WWF and Forum for the Future top NGOs for businesses to work with

The Verdantix report – ‘The Green Quadrant: Environmental NGOs UK’ - compared 12 environmental NGOs (non-governmental organisations) on 35 criteria during a three-month study.

The report found that WWF came out on top because it only worked with a select number of businesses, such as Marks & Spencers and HSBC, thus retaining its strong brand credibility, which was built by its breadth of capabilities and resources, and by its employees' high scoring on thought leadership, communication and awareness building, advisory services, partnerships and investment in sustainability projects outside the UK.

The London based charity, Forum for the Future, also led in the report because of its “consulting prowess” and strong business alignment. It works with clients such as BP, BT, Eurostar, PepsiCo and Unilever, on their future businesses plans by envisioning scenarios and helping them to promote innovation by addressing strategic issues, such as climate change.

The research, which included 30 interviews with FTSE 100 corporate social responsibility (CSR) directors and in-depth discussions with 12 senior managers at the NGOs, compared NGOs such as Fauna and Flora International, Tomorrow’s Company and The Earthwatch Institute on their capabilities to provide CSR directors with services that help them achieve their environmental business goals.

The report also found that some NGOs, such as Business in the Community, are better than others at engaging at board level of FTSE companies and that CSR directors see the primary business benefit of working with most NGOs as their ability to validate and challenge sustainability strategies – reflecting the perception that environmental NGOs are viewed as independent, external stakeholders in the successful delivery of climate change and sustainability strategies.

“Environmental NGOs provide a wide range of advisory, thought leadership, partnering and brand-credibility services to UK corporates,” commented Verdantix director Rodolphe d’Arjuzon. “The realisation by CSR directors that they needed to take action on climate change resulted in an influx of new NGOs into the UK market, but there is intense competition to get the attention of sustainability leaders. As a result, successful NGOs have developed either a remarkable issue-based focus or specialist expertise and stakeholder networks. For example, Green Alliance has a strong position in shaping environmental policy decisions and the Forest Stewardship Council achieves incredible leverage over business decisions with its product certification scheme.

The survey also looked at areas of business growth for NGOs and found that water management and climate change adaptation top the list for running a sustainable business.

"Fifty per cent more CSR directors plan to work with an NGO on water scarcity in 2010 compared to 2009. And 57 per cent of respondents intend to launch NGO-related activities on climate change adaptation in 2010 compared to just 40 per cent in 2009,” said d’Arjuzon.