6 October 2005

Cooperation with BAYER – Open Letter to Pittsburgh Filmmakers

Dear Pittsburgh Filmmakers,

We read about the Environmental Film Festival you are organizing in cooperation with Bayer Corporation. We believe Bayer is not a good choice to partner with when pursuing environmental goals.

Our group Coalition against BAYER-dangers, based in Germany, has been monitoring the company for 25 years. During this period we have documented hundreds of cases when Bayer´s products or factories harmed people or the environment. For example:

* For years Bayer refused to pull the animal antibiotic Baytril from the market - against the advice of the American Medical Association and the FDA, leading to numerous cases of antibiotic resistance in humans;

* In the 1990's the company admitted foreknowledge in selling HIV-tainted blood clotting products which infected around 50% of the hemophiliac community;

* Bayer dominates the world insecticides market. Insecticides are responsible for the majority of pesticide poisonings, of which the World Health Organisation annually counts more than 3 million. Pesticides also account for pollution of the soil and groundwater all over the world;

* Bayer had to pay fines of more than 100 million dollars for cheating MediCare and MedicAid. The company has also engaged in various cases of cartel agreements leading to many convictions.

For more examples please visit the English part of our website at www.cbgnetwork.org or read our article Bayer and the UN Global Compact.

Bayer has a long tradition in trying to "greenwash" its image. The company started dozens of partnerships and sponsorships with medical, environmental or educational organizations and even the United Nations. In particular Bayer chooses cooperations in fields where the company is criticized. Bayer has been using these partnerships to deflect criticism by watchdog groups or the media and to use the good image of their partners to present a corporate humanitarian image without a commitment to changing real-world behavior.

In 1999 we were invited to Pittsburgh to hold a series of lectures about Bayer´s suppressed role in the Third Reich. The cooperation with groups in Pittsburgh started when Bayer Corporation wanted to donate money to Jewish communities without discussing their past. We would be happy if the Pittsburgh Filmmakers would also question their partnership with this controversial company.

With Regards,
Philipp Mimkes, Coalition against BAYER-dangers

background:
03 October 2005, Beaver County Times Allegheny Times
Environmental film contest

PITTSBURGH - Bayer Corp. and Pittsburgh Filmmakers are joining forces for an environmental video and film competition and festival that began Friday.

As part of the CAUSE Challenge, students from across the region will present videos and films that are up to five minutes long and explore the theme "Mutual Impact: The Environment and You."

They'll compete for a variety of prizes, including $1,000, a digital video camera and a personalized director's chair for the grand prize.

The CAUSE Challenge is part of the 10-day SciTech Spectacular that began Friday and lasts through Oct. 9 at the Carnegie Science Center and other locations around the city.

Coalition against BAYER-dangers (Germany)
www.CBGnetwork.org
 CBGnetwork@aol.com
Fax: (+49) 211-333 940 Tel: (+49) 211-333 911
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Advisory Board
Prof. Juergen Junginger, designer, Krefeld,
Prof. Dr. Juergen Rochlitz, chemist, former member of the Bundestag, Burgwald
Wolfram Esche, attorney-at-law, Cologne
Dr. Sigrid Müller, pharmacologist, Bremen
Eva Bulling-Schroeter, former member of the Bundestag, Ingolstadt
Prof. Dr. Anton Schneider, construction biologist, Neubeuern
Dorothee Sölle, theologian, Hamburg (died 2003)
Dr. Janis Schmelzer, historian, Berlin
Dr. Erika Abczynski, pediatrician, Dormagen