In the midst of its worst fire crisis in living memory, the Indonesian government is taking a leap backward on forest protection. The recently signed Council of Palm Oil Producing Nations between Indonesia and Malaysia, signed at the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, will attempt to wind back palm oil companies' pledges to end deforestation. This is despite Indonesia’s efforts to end … [Read more...]
Orangutans are dying as Indonesia burns
Indonesia is on fire. Right now, tens of thousands of small forest fires are burning across the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, the only habitats for orangutans and other rare species. Many of the fires appear to have been intentionally set by palm oil companies, which employ slash-and-burn agriculture to clear land of native trees to plant their cash crop, which is used as an … [Read more...]
Deforestation in Indonesia ‘highest in the world’
The rate of deforestation in Indonesia is now the highest in the world, alleges the journal Nature Climate Change. The study claims Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of forest in 2012 compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil. In response, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Yuyun Indradi, said: “These findings are an urgent wake up call. Forest destruction is driving … [Read more...]
Nordic consumer giant commits to No Deforestation
Nordic consumer goods giant, Orkla, which also owns Indian brand MTR Foods, today committed to remove forest destruction from the palm oil it uses in its products. “This policy covers one of the biggest palm oil buyers in the Nordic countries and is the first to cover a major brand originating in India. People power is driving enormous change in the industry. This means … [Read more...]
Some companies are taking deforestation seriously
Mars has committed to remove deforestation from all of its products by the end of 2015, a move that places pressure on companies such as Procter & Gamble to set an equally ambitious No Deforestation Policy. In addition, Greenpeace activists today documented ongoing forest clearance and unfurled a giant banner in a palm oil plantation in Indonesia which is owned by … [Read more...]
Global retailer commits to No Deforestation
Belgium-based international retailer Delhaize Group has become the first supermarket chain in the world to commit to a No Deforestation Policy with full traceability. The move follows public pressure in Belgium and just three days after Greenpeace launched a global campaign demanding an end to forest destruction for palm oil. “This is a win for consumers in Belgium and … [Read more...]
Help protect the rainforests of Cameroon
“They may threaten and sue us, but the palm oil company is not going to stop our struggle for nature,” writes Nasako Besingi from Cameroon. The environmentalist will be on trial in March for defending rainforest land against Herakles Farms, a U.S.-based palm oil company. Please take a stand against Herakles Farms. Environmentalist Nasako Besingi and his organization SEFE … [Read more...]
Cameroon palm oil project finally on ice
After years of controversy surrounding the proposed palm oil plantation in Cameroon, the Cameroonian government has ordered Herakles Farms to suspend all logging at its main worksite at Talangaye, in the Nguti region of the country. Greenpeace Africa is encouraged by this decision - there are numerous illegalities associated with the project, not to mention the social … [Read more...]
Pushing every button for sustainability
Imagine opening a newspaper and reading that across the world, fish stocks are recovering, that forests are growing back, that droughts and extreme weather events are declining, that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are dropping, that oceanic dead zones are regenerating and that threatened species are bouncing back. That’s what John Elkington (pictured) describes when … [Read more...]
First to support sustainable palm oil
Woolworths has become the first South African company to become a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a global organisation which has developed a set of standards that address the legal, economic, environmental and social requirements of producing sustainable palm oil. Around the world, more palm oil is produced than any other vegetable oil. It's found … [Read more...]
Hurray for the orangutan!
The palm oil arm of Sinar Mas, Golden Agri-Resources, has announced a plan to halt the destruction of Indonesia's forests, which was previously caused by their operations. In response Bustar Maitar, head of Greenpeace's campaign to protect Indonesian forests, said: 'This could be good news for the forests, endangered species like the orangutan and for the Indonesian … [Read more...]
