WWF Greenwashes Coca-Cola [1]
Submitted by John Stauber [2] on
As Ronald Reagan [3] loved to remark, "There they go again." WWF [4], the corporate-funded environmental giant often accused of taking greenbacks in return for greenwashing [5] its corporate benefactors, has a new partner. WWF and the Coca-Cola Company [6] proclaimed a "bold partnership" [7] that has Coke paying WWF US$20 million. WWF touts the deal on its website [8]. A full-page New York Times advertisement announcing the deal is headlined "This is our drop," a phrase that Coke has trademarked. For Coke, $20 million is just a drop in the bucket, a cheap fee for the PR boost from its WWF partnership. Other companies giving money to and receiving the blessings of WWF include Alcoa [9], Altria Group [10], Walt Disney Company [11], and dozens more listed on the WWF website [12]. To understand why Coke might need greenwashing, read our SourceWatch article on Coca-Cola [13].