Greenpeace: Mercadona is one of the worst firms of 2011

The organization Greenpeace has chosen the firm Mercadona as one of the worst firms of 2011 due to the fact that this company has taken advantage of the resources of Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco, and in acquiring 30 million tins of sardines, Mercadona has been supporting the occupation and thereby the ensuing oppressive rule by Morocco.

Mercadona "acquires 30 million tones of sardines from occupied Western Sahara, supporting in this way the Moroccan oppression" were the words of the NGO Greenpeace, which singled out Mercadona as one of the 40 worst firms of the year 2011.

The campaign was promoted by Western Sahara Resource Watch, Sahara Thawra, Plataforma de Apoyo Político al Pueblo Saharaui and Liga de Estudiantes Saharauis en España. Greenpeace has organized the Public Eye Awards every year since the year 2000, in which the prestigious international Non Government Organization chooses to name and shame in public those firms which have demonstrated in its view the worst ethical, social or environmental behaviour.

The firms named and shamed in the Public Eye Awards are characterized as having committed "conditions of exploitation in work conditions, environmental sins, purposeful disinformation or other omissions of its corporative social responsibility".

This year, Greenpeace has included Mercadona in its "prestigious" hall of infamy, part of the forty worst companies of 2011, due to the persistence of this company to continue acquiring from Jealsa - Rianxeira over thirty million tins of sardines from Western Sahara through its contract with Escuris. Finally, this strategy has produced consequences, namely becoming part of the forty worst firms of the year for Greenpeace.