Dear all, please find below some good news in our on-going forest work. Ian duff, our Forests campaigner, has sent this message from Indonesia for the Key activist network
Palm Oil campaign bears fruit
Yesterday was a good day for all the activists and supporters who have helped expose Indonesia’s most notorious forest destroyer Sinar Mas and the international companies using Sinar Mas palm oil in their products.
The pressure felt by Sinar Mas when Nestle, Kraft, Burger King and many others joined Unilever in agreeing not to use Sinar Mas palm oil was just too great and yesterday saw the company announce a new forest and peatland policy which, if implemented, would effectively end the involvement of their palm oil business in deforestation.
Furthermore if other major companies follow suit this plan could help establish genuinely environmentally responsible palm oil production in Indonesia in the future.
Of course a new policy means nothing without proper implementation – and that’s why we will not be advising any company to rekindle their palm oil contract with Sinar Mas until it has proven that its new policy is reality.
The journey towards ending the destruction caused by one of the world’s biggest and most influential palm oil producers has by no means ended but we have come a long way since our orangutans door-stepped Unilever and Nestle.
Whilst Sinar Mas’ palm oil arm has recognised that trashing forests is bad for business its pulp and paper arm is being far more stubborn. That’s why 2011 will see Greenpeace exposing how Sinar Mas’ Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is clearing huge swathes of rainforest and peatland as well as important habitats for endangered species like the Sumatran tiger and orangutan.
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