Gunther Pauli Cleans Up

Colombia, because of its rich biodiversity, is home to more than a thousand essential oils. In fact, right through the 1940s, until they were wiped out by synthetics, essential oils were one of Colombia's biggest exports. Lemon grass grows like a weed in Colombia. Coffee growers actually ring their fields with it to prevent soil erosion.

We think we can turn a throw-away product into a cash crop. Today a farmer in Colombia gets $12 an acre for growing beans for coffee and $300 for growing coca for cocaine. We will pay $600 an acre for lemon grass. Plus we will buy directly from cooperative growers and a local processor, a company called La Selva, rather than through intermediaries.

How does the CEO of a small company, sitting in Belgium, figure out how to do deals with cooperatives in Colombia?

I don't figure it out in Belgium. I figure it out in Colombia. I put on my jeans, lace up my boots, hop in a Jeep, ride on a horse, and get out to the countryside. I have been going to Colombia for 15 years. I have been to Colombia three times in the past 18 months. I speak perfect Spanish. I know the problems of the drug trade. I know the problems of the guerrillas. I can go out and negotiate, motivate, and mobilize.

You've just spent 10 days in North America. How do you compare the environmental movement here with what's happening in Europe?

The movement in North America is much more professional and coordinated. Partly it's the nature of the two regions. America is one country with 250 million people who speak the same language. Groups in Europe often have no clue what's happening 200 miles away. One is canvassing villages in English, the other is holding rallies in Danish. It's harder. On the other hand, European environmentalists have been much more effective in shaping national policy and passing legislation than the Americans. Nothing gets through Congress.

So US environmentalists are more organized than Europeans, but less effective. How do you explain that?

It's a question of focus. Americans love direct action. Practical, down-to-earth initiatives. "Let's distribute efficient light bulbs in our town." "Let's promote recycling in Seattle." Europeans are fascinated with this part of the American environmental movement. We can't believe the amount of paper recycling in some of your cities. It outpaces even what the Germans are doing. But when it comes to something as simple as energy taxes, well, you saw how hard it was for President Clinton. There's just not the policy clout. Compare that with Europe. Three years ago, the Dutch government resigned after a dispute over environmental policy. It was the first time that environmental issues ever brought down a prime minister. When's the last time the head of the EPA resigned over a policy difference with the president?

What's the biggest lie environmentalists tell about the business world?

That businesspeople are not genuinely interested in the environment. Business is interested. In fact, business is scared about the environment. That's good. The more scared business gets, the faster it will move.

Right now, the best-financed environmental research institute in Germany is the Wuppertal Institute. A group of companies created it to examine one issue: What if the worries about global warming are correct? What does massive climate change mean for business?

Their research is shaking up lots of companies. The insurance industry is already beginning to rewrite policies based on changes in weather patterns. That's just one small example. Business takes the environment very seriously.

What's the biggest lie people in business tell about environmentalists?

That environmentalists don't have their facts right. Every time a dispute flares up, business says, "It's not scientifically proven" or, "You're taking all this out of context." Environmentalists have their facts damn right. These days, they tend to have more technical expertise than the companies they're fighting.

Every so often, by the way, an executive admits the reality. More than once - in private - businesspeople have told me, "We would love to hire some of those toxicology experts from Greenpeace. They've been studying this stuff a lot longer than we have. They know what they're talking about."

How does Ecover manage to be a force on both sides of the debate without alienating everyone?

It comes back to open systems. We are a transparent organization. We have nothing to hide. We work with lots of big companies. They visit our factory and meet with our researchers. We speak their language, we understand their problems. At the same time, we don't disguise our commitment to the environment and social justice. We work with Greenpeace. Our detergent boxes invite customers to join Friends of the Earth.

But there's a more important point. These two camps just aren't as separate as they used to be. General Motors and Procter & Gamble are facing huge changes in their world. So are Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. The era of the Left Greens is over. The era of the Right Capitalists is over. The two sides are converging. We accelerate the convergence.