Toward SuSTainabiliTy: The roleS and limiTaTionS of ... - Resolve

Chapter 2: Actors – NGOs and Civil Society 26who want to move toward certification and providethem with technical assistance to do so. Althoughthe supply may not be fully certified at first, thegoal is to provide retailers with access to timberand wood products generated by forests that areactively and demonstrably working toward certificationand to provide a long-term responsiblesupply once they are certified (Overdevest, 2004).NGOs also have created buyers’ groups to helpretailers find responsible suppliers. The first suchgroup was the 1995 Plus Group in the UnitedKingdom, and later the Certified Forest ProductsCouncil in the United States. Today, the WWFGlobal Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) is amajor player in this role. These organizationsare nonprofit NGOs that pool FSC retailers andproducers to help retailers meet their demandfor certified product. The GFTN, for example,strives to develop trading networks by creatingregional organizations that maintain informationabout producers of responsible forest products,including where they are located and the speciesthey sell. Buyers identify the product lines andsource needs of the retailers seeking certifiedwood (Overdevest, 2004). The GFTN providestechnical guidance to companies on how to buyresponsible forest products and to forest ownerson how to move toward forest certification. 16Drivers of Civil SocietyParticipation in Standardsand Certification SystemsNGOs, foundations, and other civil society organizationsare highly diverse in their interests, values,and norms, and have been driven to participatein the development, implementation, criticism,and evolution of certification systems at differenttimes and in different ways. Perhaps the primarygeneral conclusion that can be drawn is that theirparticipation and support is conditional: Theysupport and engage with certification not becauseit is the norm, but because they see it as a potentialtool for advancing and accomplishing theirgoals. However, they will withdraw or respondif or when it fails to prove useful. At the sametime, a surprising portion of the NGO communitydoes not engage with certification at all; it simplyhas not been part of the strategic focus of manyNGOs.Like businesses, NGOs need to survive. Becausethey are mission-oriented rather than profit-oriented,there may be a tendency to think of NGOdrivers only in terms of achieving their overallsocial and environmental goals. But to surviveand thrive, NGOs must balance their substantivegoals with fundraising, membership, and branding(Clifford, 2002; Elkington & Beloe, 2010).Indeed branding, or distinguishing themselvesfrom each other, is a major factor in NGO survival(Elkington & Beloe, 2010) and thus perhaps animportant driver of engagement with certification.Targeting well-known companies for their harmfulpractices often draws significant media attention,which can help NGOs bring in funding andmembers as well as stimulate change. Groupssuch as Greenpeace might focus heavily on thesetechniques and maintain their brand by doing so.Others, such as the WWF, focus more on “solutiondesign” with consumers and businesses,include businesspeople on their boards, andestablish formal partnerships with corporations(Elkington & Beloe, 2010; Hoffman & Bertels,2010). Corporate funding (Hoffman & Bertels,2010) might influence an NGO’s preference for avoluntary rather than regulatory approach. By contrast,NGOs that have marketed themselves asconfrontational and attract supporters favoring a“take-no-prisoners” approach may have a hardertime engaging with certification as tool. In reality,many NGOs include aspects of both roles in theirbrands (Bartley, 2007a; Elkington & Beloe, 2010).A related aspect affecting NGO engagement withcertification is staff expertise. NGOs that primarilyemploy lawyers, scientists, and/or environmentaladvocates may not have the business or otherexpertise necessary to engage with large, multinationalcompanies on issues of supply chainsustainability and corporate responsibility.16 http://gftn.panda.orgToward Sustainability: The Roles and Limitations of Certification