Greenpeace denounces multinational lies on palm oil use

Greenpeace denounces multinational lies on palm oil use
Credit: Belga

In a new report released on Wednesday, Greenpeace is denouncing several large multinationals. “Despite their commitments, multinationals such as Unilever, Nestlé, Mondelez, Colgate-Palmolive and L´Oréal are still involved in the destruction of the tropical forests of Indonesia.”

How? In being supplied by palm oil producers who merrily practice deforestation, the NGO says.

Philippe Verbelen, a Forest Specialist with Greenpeace Belgique, accuses, “Multinationals from the food-processing and cosmetic sectors such as Unilever, Nestlé, Colgate-Palmolive and Mondelez promised their customers that they would only use palm oil where no deforestation had been involved. However, they are not keeping their promise.” According to the NGO’s research, such companies are being supplied by at least 20 of the 25 unscrupulous producers, the activities of which have been analyzed.

Greenpeace asserts, “Since the end of 2015, these producers have destroyed more than 130,000 hectares of forests, or a surface area eight times larger than the Brussels-Capital region.” It goes on, “Wilmar, the largest palm oil dealer in the world, is the main customer of 18 of these 25 producers.” A further complaint of the NGO is that a significant share of these deforested areas is in the Papua Province of Indonesia “one of the world’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity.”

Philippe Verbelen says, “The palm oil industry is taking root in Papua and deforestation is taking place at an alarming rate.” Verbelen believes, “If we do not stop these unscrupulous producers, then the magnificent forests of Papua will be destroyed for palm oil, as those in Sumatra and Kalimantan have been.”


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