Greenpeace takes advantage of Nestlé PR blunder

    According to the environmental blog Treehugger, Nestlé was forced to drop its Indonesian palm oil producer Sinar Mas Group after a successful viral video campaign by Greenpeace, which highlighted the destruction palm oil production causes to rainforests and orangutan habitats. But the success can’t be completely credited to Greenpeace. Apparently Nestlé blundered when it got the video taken off YouTube after only fewer than 1,000 people had seen it. This allowed Greenpeace to repost the video on Vimeo.com and send out word about Nestlé’s attempts to suppress their message, ultimately causing enough hubbub to force Nestlé’s hand. This is a great example of what’s known as political jiu-jitsu or as Treehugger put it, “how activists can succeed and how corporations can screw up bigtime.”

    Recent Stories

    • Analysis

    What the climate movement can learn from organized labor

    September 23, 2026

    The climate movement needs the kind of leverage that comes from shutting down the economy — and it can only get there through deep organizing with workers.

    • Analysis

    How to combat fear at the polls this November

    September 21, 2026

    As we approach a midterm election shadowed by threats of violence, there are freely available trainings for people who want to protect the vote.

    • Review

    Being a dissident is a capacity, not a calling

    September 17, 2026

    Gal Beckerman’s new book “How to Be a Dissident” finds that dissidence isn’t a personality type. It’s a human capacity that can be cultivated.