Mixing the pursuit of business interests and fame with weak environmental awareness and political sensitivity can be a recipe for trouble. Add a lack of oversight and a blaze of incendiary online criticism, and the outcome can be disastrous. Outdoor apparel brand Arc'teryx and renowned pyrotechnics artist Cai Guo-qiang have only got themselves to blame for a serious lapse of judgment over a publicity stunt in the ecologically fragile region at the foot of the Himalayas in Tibet last month.

The controversy came after Cai, the maestro of the 2008 Beijing Olympics fireworks display, orchestrated a chain of brightly coloured explosions that resembled a "rising dragon" winding up a hill. Visually stunning as it was, the disruption to local wildlife and the environment is evident. The near minute-long spectacle has, unsurprisingly, enraged conservationists and sparked calls for a boycott of the internationally popular brand.

In the age of social media where eyeballs and comments are apparently all that matters, it is not uncommon for marketing campaigns to backfire into public relations disasters. In the case of the pyrotechnic show, its ecological harm has yet to be fully assessed.

A local official had earlier defended the project, saying it used eco-friendly materials and therefore required only local government approval, not a full impact assessment. But the official probe subsequently confirmed that more than 30 hectares of grassland had been affected, including damage to soil and vegetation, disruption to local wildlife and pollution from debris such as plastic fragments and unburnt powder. "Although the short-term direct pollution and damage are relatively limited, the potential ecological risks require monitoring and ongoing assessment," the report said. The fiasco is a good lesson for businesses and officials, underscoring that their insensitive acts might have serious consequences.