A Greenpeace activist was locked onto the anchor chain of the
Isola Corallo for over 36 hours to stop it from moving. The
Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, then occupied the palm oil
loading facility this morning to prevent the Isola Corrallo
from loading Sinar Mas palm oil. The Esperanza was finally
forced off the berth by Port authority tugs after a seven hour
face-off.
The Sinar Mas group is Indonesia's largest palm oil company,
accounting for around 10% of production. Sinar Mas is a key member
of the RSPO(1), which this week
celebrated the first shipment to Europe of "sustainable palm oil".
However, Greenpeace research shows that the "Round Table on
Sustainable Palm Oil" is little more than greenwash. One company
receiving RSPO certification - United Plantations, a supplier of
Nestlé and Unilever - is involved with deforestation in the
vulnerable peatland forests of Kalimantan in Indonesia. Sinar Mas
is also involved with deforestation all over Indonesia, including
in Kalimantan and Papua, and has aggressive expansion plans for the
future.
"Palm oil buyers must cancel contracts with suppliers who
continue deforestation and peat clearance. A moratorium on
deforestation is a prerequisite to any claims of 'sustainable' palm
oil," said Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest
Campaigner. "Next week the palm oil industry will come together in
Bali for the sixth annual global RSPO meeting. We expect the RSPO
to initiate urgent action against companies like Sinar Mas and
United Plantations who continue to destroy forests and
peatlands."
RSPO certification places rules on plantations that want to
become certified, but these do not fully prohibit forest clearance,
even on peatlands, which is a key element in combating climate
change. In particular, the clearance, drainage, and burning of
peatland forests makes Indonesia the third biggest emitter of
greenhouse gases in the world(2). In fact, RSPO members are not
obliged to change anything in their practices, until they enter the
certification process.
"With the current speed of cutting and burning forests, the
Indonesian lowland rainforests will have largely disappeared within
the next 15 years(3), the
standards of RSPO are insufficient and in its current form the RSPO
will not solve the problems of deforestation in South-East Asia.
Both industry and government need to take urgent action to protect
our forests" added Maitar.
Greenpeace is calling on the Indonesian government to implement
an immediate moratorium on all forest conversion, including
expansion of oil palm plantations, industrial logging, and other
drivers of deforestation.
Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organisation
that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and
conserve the environment, and to promote peace.
Other contacts: Zulfahmi, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Forest Campaigner, (in Pekanbaru)
+62 (0) 812 682 12 14
Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Forest Campaigner, (onboard the Esperanza)
+62 (0) 813 44 666 135
Nabiha Shahab, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Media Campaigner, (onboard the Esperanza)
+62 (0) 81314213432
Martin Baker, Communications Coordinator (Asia), Greenpeace International
+62 (0) 8131 5829513 (in Jakarta)
For photo and video please contact Findi Kenandarti
+62 (0) 8161681840
Notes: (1) The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an association created by organisations related in various chains of the palm oil supply chain. Their objective is to "promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through co-operation within the supply chain and open dialogue with its stakeholders."
(2) See, .e.g.: Hooijer, A, M Silvius, H Wösten, H and S Page (2006) PEAT-CO2, Assessment of CO2 emissions from drained peatlands in SE Asia Delft Hydraulics report Q3943 7 December 2006
(3) Nellemann, C, L Miles, BP Kaltenborn, M Virtue, and H Ahlenius (Eds) (2007) The last stand of the orangutan - State of emergency: Illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's national parks, United Nations Environment Programme