Unilever suppliers burning up Borneo for palm oil; Greenpeace demands moratorium on forest and peatland conversion

Smog from plantation fires clouds the Kapuas River, Kalimantan. Fire is often used to clear forest and prepare the land for planting with oil palms. This practice is illegal but is common practice among the palm oil industry.

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Jakarta/Singapore — Unilever, the company behind some of the world’s biggest brands, including Dove, is contributing to the destruction of the Indonesian forests and peat-lands, the last remaining eco-systems on the planet that are massive stores of carbon and also the habitat of Orang Utans and other endangered species, according to environmental group Greenpeace.

In a damning new report, Burning up Borneo, Greenpeace presents fresh evidence showing where Unilever's suppliers are destroying peat land forests and orang-utan habitats to grow palm oil, an ingredient in its super-brand, Dove soap.

"It is madness to continue destroying our rain forests for palm oil production. We have repeatedly called upon the Indonesian government to declare a moratorium to save our remaining forests and peatlands from being wasted for soaps and shampoos." said Hapsoro, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Campaigner. "Now Greenpeace is calling on traders and consumers of palm oil to stop purchasing from palm oil companies that are destroying rainforests and peatlands." Hapsoro appealed.

Already Indonesia’s rainforests are being destroyed faster than any other major forested country in the world making it the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet(1).

The preparation of land for new palm oil plantations releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide as the deep peatland soils of the region are drained and then burnt. These peatland areas alone are responsible for 4% of the world’s entire greenhouse gas emissions (2).

Click here to download the report

The report also explains how the growth of the palm oil sector is having a devastating effect on biodiversity. Orang-utan numbers have fallen so drastically that they are now under serious threat of extinction (3). By mapping out areas controlled by key Unilever suppliers, the report explains how companies with direct links to Unilever are now clearing the last remaining orang-utan habitats. The report also contains field research carried out by Greenpeace in the first few months of 2008.

“It is shocking that Unilever, one of the biggest users of palm oil and the chair of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an industry body charged with ensuring the sustainability of palm oil of is doing nothing to stop its suppliers from destroying  rainforests and peatlands .” said Sue Connor, of Greenpeace International from Jakarta, “Unless Unilever cleans up its act then the orang-utan could be extinct within a few years, and our chances of avoiding climate disaster could disappear with it.“

 

 

- Greenpeace is demanding that Unilever publicly calls for an end to the expansion of palm oil into forest and peatland areas and stops trading with suppliers that continue to destroy rainforests.
- Greenpeace is calling upon the palm oil industry y to declare an immediate moratorium on conversion of peatland and forests with the following as minimum criteria.

1. No new plantations within mapped forest areas

2. No plantations resulting in the degradation of peatlands

3. No plantations or expansion post-November 2005 resulting from deforestation or degradation of High Conservation Value areas

4. No plantations or plantation expansion established on indigenous peoples’ and

other forest dependent community land without their free, prior and informed consent

5. Establish full supply chain traceability and segregation systems which exclude palm oil from groups that fail to meet these criteria

Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment, and to promote peace.

Notes to Editor

According to the Centre for Orang-Utan protection, at least 1,500 orang-utans died in 2006 as a result of deliberate attacks by plantation workers. (4)

Since 1900, the number of Sumatran orang-utans is thought to have fallen by about 91%, with a rapidly accelerating loss towards the end of the 20th century.

Since 1990, 28 million hectares of Indonesian rainforest – an area the size of Ecuador – have been destroyed, mostly to clear the way for palm oil plantations. Demand for palm oil is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, when compared to 2000.

FOOTNOTES

(1) Wetlands International, Peatland degradation fuels climate change, November 2006

(2)Cooking the Climate, Greenpeace Report , November 2007

(3)The Last Stand of the Orangutan; State of Emergency: Illegal Logging, Fire and Palm Oil in Indonesia’s National Parks, UNEP, Feb 2007

(4) AFP (2007) ‘Activists: Palm oil workers killing endangered Orang-Utans.

Vision, video, photos, report information

Images and footage of forest destruction and orang-utans on palm oil plantations is available on request, as well as footage of injured orang-utans on palm oil plantations is available on request.

Contact information

• Hapsoro Greenpeace South East Asia Forests Campaigner on +62 813 7848 9700

  Sue Connor, Greenpeace International Forests Campaigner on +62 813 1594 3403 or +64 21 2299 594

  Adhityani Arga, Media Campaigner, Greenpeace South East Asia on +62 813 980 999 77

  For Greenpeace International
  Tim Birch, Greenpeace International Forests campaigner on + 00 44 7801 212 960

  Vicky Wyatt at Greenpeace International press office on +00 44 7801 212 970

  John Novis at Greenpeace picture desk on + 00 44 7865 8230

  Michael Nagasaki at Greenpeace video desk on + 00 31 646 162 015