We remain skeptical of “market-based solutions” to any problems that aren’t “insufficient imbalances in the way the world’s resources are distributed”, but t’would be arrogant of us to pretend that corporate PR initiatives are less concrete than grass-roots activism (regardless of the system they’re propping up). So, here’s Save Your Logo — a project of the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility, the International Union for Nature Conservation and the Endowment Fund for Biodiversity — an initiative which asks companies to commit resources to preserve the species (and the habitats of the species) they use on their logos.
“Like the Lacoste crocodile”, the Save Your Logo folks say. This is, of course, great PR for Lacoste. And for that matter companies do have incentive to participate — how is Kellogg’s supposed to sell kids sugary cereal when the kids have no way of recognizing the scary orange dude how Grrrreat it is?
Also, you know, saving the animals, whatever.