It is often claimed that Albert Einstein said”The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It’s also claimed he said”Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” It would appear Greenepeace’s persistent illusion of progress has become its own artificial reality.

Greenpeace’s initial retailer seafood sustainability rankings achieved nothing, its subsequent update was ignored and now, despite that embarrassing track record, it’s back preparing to rank stores again. Its efforts have gone from alarming corporate public relations blackmail, to a nuisance, to just plain sad. Time and time again retailers have made clear their partnerships and seafood sustainability efforts do not include Greenpeace. In fact many retailers simply ignore the group’s unreasonable demands and non science-based, often contradictory, guidelines. But still it persists with claims to have made deep inroads and to have influenced seafood sourcing practices based on a Greenpeace model. Greenpeace’s model of claiming credit for things it had no role in is the only model that has shown consistent results for the group.

Once again it’s harassing retailers, letting them know that it will once again be ranking stores as part of a revival of the misguided, twice-marginalized retailer rankings we are all so familiar with.

In the latest letter to stores Greenpeace insists retailers provide details, “about your sustainability efforts” so the group can “credit you for your advances.” Keep in mind this is the same organization that mailed a similar letter to grocery stores in 2008 and then announced that every single store had failed the test. So sure am I that stores will be lining up to get “credit” for their “advances.” Least we forget on December 9, 2008 Greenpeace released its updated retailer ranking and on the same day Greenpeace Campaigner John Hocevar sent out an email to supporters telling “friends” of the organization that”…we’ve decided to make YOU the industry’s worst nightmare,”-this is on the very same day that Greenpeace is touting its successful influence over the retail industry.

You’ve read it here before but I will write it again, Greenpeace is a marginalized eco-extremist group that has chosen confrontation over cooperation for decades. When it’s not busy taking credit for things it didn’t do it’s often getting in its own way or contradicting itself and we can surly look forward to more of that with this round of rankings.