This paper explores the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in promoting environmental corporate social responsibility, with a focus on the Rainforest Alliance's partnership with Chiquita Brands International. It outlines NGO operations, strategies, and tactics used to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable practices, then traces the history and outcomes of the Chiquita–Rainforest Alliance tie-up under the Better Banana Project. The paper examines the Sustainable Agriculture Network's certification standards, Chiquita's investment in farm improvements, and the company's broader compliance and CSR reporting framework, demonstrating how market-based NGO engagement can drive measurable environmental and social change.
The paper uses a case study framework to illustrate broader theoretical claims. After establishing NGO roles and strategies through secondary literature, it applies those frameworks directly to the Rainforest Alliance–Chiquita partnership, allowing the reader to see how concepts like "cooperation" and "accountability mechanisms" play out in a real-world corporate context.
The paper opens with a definition of NGO roles in environmental and public health contexts, then surveys NGO operational types and advocacy strategies. The middle sections introduce the Rainforest Alliance as an organization and describe its partnership with Chiquita in detail. The final section draws on Chiquita's own CSR report to document concrete outcomes, closing the loop between NGO strategy and corporate compliance results.
In complementing the efforts of the public and public health sectors toward providing more adequate and responsive services to poor people, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have developed their own brand of involvement and solutions to environmental and social problems (Chitra, 2003). Their objectives are to describe and discuss the common characteristics of functioning health and environmental systems within a given socio-economic, sociocultural, political, and ecological setting; to highlight and delineate the crucial factors for reform; and to manage and provide efficient services to communities. They also act as catalysts for local and community participation in the overall improvement of quality of life. A further civil and environmental objective is to develop civil and environmental consciousness among the public. The institutions currently involved in NGO environmental activities include the Environmental Training Institute, the Tata Research Institute, and the National Institute of Health and Family (Chitra, 2003).
The growing range of NGO activities spans advocacy, analysis, and awareness-raising; brokerage; conflict resolution; capacity-building; delivery of services; and evaluation and monitoring (Nelson, 2007). A major institutional development over the past two decades is the relationship between NGOs and the corporate sector, specifically in the natural resources sector, also called the extractive sector. The key types of engagement NGOs undertake with this sector are confrontation, communication, consultation, and cooperation. Ranging from strictest to mildest, these activities include filing lawsuits, shareholder activism, and media campaigns against specific businesses, as well as community-level partnerships, friendly arrangements, accountability mechanisms, and cooperative agreements (Nelson, 2007).
Many NGOs use at least eight different tactics to encourage businesses to accept and practice social responsibility (Winston, 2002). These are: dialogue to promote the adoption of voluntary codes of conduct; advocacy of social accounting and independent verification schemes; shareholder resolutions; documentation of abuses and moral shaming; boycotts of company products or divestment of stock; advocacy of selective purchasing laws; advocacy of government-imposed standards; and lawsuits seeking punitive damages (Winston, 2002).
Founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, the Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization committed to conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. It pursues this mission by transforming land-use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. It is driven by a vision in which people and the environment are preserved and prosper together. Its strategy is to encourage businesses and communities to observe certain environmental and social standards and to connect them to the global marketplace, where sustainable goods and services are increasingly in demand.
The Rainforest Alliance uses the power of markets to combat deforestation and environmental destruction caused by timber extraction, agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, and tourism. It manages millions of acres of working forests, farms, ranchland, and hotel properties according to strict sustainability standards. It links businesses to conscientious consumers, who identify their goods and services through the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal and the Rainforest Alliance Verified mark. This connection demonstrates that sustainable practices can enable enterprises to thrive in the modern economy. Its objectives are to keep forests standing, arrest climate change, protect wildlife, alleviate poverty, and transform business practices. The organization has 35,000 members and more than 300 employees worldwide across 20 global offices (Rainforest Alliance, 2012).
You’re 36% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 3 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.