Over the last few months, Greenpeace has grown not only in size.. but in confidence.

They have set up some public campaigns surrounding chopstick usage, water contamination, energy usage, and during the last few weeks of reporting on the air quality of the games it was Greenpeace who were giving daily briefings.

However, in a sign of their growing strength and another sign that they are building credibility, they have just published a report that lays out the case that the firm Golden East Paper company should not be allowed to IPO

According to the coverage at China.org:

Greenpeace China yesterday called on the Chinese government to reject paper manufacturer Gold East Paper’s application for a domestic stock market listing because of what the environmental lobby group calls the firm’s “shocking” environmental record.

Greenpeace China alleges that Gold East Paper and its subsidiaries have committed eight serious environmental offenses since 2005; in the past two months, according to the lobby group, Gold East subsidiaries discharged illegal black effluent in Hainan, and exceeded legal pollution limits in Suzhou.

Why this is an important step, and a sign of progress, is that while it was reported that 100 firms earlier this year had their IPOs shelved from pollution, this is the first time an NGO has initiated a public campaign

To read the full report in Chinese, you can download it here.

Following  a year and a half long period of study and facilitating discussions, the Chatham House has put out what I have found to be the most comprehensive set of documents on environmental NGOs in China.

Covering nearly every topic imaginable on these organizations, there are currently 7 documents on their site:

• Report - Strengthening the Cooperation between Chinese Environmental NGOs and the Media, Dec 06
• Workshop Report - Strengthening the Cooperation between Chinese Environmental NGOs and the Media, Nov 06
• Workshop Report - Forging Alliances for Environmental Protection Between NGOs in Different Regions and Sectors, Jan 07
• Workshop Report - Environmental NGOs: Using Legal Means to Promote Better Environmental Governance, Apr 07
• Workshop Report - How Can Environmental NGOs Strengthen Cooperation with the Government?, Jun 07
• Research Report - Forging Alliances for Environmental Protection between NGOs in Different Regions and Sectors, Jun 07
• Research Report - How Can Environmental NGOs Strengthen Cooperation with the Government?, May 08

For anyone who is involved in CSR in China, who manages an NGO, who is looking to better understand the context by which NGOs in China operate, I suggest you read these documents.

Having already read through most of them myself, I can say wth confidence that they present the best picture of the history of NGOs in China, the hurdles they face, the opportunities they have, and the role of the government through this.

In the July edition of the China Economic Review includes a piece on NGOs in China, and some of the regulatory issues that exist.  A topic we have covered before on a number of posts, regualtions in China have been in development for a number of years now, and for the last 3 they have been rumored to be coming out.

Many NGOs, domestic and foreign, find this situation to be difficult at times as one of the primary hurdles the lack of regulations introduce is the inability to fund raise… which in translates often into the inability to fund staff… which in turn translates into an inabliity to scale… which in turn translates into difficulties bidding for larger program.

All in all, I would say that the article presents a fairly accurate picture of the landscape, however if I could make one correction I would correct where I was quoted as saying I was frustrated by the process when I am in fact not.  It is a process we all are aware of, and work with.  sure at times it makes things more interesting, but that is not something I get frustrated with.

You can read the entire article here.

the quasi legal grey zone that many NGOs operate in here is well documented and written about in the popular press, and on blogs like Crossroads. It is a situation that many hope end, but for those of us in China running NGOs, it is a situation that you simply learn to deal with.

This week, China Dialogue posted an interview of He Ping of the the Washington-based International Fund for China’s Environment that I found quite interesting and think it should be required reading for anyone interested in either learning about CSR in China or looking to develop a program in China. focused in theory on environmental NGOs, my experience says the conditions are on the whole simliar for any other NGO.. it is hard to get licensed, NGOs are highly fragmented, fundraising is a problem for everyone, and this leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Where this becomes relevant to firms looking to develop programs is that by understanding some of the constraints that NGOs work under here, and how that impacts their capabilities/ model, it will allow you to better understand how to create a partnership. In my 5 years of operating in the arena, I have yet to meet anyone that I would consider evil in the NGO sector.

Sure, a lot of them need improvements, some of them are not ready for a large donation, but by taking a little more time firms can still achieve quite a bit by taking the time to fully understand the conditions by which their partners are operating in.

A Friend of mine in Shanghai recently passed me a brief on the Hua Dan program, and I thought it warranted a post. Based in Beijing, Hua Dan is run by Caroline Watson with the goal to:

Hua Dan is a China-based social enterprise that uses the unique power of participation in theatre and other creative arts as a tool for personal and social transformation.

Focusing primarily on the migrant community of China, Hua Dan

uses a variety of applied theatre forms, namely advanced role-play, improvisation, creative games and exercises, storytelling and other participatory training techniques. The workshops act as a way to educate and inspire around a range of issues such as mental health, love and sexuality, AIDS awareness and prevention, legal rights, gender issues, as well as provide a forum for key stakeholders in China’s development process to come together and contribute to solutions for a better future.

For those looking to learn more, you can go to the homepage or contact Caroline at caroline@hua-dan.org