2007 BENNY Awards go to top marketplace activists, Individual Achievement Award goes to Lois Gibbs
Press Release
October 19, 2007
Contact:
Nicole Rycroft, Markets Initiative, 250-725-8050
Kevin Donegan, Camp’n. for Safe Cosmetics, 415-346-8223 x 14
Payal Sampat, EARTHWORKS, 202-247-1180
Sharon Franklin, CHEJ, 703-237-2249 x 11
Anne Pernick, BEN, 541-390-8516
The Greening of Harry Potter Campaign, led by Markets Initiative, receives top activism prize
Awards also go to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, No Dirty Gold Campaign, and other marketplace campaigns, and to Lois Gibbs for Individual Achievement
Oakland: Top corporate campaign activists were honored by their peers this week at the 2007 BENNY Awards. The Greening of Harry Potter, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and No Dirty Gold campaign received the first, second, and third place BENNY Awards, respectively, with prizes of $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000. The campaigns each earned a significant victory in corporate transformation in the last year.
The global Greening of Harry Potter campaign resulted in the book series being printed on more ecologically sound paper in 15 countries - saving forests and fundamentally changing how publishing is done internationally.
“This award represents not having to choose between enjoying the magic of a good book and protecting the wonder of an ancient forest,” said Nicole Rycroft of Markets Initiative.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics pushed the largest nail polish manufacturer in the world, OPI, to remove three of the most toxic chemicals from its nail polishes.
“The Business Ethics Network organizes and represents top campaigners working on market-based, corporate accountability campaigns. We are deeply honored to have been recognized by such an esteemed organization – and the best, most creative campaigners in the country,” said Janet Nudelman, Coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
The No Dirty Gold Campaign won endorsements of their Golden Rules criteria for more socially and environmentally responsible mining from 23 jewelers, including 7 of the 10 largest jewelry retailers in the U.S.
"This award inspires us to work harder than ever to clean up dirty mining practices," said Payal Sampat, director of the No Dirty Gold campaign for EARTHWORKS. "It's truly an honor for the No Dirty Gold campaign and our partners to be recognized for the progress we've made so far."
Five campaigns won Path to Victory Awards for significant achievements on the road to victory.
The Business Ethics Network (BEN) organizes the awards to celebrate the victories and achievements of corporate campaign activists. Activists who are Members of BEN nominate and vote on campaigns for both awards.
BEN also honored Lois Gibbs with the first BEN Individual Achievement Award at the event. The BEN Advisory Committee and staff selected Gibbs to receive the award because of her critical work over almost 30 years to help citizens organize successfully to safeguard their communities from dangerous toxic chemicals.
Lois Gibbs is known for her successful battle to have her community at Love Canal moved away from toxic chemical waste that was sickening Gibbs’ family and her neighbors. Having become an activist through this fight, Gibbs then went on to found the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) to provide technical and organizing help to other people and communities confronting toxic waste. CHEJ’s work now includes campaigning for the removal of toxins like PVC from packaging and everyday products including children’s toys. In the past two years, CHEJ has moved major Fortune 500 companies away from this PVC plastic to safer and healthier alternatives.
“Lois Gibbs is an incredible example of the power of one person to make a difference,” said BEN Director Michael Marx. “She not only refused to accept that her family and her community would live in this corporate toxic dump site of Love Canal, but she went on to start a national battle to protect other families.”
BEN is the largest network of non-profit, marketplace advocacy activists and organizations in the U.S. and includes activists from such notable organizations as ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Healthcare without Harm, Natural Resources Defense Council, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Rainforest Action Network, and the Teamsters.
2007 Award Winners and Nominees:
BENNY Award Winners (more details on each winning and nominated campaigns in each category are at this link: http://businessethicsnetwork.org/article.php?list=type&type=287)
First Place The Greening of Harry Potter campaign
Lead Group: Markets Initiative
Victory: Markets Initiative led and facilitated a global campaign that resulted in the Harry Potter series going green in 15 countries - saving forests and fundamentally changing how publishing is done internationally.
Second Place The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Lead Groups: Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Breast Cancer Fund, Commonweal, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, National Environmental Trust, Women's Voices for the Earth
Victory: After more than a year of Campaign targeting, the largest nail polish manufacturer in the world, OPI, removed three of the most toxic chemicals from its nail polishes.
Third Place The No Dirty Gold campaign
Lead Groups: EARTHWORKS, Oxfam America
Victory: 23 jewelers, including 7 of the 10 largest US retailers of jewelry, have endorsed the No Dirty Gold campaigns Golden Rules criteria for more socially and environmentally responsible mining.
Other Campaigns Nominated for the BENNY Award:
Cleaning the Merbau Market
ForestEthics Victoria's Dirty Secret Campaign
LNG: The Wrong Choice for California
McDonald's Fair Food Campaign
Raw Deal Campaign
Safe Rails/Secure America
Save the South Fork
Shareholder Advocacy with Public Companies to Address Global Warming
Stop the LNG Shell Game! Protect Fish in the Gulf of Mexico
Path to Victory Award Winners:
First Place PVC Consumer Campaign
Lead Group: Center for Health, Environment and Justice
Achievement: On CHEJ’s “Target Day of Action” events were held at over 200 Target stores nationwide. In response, Target indicated they are intensively assessing and actively pursuing opportunities to reduce PVC.
Second Place Exxpose Exxon
Lead Groups: Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, Defenders of Wildlife, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)
Achievement: For the first time, in 2006, ExxonMobil cut its funding of climate denier groups by at least $1.4 million, or nearly 40 percent of its annual funding to these groups.
Third Place—Tie between three campaigns
Fairness in Flowers
Lead Group: International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF)
Achievement: The Campaign persuaded the VeriFlora flower certification program to provide much stronger guarantees for freedom of association, worker safety, and non-discrimination. Also gained significant visibility in Congress and the press.
Kleercut Campaign
Lead Group: Greenpeace
Achievement: Convinced high-profile businesses and universities to stop buying Kimberly-Clark products. Over 700 businesses committed to boycotting products. Introduced shareholder resolutions at Kimberly-Clark's annual general meetings. Spoofed a Kimberly-Clark's ad campaign.
Stop Firestone Campaign:
Lead Groups:
Liberia Based Partner Organizations:
Center for Democratic Empowerment
Foundation for International Dignity
Green Advocates
Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of Liberia
Liberia Democracy Watch
Save My Future Foundation
Sustainable Development Initiative
U.S. based Partner Organizations:
Bank Information Center
Faith In Motion
Friends of the Earth
The Institute for Policy Studies
The International Labor Rights Fund
Rainbow PUSH
Robert Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights -Transafrica Forum
Achievement:
-Significant new media coverage and new grassroots e-mail actions
-Winning 2007 Public Eye Award for Worst Global Corporation
-Continuing and strengthening a diverse coalition and creating new collaborations
Other Campaigns Nominated for the Path to Victory Award:
Corporate Hall of Shame
Save Teshekpuk Lake
Solving the Packaging Problem
Wal-Mart Watch
Warren Buffet: Tear Down Those Dams
