“BUT WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?”

Palm oil costs the lives of about 50 orangutans every week and its cultivation is a major cause of global warming.

In February 2007 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called the situation a state of emergency in a new report, “Last Stand of the Orangutan”. According to the UN, ”The natural forests of Sumatra and Borneo are being cleared so fast, up to 98 per cent may be destroyed by 2022”. These forests are the last viable habitats for the orangutan species.

ORPHANED BY PALM OIL COMPANIES

In the time it takes you to read this report another orangutan may have died as a consequence of the rapacious drive by multi-national palm oil companies to get rich regardless of the environmental consequences. Orangutan experts predict that these extraordinary animals will be extinct in the wild within 20 years.

What Can I do About it?

A great deal!
be more aware of what you buy inthe supermarket

Even though these products contain palm oil or palm oil derivatives, the labelling isn’t clear. Consumers have a right to know if the oil used in a product is contributing to the destruction of rainforests and the slaughter of wildlife. Insist on knowing if the vegetable oil used is palm oil from Indonesia or Malaysia and if it has been grown sustainably. Food manufacturers can find other ways of making these products however we can’t find other ways of making orangutans.As palm oil is used in many of the items you buy in the supermarket, use your power as a consumer to do the following:

The relevant companies have verified that all of the products displayed as at 3/4/07 contain palm oil or a palm oil derivative.


1. Demand that food companies label their use of palm oil – you have a right to know what you eat.

2. Urge supermarkets and other manufacturers to STOP using palm oil from destructive sources NOW, to switch to environmentally and socially responsible sources and seek out healthier alternatives to palm oil.

3. Write letters to the Government and request they make labelling of palm oil compulsory.

4. Write to the Indonesian Ambassador urging Indonesia to STOP the clearing of primary rainforest on Sumatra and Borneo NOW.

Palm oil is used in…

ice cream • chocolate • biscuits

chips • margarine • crackers

cooking oil • toothpaste • soap

detergents • cosmetics

to find out more go to http://www.palmoilaction.org.au/