Year after year, we see the same bullying tactics, lack of transparency in scoring, failing grades and expected outcomes in Greenpeace’s retailer rankings report [“Safeway, Whole Foods Top Seafood Sustainability List,” May 4, 2012, Supermarket News]. And time and again, Greenpeace produces the same white noise with little resonation: Retailers are bad, retailers need to conform to our guidelines, and the new standard bearers are doing a good job but still not doing enough.
Reality tells us that it’s Greenpeace — not the retailers —who has let down consumers on seafood sustainability. The rankings are nothing more than a reflection of how well retailers comply with Greenpeace’s own unrealistic demands. The obstacles engineered by Greenpeace are endless and unreasonable (such as not recognizing sustainable seafood certifications) for retailers whose own sustainability policies already adhere to myriad standards and are crafted from a variety of responsible partnerships.
The report’s only consistent characteristic is that it is part of fundraising designed to sustain its own organization — not the future of fish. While Greenpeace has to rely on intimidation to garner results, the seafood community partners with a network of marine conservationists and scientists to ensure sustainable seafood for generations.
Greenpeace is not a partner but a pariah.
Gavin Gibbons, Director, Media Relations
National Fisheries Institute