![Google](http://www.google.com/images/poweredby_transparent/poweredby_FFFFFF.gif)
The last orangutans
Paul Ferris
A few weeks ago, we shared some amazing news: after six months of pressure from SumOfUs members and our friends, Kellogg's played a key role in pushing the world’s largest palm oil company to promise to stop destroying the rainforest.
But now, Kellogg's is refusing to make a strong promise of its own to eliminate deforestation -- and until they act, the orangutans are in danger.
Kellogg's is expected to release a new palm oil commitment any day now, but it looks like it might fail to include any serious penalties for suppliers that break the rules, or any strict timeline for implementation. We know that Kellogg's cares what we think -- now we need to remind it that we're still paying attention. Can you send a personal message to Kellogg's CEO, John Bryant, telling him to take a stand for the rainforest?
Late last year, Kellogg's helped push Wilmar -- the world's biggest palm oil company -- to implement new policies to protect the rainforests of Southeast Asia. It was a huge step forward, but the fight's not over yet. Despite its role in getting Wilmar to move, Kellogg's is now refusing to commit itself to the same promises.
The palm oil industry has been a disaster for people and the planet. Deforestation in Southeast Asia is pushing the orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, and countless other endangered species to the brink of extinction. Indigenous communities have their land stolen and their livelihoods destroyed by palm oil plantations. Meanwhile, the remaining forests of Indonesia are storing as much carbon dioxide as the entire earth emits in a year, meaning that allowing the destruction to continue could detonate a carbon bomb.
Now we’re starting to change that. Wilmar controls nearly half the world’s palm oil trade, so this could represent a sea change in the industry, but the fight’s not over yet. If Wilmar follows through on its commitments, it will start freezing out plantations that rely on destroying forests and seizing land from local communities. Since it’s such a big buyer, a huge number of plantations will have to pay attention. But implementation will be tough, and we'd be foolish to blindly trust Wilmar -- so we need to keep monitoring Wilmar closely to make sure it lives up to its promises, and be ready to hit the company if it doesn't.
Kellogg's is one of Wilmar's top business partners, and for months we've been flooding it with petitions and phone calls, working with local activists to pressure the company in its hometown, and meeting with executives to explain why they need to take action to save the rainforests. In response to our pressure, Kellogg’s played a key role in pushing Wilmar to act. But to show its suppliers it's serious and set an example for other food companies, it still needs to finalize its own policy ensuring that it won’t buy dirty palm oil. We know Kellogg's cares what we think of it, so now we need make it clear what we want to see in its final commitment on deforestation: accountability for suppliers and a real timeline!
Kellogg's has a chance to save the last orangutans from the brink of extinction -- but it will only act if we speak out now. We're meeting with Kellogg's on Wednesday -- send a personal message to Kellogg's CEO demanding a strong commitment to protect the rainforest. |
Click here to tell Kellogg's to stop buying dirty palm oil and commit to real action.
Thank you so much for all you’ve done.
Rob, Paul, and the rest of us at SumOfUs.org