Greenpeace is being too simplistic, hypocritical and deserves '0 out of 10' for its successful campaign to make Lego drop its partnership with Shell, according to the former director of London's Science Museum who rubber-stamped the oil company's sponsorship of a climate change exhibition at the museum.
On Thursday, the Guardian revealed that Lego would not be renewing a partnership with Shell after coming under sustained pressure from Greenpeace over the energy giant's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.
Responding to the Lego announcement, Chris Rapley, former director of the museum, said: 'It is all too easy to demonise the oil companies, but demanding this kind of disengagement is just too simplistic. It's also hypocritical because we wouldn't be able to live the lives we take for granted without the supply of energy these companies provide us.'
He said a sensible and intelligent debate was needed with the oil industry. As head of the the Science Museum, Rapley oversaw a major sponsorship deal with Shell for a climate science exhibition, 'atmosphere', that opened in 2011. On Shell's website, he is quoted as saying ' our relationship with Shell has been crucial to the Museum's transformation.'
Rapley, who stepped down as director in 2010, said: 'It is scientists and engineers like these [at Shell], not the activists, who in the end will deliver the alternatives to fossil fuels and are turning companies like Shell from oil companies into energy companies.
'10 out of 10 to campaigners like Greenpeace for wanting to provoke change. 0 out of 10 for this campaign, in my opinion, which might attract headlines and make them feel good, but does not address the real issues and will not deliver the changes we all need.'
John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, who had said the Lego u-turn was damaging for Shell and had prompted an extraordinary public response, said other companies associated with Shell were now in the firing line.
'Shell's tendrils reach into many aspects of popular culture. We know Shell has tie-ups in the arts, with our museums, with major sporting events and with popular public-facing commercial brands like Costa and Waitrose.
'This isn't by coincidence. All these brands bring Shell respectability. They help Shell appear uncontroversial. It's yet another way that Shell lobbies to maintain its powerful hold on our fossil fuel energy systems.'
He added Lego's announcement should be 'a warning to Shell's other tie-ups', but the green group did not say what brands it would be targeting next.
At the time of publishing, the Science Museum had failed to respond to Guardian enquiries as to whether it would be reviewing its sponsorship with Shell in light of the Lego news.
But Rapley told the Guardian: 'I stand firm on the decision to accept Shell sponsorship for 'atmosphere'. The agreement we signed made absolutely clear that the museum and its expert team retained total editorial control, and Shell not only respected this, but made very helpful inputs. I could not have wished for a more supportive engagement.'
Waitrose, which has a tie-up with Shell for joint shops and forecourts with Shell, had also not responded at the time of writing. The retailer's managing director in 2012 ruled out opening any Waitrose-Shell sites in 2013 after coming under fire for the relationship, but last month reportedly opened four 'Little Waitrose' stores at Shell petrol stations.
Entities 0 Name: Shell Count: 21 1 Name: Lego Count: 3 2 Name: Rapley Count: 2 3 Name: Greenpeace Count: 2 4 Name: Costa Count: 1 5 Name: John Sauven Count: 1 6 Name: Chris Rapley Count: 1 7 Name: Alamy Greenpeace Count: 1 8 Name: Lego news Count: 1 9 Name: Greenpeace UK Count: 1 10 Name: London Count: 1 11 Name: Rex Features Rapley Count: 1 12 Name: Waitrose-Shell Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1qmfUi0 Title: Lego ends Shell partnership following Greenpeace campaign Description: Lego will not renew its marketing contract with Shell after coming under sustained pressure from Greenpeace to end a partnership that dates to the 1960s. The environmental campaign group, protesting about the oil giant's plans to drill in the Arctic, had targeted the world's biggest toy maker with a YouTube video that attracted nearly 6m views for its depiction of a pristine Arctic, built from 120kg of Lego, being covered in oil.
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