Mighty Earth targeted a leading rubber franchise for bad behavior in Cameroon. Then something unexpected happened.

When Etelle Higonnet arrived in Southern Cameroon a few years ago to follow up on reports of ongoing deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the destruction of culturally significant Indigenous land, she found an ecological and cultural disaster. It was the unfortunate outcome of a long legacy of irresponsible rubber-plantation operations inherited by Halcyon Agri.

A leading global rubber franchise, Halcyon Agri owns Corrie MacColl Plantations, which covers thousands of acres––much of which used to be jungle––and produces millions of tons of rubber, primarily for the tire industry. Higonnet, a Senior Campaign Director for Mighty Earth, and her colleagues, knew that if they could pressure the company to rectify its legacy issues, others would follow.

The group did its homework, which Higonnet described as “bumping around in the jungle,” but in truth involved extensive community interviews, consultations with Indigenous groups, and satellite mapping, culminating in a comprehensive report. They were poised to launch a global, hard-hitting campaign. 

But before pulling the trigger, Higonnet and her colleagues presented their findings to Lee Chestnutt, Deputy Managing Director, Corrie MacCall Plantation, and his team. And he was impressed. Empowered by his CEO who, he says, “wanted to change the natural rubber industry,” Chestnutt agreed to start negotiating next steps toward improving their operations and amending past wrongs. 

The campaign never happened––it didn’t need to.

In early May, Future 500 brought together Chestnutt and Higonnet to share insights and lessons learned in moving from conflict to collaboration. I facilitated the fascinating conversation, which was the final webinar in the 2020 Virtual Future 500 Summit at EarthX. You can find the recording of this webinar, and the other five conversations with corporate leaders, activists, and NGO advocates that took place during our summit, here.

Below we offer a few excerpts that speak to the importance of humanization, building trust, and how to achieve meaningful change. My personal favorite piece of stakeholder engagement advice from Higonnet and Chestnutt is “just be a nice person.” (Note: We have edited comments for length and clarity.)

On Mighty Earth’s interest in Halcyon Agri and the company’s appetite for engagement:

Higonnet: “We knew the company was a cornerstone of the rubber industry, and getting Halcyon on board would really turn a corner.”

Chestnutt: “We have had negative press. We had tried to engage with activist NGOs, but until Mighty Earth, we hadn’t been successful. We started getting involved in the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). We started understanding those multi-stakeholder platforms. When Mighty Earth came along, we wanted to engage with them and take advantage of their expertise.”

On leadership from the top:

Higonnet: “It feels so different when the person across the table is empowered to negotiate—it’s just so much better to have someone who can actually make the changes you are talking about. Some companies just march out their PR person—they are just there to hold the line and browbeat you. It can make for a nightmare negotiation.”

Chestnutt: “This came from the top. Our CEO wanted to change the natural rubber industry, we had productive conversations. We knew we had buy-in and we didn't want to spin our wheels. For companies, the messenger is really important, who is at the table. And for the NGO, credibility is really important.”

On how not to have a nightmare negotiation:

Higonnet: “Be a nice person. We can disagree, but if there is someone across the table I can trust and talk to, then we can find solutions. It is so much better than having a bitter acrimonious conversation where the other person just wants to yell at you, and quibble over every fact. Those are nightmare negotiations. They build a lot of anger with NGOs.”

Chestnutt: “Establishing personal trust is key. I knew I could talk with Etelle. There were issues that were a little contentious that might need to be discussed off the record first, and you need to know you can do so without worrying about it being used against you.”

On how to tell if a company is serious about change:

Higonnet: “The hallmark is a time-bound implementation strategy. We will ask, ‘Is the company committing to a timetable of actions to make [its promises] reality? And are they being transparent about their progress along the way?’”

After our webinar, Higonnet followed up to elaborate:

“In cases like this, an accord is just the beginning of the hard work. Mighty Earth and Halcyon now meet regularly to ensure that all the elements agreed upon are on track and on time, and to adjust to new challenges as they crop up, like the pandemic. One important milestone was when Halcyon followed through on its commitment to collect grievances from affected communities, in dialogues co-organized with trusted local civil society groups; another was when Halcyon upheld its transparency commitments, staying on track with disclosures via ZSL-SPOTT. Some companies or NGOs may think this kind of engagement can be a quick burst, but real reforms flourish when both parties keep their eye on the ball and work for the long haul. It’s a deeper commitment.”

Chestnutt: “Having a defined action plan is very important. To add to this, transparency from our side, is a huge thing. We have tried to be open so that, within reason, anyone can come in and review our operations. We have certification systems in place.”

On how a company and NGO should approach one another, before, during and after a campaign:

Higonnet: “If we assume that all the NGOs are doing the hard work of satellite mapping, and getting the data, and getting it right, the next step is to talk. Just to show up. Tell them what you want and need. Some companies want to talk, others you’ll have to keep battering away and trying every avenue. It’s talking and dialogue.”

Chestnutt: “Really, it’s the same thing. Honest and open dialogue. You need to sit down at a table and discuss the points, it's no good to just be confrontational.”

Resources from panelists:

• For a great overview of some of Corrie MacColl’s sustainability initiatives, I recommend watching this video on the company’s LinkedIn page. 


• I also recommend this blog by Etelle, summarizing some of the highlights and lessons learned from Mighty’s engagement with Halcyon Agri. 

• Learn more about Corrie MacColl’s sustainability activities.

• Learn more about the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), of which Halcyon Agri and Mighty Earth are both members.

You can listen to my full conversation with Higonnet and Chestnutt, including audience Q&A, below.

As part of the virtual Future 500 Summit at EarthX, this conversation took place alongside five other webinars with activists, NGO advocates, and business leaders, such as BP, Nestle, ClimateVoice, Project Drawdown, and more. The next Future 500 Summit at EarthX will take place in April 2021. To request your invitation, tell us a bit about yourself via future500.org/summit.

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