Greenpeace’s retailer rankings have grown into a groundhog day of sorts and have led consumers to, by in large, simply ignore them. Likewise, despite the new stance by Greenpeace that has the group lauding all of the apparent progress that propels the rather random reordering of stores on the list, perhaps these days even retailers get it that far more Americans know who Snookie is than have any idea that Greenpeace ranks retailers based on their seafood sourcing policy. Nonetheless, Greenpeace has ranked ‘em again for the fifth time, an exercise I have in the past referred to as a matter of apparent strategic compulsion.
The truth is rankings like these are a tired tactic that Greenpeace trots out every so often in order to blackmail retailers. The constant threat of Do what we say or we’ll bash you in the press is hardly responsible engagement.
When it comes to seafood sustainability, Greenpeace doesn’t really do anything, it just make lists and raises money for itself. It doesn’t fund science. It doesn’t forge meaningful partnerships with retailers like other groups have. It just makes lists and solicits donations. That actually makes sense when you have to raise $700,000 a day just to keep the lights on. Raising funds becomes of paramount importance.
It’s really time that the focus on the seafood sustainability movement by Greenpeace becomes more about the sustainability of the seafood and less about the sustainability of the movement.
