39:07 The role of the media: *Southern Weekly’s* greenwashing list and the ubiquity of advertorials
41:40 The Nestlé baby formula scandal
45:44 Suing the government to oppose Golden Rice: what are the Filipinos defending?
48:00 Strategic struggles between corporations and NGOs regarding fair trade, organic certification, and the mission of the NGO
57:20 Preview of Tianjie’s new book, *In Search of Green China*
– Mentioned in this discussion –
► Should Chinese environmental NGOs say no to the Ford Motor Company Environmental Award?https://www.chinadevelopmentbrief.org.cn/news/detail/10216.html
► The APP scandal: Founder of Global Village announces withdrawal from the China Environmental Protection Federation:
https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2007-05-01/detail-ikftssap0931851.d.html
► The Nestlé baby formula scandal: Unveiling the dark truth behind infant formula
► Suing the government to oppose Golden Rice: what are the Filipinos defending?
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*This episode’s cover was created using AI tools
Music: Ba Nong
Planning: Xiao Jing
Production: Xiao Putao
Editing: Tianle
Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn