Scribd
Upload
110 views3 pages

From Conflict To Collaboration

Greenpeace campaigned for environmentally friendly refrigerants as ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas alternatives were identified. They partnered with Foron, a German company, to develop a prototype fridge using a hydrocarbon refrigerant mix that was ozone-safe and reduced carbon emissions. Greenpeace gathered over 70,000 pre-orders to prove market demand and convince major appliance producers to adopt the new "GreenFreeze" technology, which spread across Europe within a year and received a UN award.

Uploaded by

Nehas22
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
110 views3 pages

From Conflict To Collaboration

Greenpeace campaigned for environmentally friendly refrigerants as ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas alternatives were identified. They partnered with Foron, a German company, to develop a prototype fridge using a hydrocarbon refrigerant mix that was ozone-safe and reduced carbon emissions. Greenpeace gathered over 70,000 pre-orders to prove market demand and convince major appliance producers to adopt the new "GreenFreeze" technology, which spread across Europe within a year and received a UN award.

Uploaded by

Nehas22
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

From Conflict to Collaboration?

Greenpeace’s Greenfreeze
campaign
Group:3

Introduction:

Greenpeace is the leading independent non-profit organization that uses peaceful protest and
creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions
that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Until the early 1990’s, all domestic
refrigerators used ozone depleting chemicals called refrigerants. When the hole in the earth’s
ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica however, these chemicals known as CFC were
banned. Unfortunately, the alternatives which were then adopted while less damaging to the
earth, turned out to be harmful in a different way. They are powerful greenhouse gases. That
is why Greenpeace set out to find out alternative refrigeration technology. The future if
environmentally safe refrigeration had to be from natural substances such as hydrocarbons.
The idea of the environmentally friendly fridge, a GreenFreeze was born at Greenpeace
Germany headquarter in 1992. Greenpeace looked for refrigeration alternatives and found out
research work done at medical institute in Germany. They discovered a suitable mix of
butane and propane which neither destroyed the ozone layer nor contributed to global
warming and could be used immediately a drop-in replacement. This was exactly what
Greenpeace was looking for. The next step was to find an industrial partner willing to
research into commercially viable product. This partner turned out to be east German based
company foron which was willing to take the financial risk and built a first greenfreeze
prototype in 1992.The refrigeration industry scoffed saying there was no market for
environment friendly fridge so Greenpeace went to the public and quickly amassed seventy
thousand preorders for the refrigerators. In 1993, first foron fridge rolled out first greenfreeze
into the assembly line. The position of the industry changed quickly. Within its first year,
major producer picked up the new technology throughout Europe. Over the following years,
with persistent effort, Greenpeace spread the word about greenfreeze. GreenFreeze was
awarded the United Nation’s Environmental program award in 1997 in Montreal.
Greenfreeze technology has spared our planet from the equivalent of tonnes of carbon
dioxide.

Problem

The case examines Greenpeace attempt to develop an environment friendly technology to be


used as refrigerant in the refrigerant industry. It details out NGO’s early collaboration with
German manufacturer Foron to develop ‘GreenFreeze’, the environment friendly refrigerant
and their subsequent negotiations to spread the technology across the globe. This case
examines the approaches of other organizations to influence corporate policy and their role
and responsibilities in shaping the rules and norms of the global business practices.
Parties

Organizations like Greenpeace might work under a low budget and rely on donations from
their stakeholders and on the relationships that they develop and dedicate to their volunteers
and community members for their daily program and activity. Stakeholders here might
include two groups, the first group are those who are already committed to work directly
within the organization, such as the board members, volunteers and donors, and the second
group are those who are in the community and are impacted by the organizations work.
The hard Job for any NGO is to determine how to balance the expectations of its various
stakeholders. However, Greenpeace shall be more committed, reliable, and transparent in
meeting all their stakeholders’ expectations. While the main responsibilities towards both
groups can usually be found in the Greenpeace mission statement

Plan of Action (decision maker)

Sometimes the best way to get something done is to stand for it, no matter what.  Some of
the main tactics that Greenpeace discovered that their leverage was greater when they target
the big brands using refrigeration technology rather than the manufacturers, whose business
tended not to deal very often with the end consumer. Exactly when Greenpeace involved the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games in its campaign, and targeted the Games sponsors.
Also, Greenpeace played a pivotal role in matchmaking governmental agencies and
international donors with key international and local manufacturers.
Greenpeace adopted an exclusive and aggressive strategy to control its message and protect
its image. However, the overall strategy that Greenpeace uses is being creative and
nonviolent to mobilize public opinion against the unsustainable practices of governments or
corporations. This objective is to obtain as much coverage as possible through media in order
to orient public opinion on certain issues

Panorama

Insights from the videos points that there are several serious problems world is facing today.
Poor nutrition and obesity, access to water, climate change and deforestation, lack of skill,
insecurity, lack of food, pollution to name a few. But why are we not able to solve them?
Michael porter points out that the main motive of business today is to make profit rather than
addressing the grave issues the world is facing today. He points out the business plays a very
important role in the society but at the same time is responsible for several of these
challenges. But being one of the key stakeholders in the society, it is responsible for the
challenges faced and should take up the onus for it. It is pointed that Business is generally
perceived as a problem creator. The perception can be changed if business take up ownership
to address these issues for the greater good.
Personalize

Owing to the severe pressing problems faced by the world today, business being one of the key
stakeholders must be held responsible. It is imperative that business align their working for the
greater good and follow utilitarianism so that the problems facing the society can be addressed.

The Initiatives taken by organizations like Greenpeace are an example as to how greater good can be
achieved if business collaborate with technology and come up with solutions that can address grave
issues facing the society while still making a the solution commercially viable leading to greater good
for all.

You might also like