May, 17 2010, 09:30am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
In US: Daniel Kessler, Greenpeace Press Officer, +1 510 501 1779
Nestle to Stop Using Products From Rainforest Destruction
Nestle, the world's biggest
food and drinks company, announced today that it will stop using
products that come from rainforest destruction. The move follows a two
month Greenpeace campaign that exposed Nestle's use of palm oil in
products like KitKat (1). The expansion of palm oil and pulp plantations
is driving the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands and
pushing endangered orang-utans to the brink of extinction.
INTERNATIONAL
Nestle, the world's biggest
food and drinks company, announced today that it will stop using
products that come from rainforest destruction. The move follows a two
month Greenpeace campaign that exposed Nestle's use of palm oil in
products like KitKat (1). The expansion of palm oil and pulp plantations
is driving the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands and
pushing endangered orang-utans to the brink of extinction.
Rolf Skar, Greenpeace Forest Campaigner, said:
"We are delighted that Nestle plans to give orang-utans a break and we
call on other international retailers, such as Carrefour and Wal-mart,
to do the same. Since the beginning of our campaign, hundreds of
thousands of people have contacted Nestle to say that they will not buy
products linked to rainforest destruction."
Under its new
policy, Nestle commits to identify and exclude companies from its supply
chain that own or manage "high risk plantations or farms linked to
deforestation"(2). This exclusion would apply to companies such as Sinar
Mas, Indonesia's most notorious palm oil and pulp and paper supplier
(3), if it fails to meet the criteria set out in the policy. It also has
implications for palm oil traders, such as Cargill, which continue to
buy from Sinar Mas.
"Nestle's move sends a clear message to
Sinar Mas and to the rest of the palm oil and paper industries that
rainforest destruction is not acceptable in the global marketplace. They
need to clean up their act and move to implement a moratorium on
rainforest destruction and full peatland protection. Greenpeace will
closely monitor and push for the rapid implementation of Nestle's plan,"
said Skar.
Global demand for both palm oil and paper is
increasing, with companies like Sinar Mas expanding into Indonesia's
forests and peatlands. As a result, the country has one of the fastest
rates of forest destruction (4) on the planet and is the world's third
largest greenhouse gas emitter, after China and the United States. (5)
Palm oil is used in a huge range of products - from chocolate,
toothpaste and cosmetics to so-called "climate friendly" biofuels.
Bustar
Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Team Leader said: "The
Indonesian government must also take tough action against deforestation.
It must protect our country's carbon rich peatland and rainforests as
well as the reputation of the palm oil and paper industries by
establishing a moratorium on forest destruction and full peatland
protection. In order to make this happen Greenpeace will continue to
pressure both the Indonesian government and the palm oil and paper
industries that are causing biodiversity and climate devastation."
Notes to Editor
(1) Globally, KIT KAT is one of the
best-known Nestle products containing palm oil. In the U.S., KIT KAT is a
licensed to Hershey Foods Corporation through an original licensing
agreement executed with Rowntree Products in 1969. In 1988, Nestle
purchased Rowntree and exercises the KIT KAT product worldwide. The
Greenpeace report "Caught Red-Handed: How Nestle Use of Palm Oil is
Destroying Rainforests and the Climate" does not examine Hershey Foods
Corporation palm oil sourcing. Caught Red-Handed: How Nestle's Use of
Palm Oil is Having a Devastating Impact on Rainforest, The Climate and
Orang-utans at https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/caught-red-handed-how-Nestle
(2) https://www.nestle.com/InvestorRelations/Events/AllEvent
/Nestle_open_forum_on_deforestation_Malaysia.htm
(3) Sinar Mas has a long history of breaking its environmental
promises, both in the palm oil and the pulp and paper sectors. It
currently has 406,000 hectares of oil palm plantations and plans to
develop another 1.3 million hectares for plantations in Papua and
Kalimantan.
https://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/id/press/reports/new-evidence-sm-agm-Singapore
See satellite images and photographs in 'New Evidence Sinar Mas --
Rainforest and peatland destruction' Greenpeace, April 2010, at:https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/newevidence
and Statement in GoldenAgri Resources, Enhancing Values, Enriching
Lives, 2009 Annual report, page 39.
(4) FAO 2005. Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).
(5) WRI 2008: Climate Analysis Indicators
Tool (CAIT) Version 6.0 (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute) https://cait.wri.org
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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