Cheeky Monkeys Urge Responsible PR [1]
Submitted by Diane Farsetta [2] on
"Being socially and environmentally responsible should be an issue for leading PR companies," said Greenpeace [3] activist Mariana Paoli. The group's new report, "Burning up Borneo [4]," links deforestation and loss of orangutan habitat in Indonesia with Unilever [5] suppliers producing palm oil for Dove brand soap. After demonstrating outside of Unilever's UK headquarters, Greenpeace activists moved on to three of the Dove brand's PR firms: Lexis PR, JCPR and Ogilvy [6]. The activists, including some dressed as orangutans, delivered copies of the report and asked the PR firms "to put pressure on Unilever to change its practices." Paoli remarked, "I was a little surprised at how defensive the agencies were, although they probably are not used to having orang-utans arriving in their offices." A Unilever spokesperson said the company's "two key messages" in response to the protest are its commitment "to finding a solution for the palm oil problem," and its "sympathy to Greenpeace's cause."