A 2008-2009 Wendy's ad campaign for a fish sandwich claims that its 'north pacific cod' come from an idyllic area with lots of floating sea ice. Unfortunately, according to recent climate science the summer sea ice in the Arctic is in danger of melting in the summers in the next few years. As if that weren't problematic enough, the pristine ocean Wendy's conjures is also menaced by a gyre of plastic detritus -- over 7 million tons of plastic spanning an area twice the size of Texas. In some parts, plastic is six times more abundant than the plankton which forms the basis of the cod's food chain. While cod in the north Pacific are not endangered, according to Greenpeace,
HSBC is making a pitch that it is environmentally responsible. But one can question whether giving coupons for online shopping is eco-conscious, regardless of what products are on sale. Conservationists have heavily criticised HSBC for helping to sell pounds 870m worth of Chinese government bonds, saying the money will be used to build vast new dams in breach of global environmental agreements. Ecologists claim the move raises serious doubts about public promises from the banking giant's chairman, Sir John Bond, to put environmental and social responsibility at the heart of its investment and lending policies. Beside other major investment houses, such as Goldman Sachs and UBS, HSBC has been hired by the China Development Bank to help raise EUR 500m (pounds 330m) from within Europe and by the Chinese Export Import Bank (CEIB) to place a further $1bn (pounds 540m) worth of bonds worldwide (The Independent, July 25, 2004).
Even so, HSBC's website does have a carbon use calculator, and they have begun offering flourescent bulbs to people who may very well have none. So it's not clear cut that they are cynically using the environment. It would be reasonable to say that they are not consistent or deeply engaged. Waste Management, Inc. has been urging viewers of its greenwashing ads to "think green." Here's what PR Watch had to say about them:
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