Asia: BBC documentary reveals the increasing problem with palm oil
23.02.10
Orphaned orangutans are the refugees of the palm oil industry. © Andy Bingham
Last night the BBC's Panorama programme threw fresh light on the growing palm oil crisis in Asia. The undercover film crew, led by reporter Raphael Rowe, discovered evidence of palm oil companies deforesting and planting plantations on protected areas.
The evidence uncovered by the BBC unit was instrumental in Unilever's decision to suspend their contracts with, one of their largest palm oil suppliers, Sinar Mas in December. This action followed on from tireless campaigning by Greenpeace about the company who are not only involved in widespread illegal deforestation but also the clearing of carbon-rich peatlands, which make Indonesia one of the world's biggest carbon emitters.
Seemingly this isn't the end to Unilever's sanctions. They've also reportedly dropped Duta Palma in response to the BBC's investigations. Both PT Smart - the subsidary of Sinar Mas dropped by Unilever - and Duta Palma are both members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) placing the spotlight firmly on the fledgling initiative to clean up the palm oil supply chain. However, this is no easy nut for the RSPO to crack. Palm oil permeates our weekly shop, normally labelled as vegetable oil, as ingredients in everything from cosmetics to chocolate.
Watch BBC's Dying for a Biscuit
Download Greenpeace report: Illegal forest clearance and RSPO greenwash: Case studies of Sinar Mas
Related links:
Indonesia: Greenpeace sets up base camp in rainforest
30.10.09
Greenpeace announced on October 27th that it has set up base in the heart of the Indonesian rainforest and will remain there for several weeks in order to bring urgent attention to the role that deforestation plays in driving dangerous climate change, a critical issue to be addressed at the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December.
30.09.09
Daniel Beltra's award winning photographs from the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia show us the beauty and fragility of the world's rainforests.
Chocolate and cosmetic brands stand up against palm oil
18.08.09
Cadbury's New Zealand follow Lush Cosmetics by eradicating palm oil from their products.
08.08.09
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) scientists have published data on the storage of carbon in palm oil plantations.
Sustainable Palm Oil gets boost in China
25.07.09
Major China-based producers and users of palm oil have announced they intend to provide more support for sustainable palm oil. This is seen as an important boost for efforts to halt tropical deforestation, as well as an incentive for the UK to up its game on sourcing sustainable palm oil.