Successes
Below are just some of the positive environmental changes that the greater Greenpeace organization has directly helped bring about since it began campaigning in 1971.
2016
We trained almost 1000 people across Canada, mainly through our new activist training program, Ready for Action! Participants learned about a range of topics including non-violent direct action, media communication, and community organizing during 50 training sessions conducted in B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Nunavut, and Quebec.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Trainings/
November: Solidarity work with the Inuit community of Clyde River comes together in a historic moment as their case against seismic blasting in Arctic waters is heard at the Supreme Court of Canada.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/6-ways-you-can-support-clyde-river-indigenous/blog/58112/
October: The world's largest marine protected area was established off the coast of Antarctica.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/victory-massive-new-ocean-sanctuary-establish/blog/57859/
August: Solar panels were successfully installed in the community of Clyde River, Nunavut.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/how-does-solar-work-in-the-arctic/blog/57366/
We trained community members in Clyde River with campaign skills, non-violent direct action and social media for activism. We stopped construction of a mega-dam in the heart of the Amazon in coalition with the Munduruku Indigenous People.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/news-worth-celebrating-megadam-in-the-heart-o/blog/57191/
June: We helped expose Shell’s expired oil drilling permits in Lancaster Sound and forced the company to give up its claims in the region. http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/shells-retreat-from-canadian-arctic-creates-s/blog/56720/
May: Greenpeace, in partnership with other organisations, launched a global movement to break free from fossil fuels. Tens of thousands of people answered the call and took action.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/breakfree2016-an-unprecedented-wave-of-people/blog/56451/
The seafood industry as well as major brands like McDonald's, Birds eye, Young’s, Iglo, and Tesco agreed to stop trawling in untouched Arctic waters.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/this-is-big-the-fishing-industry-major-brands/blog/56544/
April: Seismic cannons did not blast through the waters of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait giving communities in Nunavut, Canada and marine life another summer of relief from the threats of dangerous oil exploration.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/no-seismic-blasting-in-canadian-arctic-this-y/blog/56045/
March: The Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the court case of the Inuit community of Clyde River against seismic testing. A ruling in favour of Clyde River would set a precedent for all Indigenous Peoples in terms of their right to choose whether or not oil and gas development happens on their land or in their waters.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/they-said-yes/blog/55821/
February: Eighty-five percent of the forested areas of the Great Bear Rainforest are protected from industrial logging. The remaining 15% is now subject to more stringent logging regulations and First Nations will have more input into land use decisions in their traditional territories. http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/celebrating-twenty-years-of-campaigning-to-sa/blog/55436/
January: The Government of British Columbia opposed the Kinder Morgan tar sands pipeline.
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/01/11/news/bc-government-formally-opposes-kinder-morgan-pipeline-expansion
First Nations win major lawsuit on Enbridge pipeline.
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/01/13/news/breaking-bc-supreme-court-rules-favour-coastal-first-nations-battle-over-enbridge
2015
December: Hundreds of people promoted 100% renewable energy and peace during the COP21 climate summit in Paris. The summit resulted in the Paris Agreement, which is the first agreement in history with commitments from all countries to reduce their emissions and fight a growing climate crisis.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/cop21-shows-the-end-of-fossil-fuels-is-near-w/blog/55094/
November: Twenty-five thousand people, including a coalition of more than 80 First Nations, marched for peace and the climate in Ottawa (unceded Algonquin territory) as part of the Global Climate March ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Paris.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/the-day-the-world-spoke-climatemarch/blog/54911/
September: A solar power installation is built by the Lubicon Cree community of Little Buffalo, Alberta, in partnership with Greenpeace Canada.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/building-a-solar-dream-in-a-tar-sands-nightma/blog/54190/
August: Greenpeace and the Waswanipi Cree First Nation deployed a giant banner on the shore of Quénonisca lake near the Broadback valley to bring attention to the struggle the Cree face in protecting their last intact forest from industrial logging.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/boreal-forest-cree-struggle-to-save-the-broad/blog/54092/
Greenpeace travelled into the Pacific to expose out of control tuna fisheries. Tuna fishing has been linked to shark finning, overfishing and human rights abuses.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/3-unpalatable-facts-you-need-to-know-if-you-e/blog/56156/
July: Activists hung from the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregan to block a Shell icebreaker from passing under the bridge to join Shell's Arctic drilling fleet.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/breaking-greenpeace-us-activists-stop-shell-v/blog/53647/
June: Jane Fonda, Rachel McAdams and Melina Laboucan-Massimo joined a beach-side celebration in B.C. to send a message to Stephen Harper that people - not oil - belong on those beaches.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/why-its-not-too-late-to-say-shellno-and-toast/blog/53253/
Audrey Siegl, a Musqueam activist, drummer and singer from British Columbia stood in a Greenpeace zodiac defiantly signaling Shell's subcontracted drilling rig, the Polar Pioneer, to stop.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/audrey-vs-shell/blog/
May: In May, kayactivists paddled in the “Shell No Flotilla” event as nearly a thousand people from around the country gathered in Seattle's Elliott Bay to protest against Shell's Arctic drilling plans.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/the-power-of-the-people/blog/52898/
April: Over 25,000 citizens marched in Quebec City calling on Premiers and the Federal Government to Act on Climate and say no to tar sands pipelines.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/blog/Blogentry/people-power-is-preventing-the-expansion-of-t/blog/54589/
2013-1972
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2014
December 2014: Lidl, the world's second largest discount supermarket, made a commitment to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from its textile production by 1 January, 2020.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/lidl-detox/blog/51675/
November 2014: The world's largest electronics retailer, Best Buy, announced major improvements to its paper supply chain to better protect Canada's Boreal Forest, one of the lungs of our planet and a vital buffer against climate change. During the busiest shopping time of the year Best Buy committed to stronger purchasing standards, paying particular attention to endangered forests and human rights. The move comes less than two weeks into a Greenpeace campaign that mobilized over 52,000 supporters across North America.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/pr/2014/12/BB_Press-Release-02.pdf
October 2014: Just 48 hours after we revealed the toxic-truth behind their products, German retailer Tchibo has joined the ranks of companies committed to Detox. Tchibo has promised to make sure its products are toxic-free, beginning with clothes and shoes, but eventually extending to cover everything from frying pans to electronics! What's more, alongside committing to transform itself into a toxic-free champion, Tchibo has agreed to start developing 'closed-loop' production - tackling the very way its products are made.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/Detox-trend/blog/51134/
October 2014: After more than one million people respond to Greenpeace's Save the Arctic campaign LEGO ends its 50 year link with Shell. On it's website, LEGO published a statement committing to 'not renew the co-promotion contract with Shell'.
During Greenpeace's three month campaign, over a million people signed a petition calling on LEGO to stop promoting Shell's brand because of its plans to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic. In stark contrast to Shell, LEGO's policies include a commitment to produce more renewable energy than they use, phase out oil in their products and, in cooperation with its partners, leave a better world for future generations. And that's kind of a big deal.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/save-the-arctic-lego-dumps-shell/blog/50926/
February 2014: Budget giant Primark becomes the 20th major clothing company to commit to Detox - agreeing to eliminate hazardous chemicals from its supply chain by 1 January 2020. From luxury houses like Burberry and Valentino to retailers like Primark, this latest victory shows how big brands are listening to the global calls for fashion without pollution and taking steps to create a toxic-free future.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/Primark-joins-the-5-Step-Detox-Programme/
January 2014: British luxury brand Burberry made a commitment to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals from its supply chain by 1 January 2020. Burberry's move comes after just two weeks of people-powered campaigning on the brand's social media channels, reaching an audience of millions, while Greenpeace volunteers held protests at stores from Beijing to Mexico City. Burberry joins 18 big brands like Zara, Valentino and H&M who have committed to Detox their clothes and manufacturing processes.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/burberry-detox-victory/blog/48027/
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2013
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2012
December 2012: The world’s largest denim brand, Levi’s, committed to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire supply chain and products by 2020, following public pressure in response to Greenpeace’s global Detox campaign.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/features/Levis-shapes-up-to-become-a-Detox-leader/
December 2012: One of Australia’s leading canned fish manufacturer, John West (Simplot) has pledged to stop using destructive fishing methods that needlessly kill sharks, rays, baby tuna and turtles. The commitment means that John West will phase out the use of highly destructive and wasteful Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) used with purse seine nets by 2015.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/John-West-in-Australia-cans-destructive-fishing/
December 2012: The government of South Korea has abandoned its plans to begin a ‘scientific’ whaling operation, a significant step forward in global efforts to protect whale populations. The proposed hunt would have caught minke whales for commercial purposes under the thin veil of scientific research. More than 100,000 people from around the world sent messages in the last month to the South Korean prime minister, asking him to call off the hunt.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/South-Korea-abandons-scientific-whaling-plans/
December 2012: Brazilian oil giant Petrobras has abandoned its plans for deep sea oil drilling off the coast of New Zealand. The world's third largest oil company has decided to return its exploration licenses for deep sea oil and gas prospects to the government, effectively abandoning its plans for deep sea drilling in New Zealand.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/petrobras-abandons-plans-for-deep-sea-oil-dri/blog/43250/
November 2012: The world’s largest fashion retailer Zara – and parent company Inditex – today committed to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire supply chain and products by 2020, following public pressure in response to Greenpeace’s Detox campaign. Zara becomes the eighth brand to commit to eliminate releases of all hazardous chemicals throughout its supply chains and products since Greenpeace launched its Detox campaign in 2011. As a part of the commitment Zara is reinforcing the ban on APEOs, and pledges to set further short-term elimination timelines for other priority hazardous chemicals, including PFCs. Most notably, Zara will now require at least 20 suppliers to start releasing pollution discharge data by the end of March 2013, and at least 100 suppliers by the end of 2013.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/Zara-commits-to-go-toxic-free/
October 2012: M&S becomes the seventh brand to make a credible commitment to clean up its supply chain and products and eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals, joining Puma, Nike, Adidas, H&M, C&A and Li-Ning. More brands need to respond to the urgency of the situation and take ambitious action to rid the fashion world and our precious water supplies of toxic chemicals.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/full-marks-for-marks-spencer/blog/42722/
September 2012: Australian Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has announced a ban on the Margiris super trawler for up to two years and further scientific investigations before boats like this are approved. Burke acknowledged overwhelming public concern in reaching this significant decision. Congratulations to the thousands of passionate Australians, community and environmental groups and fishing groups who stopped the Margiris from destroying Australia‘s oceans.
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/news/oceans/People-power-wins-Super-trawler-banned/
Greenpeace also congratulated the Gillard government for showing the courage to prevent the Abel Tasman super trawler fishing in Australia's waters. Greenpeace hailed it as a victory for the Australian community which has united to reject this monster ship. The decision also sends a message to the global super-sized fishing fleets that world community opposition is growing to their unsustainable business model.
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/mediacentre/media-releases/oceans/Australians-win-back-their-oceans/
August 2012: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has denied the complaint by Neste Oil over Greenpeace spoof site. The WIPO panel declared that Greenpeace may use the domains www.nestespoil.com and www.nestespoilreturns.com to criticize Neste Oil’s use of palm oil as biofuel. The WIPO panel confirmed that non commercial criticism is part of the freedom of expression. According to the panel Greenpeace did not use the sites to unnecessarily tarnish Neste Oil. In similar cases even harsh criticism has not been considered as tarnishing. The Panel concluded that Greenpeace had been using the sites to raise legitimate environmental concerns for non-commercial purpose.
http://www.greenpeace.org/finland/en/media/Press-releases/Greenpeace-wins-the-dispute-over-Nestespoilcom-spoof-site/
July 2012: You may remember earlier this year we bought 18 tea products at random from nine tea companies in China, and after sending the samples to be tested discovered that a whopping 12 of the 18 samples contained at least one pesticide banned for use on tea. Well guess what? Two of the outed tea companies, Tenfu (天福茗茶) and Anxi Tieguanyin Group (安溪铁观音集团ATG), have agreed to your demands for pesticide use reduction and setting up traceability systems for their supply chain.
http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/blog/its-about-to-get-a-little-safer-to-drink-chin/blog/41469/
July 2012: KFC bosses in Kentucky remain silent on whether it will cut forest destruction out of its supply chain globally, it looks like one country has gotten tired of waiting for headquarters to respond to our campaign. Following a first meeting between KFC Indonesia and Greenpeace, KFC Indonesia has issued a statement to address the issues of deforestation in its supply chain and declared its decision to suspend purchases from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) at this time.
http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/blog/indonesia-leading-the-way-in-kfcs-response-to/blog/41414/
July 2012: Greenpeace has reacted with delight at the cancellation of $100 million in public funds to a proposed HRL dirty coal-fired power station and is calling on the owners of the project to withdraw their proposal altogether. Last year, Greenpeace activists placed a 200-metre long banner across the site of the proposed HRL power station, calling on the Prime Minister to live up to her word that “no more dirty coal-fired power stations would be built in Australia”. Greenpeace also partnered with Environment Victoria, Quit Coal and other environment groups to build a petition of over 12,000 people calling for HRL’s Commonwealth funding to be withdrawn and given to renewable energy.
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/mediacentre/media-releases/climate/Greenpeace-delight-at-cancelled-coal-funding/
May 2012: For over a year, Greenpeace campaigned intensively for the cancellation of Senegalese fishing authorizations. These licenses constituted a serious threat to the livelihoods of millions of Senegalese who depend on the ocean’s resources for their jobs and food security. Organizing a travelling caravan called "My voice, my future," that engaged artisanal fishermen across the country, launching an online petition, meeting with politicians, and organizing an ship tour to expose and document overfishing in Senegalese waters, were some of the actions Greenpeace took to achieve this result. So it was with joy that we learned of the Senegalese government's decision to cancel the fishing authorizations issued to 29 foreign pelagic trawlers in West African waters.
http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/News/news/Senegal-cancels-fishing-licenses-for-29-foreign-trawlers-our-congratulations-to-the-Fisheries-Minister/
April 2012: Danone has released a statement confirming its plans to phase out supplies of paper and packaging products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). The statement also confirms that the company intends to develop a zero deforestation policy, which will cover all of the commodities it buys that could be linked to deforestation. Danone joins the likes of Nestle, Kraft, Unilever, Adidas and many more who have already dropped APP.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/yoghurt-for-forests-danone-drops-asia-pulp-an/blog/39818/
March 2012: Thanks to campaigning by Greenpeace and our supporters, leading Italian tuna brand Mareblu has decided to abandon destructive fishing methods in favour of sustainable practices by agreeing to source tuna only from pole and line and FAD free purse seining operations by the end of 2016. The move is a huge victory for our Tonno in trappolacampaign and is a significant first shift in the Italian tinned tuna market. Mareblu has shown that when a company really wants to commit to taking action to save our oceans, it can do it. Now that the standard has been set, there can be no more excuses - all other major brands and retailers must follow.
http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2012/03/06/greenpeace-tuna-campaign-nets-victory-in-italy/
February 2012: Edison International announced that they would shut down the Fisk and Crawford coal plants. After ten years of gritty and determined grassroots work, communities in Chicago triumphed over the corporate polluter in their back yard. On the same day, citizens in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania celebrated the announcement that Houston-based GenOn would shut an additional 7 plants, including the Portland Generating Station where Greenpeace worked with NJ and PA residents to demand clean air for their community.
http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2012/02/29/historic-moment-for-people-of-chicago/
February 2012: The countless hours spent scouring legal documents, appearing in court and enduring what must have been trying exchanges with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) by our awesome lawyers at Ecojustice has all paid off. The longtime legal case came to a close in a precedent setting victory for B.C.'s threatened and endangered resident killer whales. After years of facing threat after threat, and population declines, these iconic creatures certainly needed a win. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the 2010 ruling that guaranteed the protection of killer whale habitat by law under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Appeal Court’s ruling was an uncommonly strong judgment, and a controversial one for DFO after the court awarded Greenpeace costs noting that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans' behaviour had been "worthy of rebuke."
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/win-for-bcs-orcas/blog/39035/
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2011
May 2011 A year after the signing and announcement of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), there has been significant progress on implementation. Signed May 18, 2010, the historic agreement brought together Greenpeace and eight other environmental groups and 21 forest companies in the Forest Products Association of Canada and created a truce in the long-standing conflict between environmental groups and the forest industry. The CBFA commits both to protecting more of Canada’s Boreal Forest and reinvigorating the forest industry based on sustainable forest management. More
May 2011 Greenpeace Canada today urged the newly elected Harper government to learn from a new UN report on renewable energy and shift its policy from providing subsidies to the tar sands to investing in green energy.
This month in Abu Dhabi, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) released a Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources (SRREN) which found that just two per cent of viable renewable energy sources could provide up to 80 per cent of world energy demand by 2050 with currently available technologies. More
February 2011: Costco Canada officially released an updated sustainable seafood policy and removed various Redlist species from sale in the U.S. and in Canada. This marks the last of Canada's major supermarket chains to commit to moving away from selling seafood out of stock and instead helping to ensure greener seafood choices for their customers. More
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2010-1972
2010s
December 2010 Tides Canada has recognized Greenpeace and the historic Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) as one of its “top ten” initiatives for 2010. The top ten list includes “Canada’s most innovative and forward-thinking initiatives. They inspire people to take action, to think in new ways and to make the world a better place.” More
September 2010 Longtime Greenpeace campaigner Janos Maté is honoured with the 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Montreal Protocol Award for his work with Greenpeace to protect the ozone layer and climate over the past 18 years. The award ceremony took place at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C More
September 2010 Greenpeace today released a comprehensive analysis of Canada’s energy potential that challenges the need for dirty oil from the tar sands and shows that Canada can create tens of thousands of green jobs, while providing over 90 per cent of the country’s electricity and heating needs from renewable sources by 2050. More
May 2010: Nestlé finally announced a break for the orang-utan - as well as Indonesian rainforests and peatlands - by committing to stop using products that come from rainforest destruction. More
Read the success story
May 2010: The biggest, most ambitious forest conservation deal ever is announced: The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. After more than seven years of hard-fought campaigning to end the on-going destruction of Canada's Boreal Forest, Greenpeace and eight other non-governmental organisations have agreed to a truce with the logging industry. More
February 2010: Loblaw, Canada’s largest retailer, stops selling four Redlist species: sharks, skates, orange roughy and Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass). This comes eight months after announcing a sustainable seafood policy. Loblaw emphasizes the need to protect the oceans by putting out empty seafood trays for the species it no longer sells with signs explaining they are at risk.
2000s
November 2009: Safeway Canada cuts the number of species on the Redlist it sells in half, removing six of 12: Arctic surf clams, orange roughy, Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass), shark, skates and rays and swordfish.
August 2009 Canada's precious Boreal Forest is better conserved today. So are ancient forests around the world. At a joint news conference in Washington DC, Greenpeace and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the world’s largest tissue-product manufacturer, announced an historic agreement that will ensure greater protection and sustainable management of Canada's Boreal Forest. The agreement also will stand out as a model for forest-products companies worldwide.More
June 2009: Overwaitea Food Group removes Redlist species from sale. The grocery chain no longer sells shark, orange roughy, yellowfin tuna and swordfish. This delisting coincides with Overwaitea’s release of a sustainable seafood policy to eliminate Redlist species as a crucial element in sustainable seafood procurement.
May 2009: Loblaw releases a sustainable seafood policy.
May 2009: The salvage operation of the wreckage in Robson Bight Ecological Reserve is completed, almost two years after a barge carrying logging equipment tipped its load into the ocean releasing diesel fuel into the reserve. More
March 2009: The Great Bear Rainforest protection agreement comes into force, capping one of Greenpeace’s longest running campaigns by protecting an area half the size of Switzerland from logging. More
June 2008: The U.S. Conference of Mayors adopts a resolution aimed at avoiding the use of high carbon fuels. The mayors’ resolution discourages the more than 850 participating U.S. cities from purchasing oil derived from the tar sands operations in Alberta.
Feb. 7, 2006: The B.C. government announces an agreement that ensures the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Read the success story
2001: A historic agreement related to Canada’s remaining coastal rainforest is reached with logging companies. It includes deferrals in logging of over 100 pristine valleys, protection of rainforest areas, and an ongoing process to reform logging practices according to the principles of ecosystem-based management. This agreement is endorsed by the government of B.C.
1990s
1998: Logging giant MacMillan Bloedel announces it will phase out clearcut logging activities in B.C.
1980s
1982: European Council bans import of seal pup skins in response to public criticism triggered by Greenpeace actions in Canada.
Below are just some of the positive environmental changes that Greenpeace has directly helped bring about since we began campaigning in 1971.