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Pro Futura: Cooperation partner of WWF for 25 years.
Pro Futura has been publishing unique and exclusive books and art publications together with WWF since 1984. Unique because the works are unmistakable, unmatched originals with highly sophisticated contents of great artistic value. Exclusive, because they are not available in shops, but can only be obtained directly from Pro Futura’s publishing partners. As became clear at a very early stage, this not only made it possible to accumulate considerable funds for WWF, but it also meant that WWF’s message was disseminated widely through Pro Futura’s publishing activities. This series of books has become a great success because of their well-researched texts, their artistic Nature photographs and the high quality of their design – which continues to the present day.
So far, Pro Futura has managed to earn a total of 12·5 million euros for WWF in Germany alone.
Interview with Michael Rathgeber from the 2008 WWF annual report:
Michael Rathgeber,
Managing Director and member of WWF’s Board of Trustees
Together with Pro Futura, you have been supporting WWF for 25 years now. Why WWF and how did this collaboration come about?
In 1983, five of my friends and I had the idea of producing books about Nature and the environment and targeting them for sale to companies, associations, authorities and societies as advertising gifts. Some of the proceeds were intended to go to WWF to support its environmental projects. At first, the then President of WWF, Prof. Kurt Lotz, was very sceptical whether the idea would work. But with our first title “Unser Wald muss leben” (Let Our Forests Live), we had selected the most pressing environmental issue of the day, one which has unfortunately lost none of its urgency even now. In the past 25 years, more than 30 different titles have appeared.
Is there any specific experience with WWF over this period which you find particularly memorable?
What stands out most in my mind are the excursions to the various project locations in Germany. Something that stands out particularly was the crane project – my daughter and my grandson, who accompanied me, still have very vivid memories of that.
WWF’s nature conservation work has received more than twelve million euros from its collaboration with Pro Futura. Which of the many projects that have been financed with this money means most to you personally?
The protection of the Juruena National Park in Brazil. We have just finished an amazing report on this which is to be published in our new illustrated book “Our Living Planet”. In the Juruena National Park, it is not only important to protect Nature, but also to create sustainable living conditions for the indigenous tribes and to secure the habitat of the “pink dolphin”.
Looking ahead. Where will the collaboration with WWF take you in the next few years? Will you remain faithful to WWF despite the financial crisis?
We shall remain true to WWF and its goals, though I would also like to see the aspect of promoting education included in the range of projects to receive out support in future. In view of the present economic crisis, I hope that our long-standing customers will stay loyal to us and thus to WWF so that we can remain a strong supporter of WWF’s work.
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