A recent Greenpeace conference was addressed by BP’s chief
executive John Browne
Simon Bryceson
Burson-Marsteller
’It is inevitable. Some environmental issues will cease to be on the
political fringes and will become centre stage. Therefore it will no
longer be necessary for environmental groups to force these issues on to
the agenda. Pressure groups must act differently in order to have
influence. They will need to co-operate with others who have power.’
Hilary Sutcliffe
Addition
’It depends what you mean by pressure groups. Greenpeace is a pressure
group in one way but in another way it actually works alongside
companies very well. Other more strident single-issue pressure groups on
the fringes probably will not work with companies except in the long
term. A lot of pressure groups are working very much in co-operation
with companies in order to achieve solutions rather than just wave
flags.’
Chris Rose
Greenpeace
’Greenpeace will always be ’pushing the envelope’ of what needs doing to
really protect nature and give people better lives in future. This means
changing industry. So there will always be conflict with vested
interests. But we are in a more co-operative relationship with, say, BP
Solar, Enron (a solar power company working with Amoco) and,
potentially, Shell’s renewables division.’
Uta Bellion
Friends of the Earth
’The issue is what will achieve the result we are aiming for - a
sustainable society and sustainable production and consumption? If that
requires confrontation with an industry which is going down the wrong
path, then pressure groups will be confrontational. If there is an
opportunity for co-operation to effect real change then there will be
co-operation.’
Rachel Haford
Campaign Against the Arms Trade
’Given the present involvement of arms exporting companies in supplying
and seeking to sell arms to repressive regimes, our relationship with
these companies is going to continue to be confrontational. However we
are encouraged by the Government’s announcement of a diversification
agency.
If companies are choosing to go down this road and demilitarising, then
CATT can be wholly supportive.’
