BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--German environmental watchdog group Ökowatch urged global business not to succumb to the greenmail threats leveled at them by Greenpeace:

“Once again Greenpeace has launched a report, protested a company and demanded action against a multinational company. This time it was Sinar Mas and its customers like Tesco and Kentucky Fried Chicken, yesterday it was Nestlé and Unilever. All too often and when story is no longer page one, a review of the accusations finds their claims generally cannot be substantiated."

"Greenpeace campaigns notoriously lack empirical data and disregard the negative impact of their campaigns on people and developing economies. We urge the businesses targeted by Greenpeace like Tesco, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wal-Mart, Auchan, WH Smith, Hewlett Packard, Corporate Express and Cosmopolitan not to fall victim to their greenmail as other companies such as Carrefour and Unilever have done."

"Too often companies buy into the facts as represented to them by Greenpeace without proper due diligence first. Ökowatch is here to challenge the facts by Greenpeace and other environmental groups like WWF, and will continue to offer an alternative view that values sound data and free and fair trade. We encourage business to do the same."

Ökowatch aims to critically assess environmental policy requirements of governments and non-governmental organizations and to examine them with regard to their actual impact on people, society, and the environment.

To learn more about Ökowatch, please visit us online at oekowatch.org.