Blanket strategy: A response of environmental groups to the globalising forest industry

Abstract

Globally, in recent decades, forest industry has come under increased scrutiny, often led by environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs). The present paper analyses the strategies used by the ENGOs in different forest conflicts involving forest industry. The main aim is to determine if there is a relationship between forest industries' partners (shareholders, financiers and customers) and the location of the ENGOs campaigning against them. Fourteen forest conflicts are used as case studies, representing different geographical regions. A detailed screening of the different actors and relations was performed for each case study based on existing academic literature, publications from relevant ENGOs and companies. The results reveal a strong correlation between the location of the ENGOs involved and the companies' financial and economic partners. We put forward, and test, a theoretical framework to explain the mechanisms used by the ENGOs to apply pressure on the companies involved in conflicts. The blanket nature of the campaigns by ENGOs illustrates that the movement has globalised in response to the global nature of the industry. The present research contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between forest industry and ENGOs, including the strategies employed by the ENGOs, and in assisting forest industry in its interactions with stakeholders, including ENGOs. Keywords: Blanket campaigns, environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs), forest conflicts, globalisation of forest industry and ENGOs David Gritten and Blas Mola-YudegoAcknowledgements: The authors would like to express their thanks to the various academics, ENGOs and forest companies that helped providing some of the information for the conflicts. Our gratitude also goes to the School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation for the financial support provided. Additionally, the authors would like to thank Prof. Paavo Pelkonen and Ms. Mari Selkimäki and Mireia Vilaplana Rojas for their invaluable input to earlier versions of this paper. We would also like to thank the three reviewers for their invaluable suggestions on an earlier version of this paper.

Environmental campaigns against forest companies: What are the campaigns trying to achieve?

“…Therefore as the groups are attempting to shape public opinion as well as cultural practices (King, 2008), it could be seen that media coverage is a goal as well as a tool. Gritten and Mola-Yudego (2010) found that ENGOs targeting forestry companies were greatly influenced by the potential media coverage that the campaign would garner, including considering the profile of the company as well as its location (considering the environmental and social impact of the company's operations). The same authors also found that international media coverage of forest conflicts was relatively low, even if the conflict was intense or had a great deal of potential negative impact (Gritten et al 2012).…”

“…In recent decades forest industry around the world has come under increased scrutiny from environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) such as Friends of the Earth (FoE) and Greenpeace (Gritten and Mola-Yudego, 2010). ENGO scrutiny has at times greatly impacted the industry's operating practices (e.g.…”

“…location and type of customers, financiers, shareholders), and media coverage of the issue. A great deal of the impact is also determined by the ENGOs' strategies (Rucht, 1990), their salience (Gritten and Mola-Yudego, 2010), as well as their operating environment (e.g. political freedom) (Sonnenfeld, 2002).…”

“…Gritten and Mola-Yudego, 2010). In this context, the research presented in this paper originated out of an informal coalition of ENGOs campaigning against the practices of a forestry company in Indonesia (see Gritten and Kant, 2007).…”

Perceptions of corporate social responsibility in Australian forestry companies

“…The Australian forest plantation industry manages a significant area of land, and is subject to significant social pressure, linked to a range of social concerns about whether company practices such as chemical use (Schirmer, 2007), and plantation development have negative impacts on rural communities (Barlow and Cocklin, 2003;Schirmer, 2002). The forest sector receives criticism in literature, the media (Dare et al, 2011a), and from various stakeholders who argue that forest companies act unsustainably or irresponsibly (Gritten and Mola-Yudego, 2010).…”