Battling Big Business

Subtitled 'countering greenwash, infiltration and other forms of corporate bullying', this is a radical activist's handbook that takes the lid off the business response to criticisms of their environmental record. They are rightly afraid to lose control of the media arena as happened to Shell over Brent Spar and Monsanto over GM foods. This is, incidentally, a story not followed up in the book where George Monbiot revealed the dirty tricks campaign against a Nature article about GM pollination. This was illicitly carried on by a PR company over the internet. The first part takes a sceptical look at rebranding and looks behind the façade before moving on to documented undercover operations. The second part details tactics that can be used in the battle. Needless to say, the tone is confrontational, which is both a strength and a weakness. There is much to deplore, but equally business does have a constructive role to play - however, will existing channels be enough? Arguably not, since there are central aspects of the system in need of radical overhaul. This book will help the reader think through not only their ideas but also avenues of action open to them.