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It is unclear how policy statements such as this can be reconciled with the claimed aim of GreenFacts to be a 'non advocacy organisation'. A similar press release was issued at the same time by CEFIC, the <ref>[[European Chemical Industry CouncilCEFIC]].<ref>[, [http://www.cefic.be/Files/NewsReleases/Cefic_Press_Release_SCALE.pdf "Chemical Industry supports SCALE, but concerned about current focus, time constraints"] [[CEFIC]]'s press release, Media Release, December 18, 2003].</ref>the [[European Chemical Industry Council]], an organisation that funded GreenFacts.
SW: save, work in progress
Some perceive GreenFacts as having many characteristics of an industry-funded [[front group]], having established itself as a non-profit group and claimed to have been formed by a wide range of stakeholders. It has established a level of credibility through its work, especially with key European institutions, and has appeared to be using this activity as a way of influencing debate over public policy. GreenFacts has been specifically criticised at times for its heavy reliance on corporate funding, for downplaying concerns about global warming, the use of phrases that were seen as partisan and for its role in having advocated positions favorable to the chemical industry.
===Exaggerating Origins===
Another criticism of GreenFacts has been that it has exaggerating the driving force behind the groups establishment. In one media release, GreenFacts stated that it "was formed in December 2001 by stakeholders from the academe, industrial groups and environmental NGOs concerned about the difficulties of communicating scientific information on environment and health issues."<ref name="SCALE PR"/>. This description appeared in GreenFacts' communications up until 2004 and implied the engagement of NGOs in the creation of the organisation, whilst in fact it was only a couple of individuals from NGOs. It also understated the initial role of Solvay staff and funding in getting the group established.
In 2004 GreenFacts website referred to the need for [[Sound science]]" before taking remedial action or adopting the [[precautionary principle]]. In response to this SourceWatch article, Greenfacts wrote that "we had sometimes used the word 'sound science' in our earlier communication, but have long banned it from our vocabulary after realizing that it is often used by some self-proclaimed "science advocacy groups" that actually use '[[junk science]]' to negate or minimize environmental or health problems." <ref>GreenFacts Foundation, [http://about.greenfacts.org/pressroom/press-book/sourcewatch.htm "Response to an article about GreenFacts on SourceWatch.org"], October 29, 2007.</ref>
===Policy engagementEngagement===
GreenFacts has also been perceived as moving beyond summarising documents and actively engaging in the policy debate, targeting the European Union's [http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/health/index_en.htm Environment and Health process]. The chemical industry in Europe is also heavily engaged in lobbying around this process.
Following a meeting on this the European Union's Environment and Health process <ref>[http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/health/index_en.htm "European Environment and Health Homepage"], ''Europa'', last updated February 22, 2007.</ref> in December 2003, GreenFacts put out a press release entitled "GreenFacts reactions to the first EU SCALE consultative forum: GreenFacts welcomes the initiative and stresses the need for sound scientific approach", which quotes the GreenFacts general manager Jacques de Selliers: "With an issue as sensitive as children’s health, it must be ensured that political pressures do not override scientific information and the need for sound methodology".".<ref>[http://about.greenfacts.org/pressroom/press-releases/2003/031219-pr-scale-en-draft.doc "GreenFacts Reactions to the first EU SCALE Consultative Forum"] GreenFacts' first press release, December 19, 2003.</ref>
GreenFacts claims that this press release was a draft sent accidentally, and issued shortly after a modified press release where the title was changed to ""GreenFacts welcomes the initiative of the EU to bring together well-known experts from a wide variety of stakeholders to consider the environmental impacts on children’s health on firm scientific basis", and . Jacques de Selliers' quote was changed to read "With with an issue as sensitive as children’s health, reliable scientific information is essential".<ref name="SCALE PR">[http://about.greenfacts.org/pressroom/press-releases/2003/031219-pr-scale-en.htm "GreenFacts Reactions to the first EU SCALE Consultative Forum"] GreenFacts' second press release, December 19, 2003.</ref>It is unclear how policy statements such as this can be reconciled with the claimed aim of GreenFacts to be a 'non advocacy organisation'.
In addition, a member of the GreenFacts staff (who resigned at the end of 2004) was the moderator in a few debates over risk communication, for example in a workshop on 2nd December 2004 at a European Commission meeting on the Environment and Health strategy.(The staff member resigned at the end of 2004.)
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