Don't be an eco-colonialist! PR firm for unpopular clients goes into overdrive

From Foreign Policy Magazine daily briefing, 8/23:

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Could the $60 billion palm oil trade go the way of the tobacco industry? According to a Reuters investigation, Malaysia—which along with Indonesia produces most of the world’s palm oil supply—thinks that it might. The country has launched a global public relations effort to defend its industry as concerns over deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions mount, especially in Europe. Malaysia has turned to PR firms including DCI, a Washington-based group whose previous clients include Myanmar’s military junta and tobacco and oil companies. As policymakers grapple with palm oil’s environmental impact, DCI has proposed to the industry an approach that would cast the concerns of NGOs as “eco-colonialist.”  Benjamin Soloway, associate editor

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