Nissin Foods, the inventor of instant noodles, is a major sponsor of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. And Nissin uses palm oil, a major driver of deforestation, in its popular Cup Noodles and Top Ramen products. We’re calling on Nissin to cut Conflict Palm Oil from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The amount of rainforest destruction in the Leuser Ecosystem has risen sharply in the critically important northeast lowlands of the Leuser over the first months of 2019. Satellite imagery and field investigations by Rainforest Action Network reveal that eight of the nine palm oil companies with concessions located in the lowland rainforests in the Leuser’s district of Aceh Timur have been actively clearing forests. A total of 606 acres was cleared during January to April 2019.
New satellite data obtained by RAN has revealed continued deforestation taking place within the Tripa peatland — one of the most critical peatlands left in the globally important Leuser Ecosystem. Active forest clearance is taking place in a palm oil concession operated by plantation company PT Surya Panen Subur II (PT SPS II) despite sanctions issued by the Government of Indonesia and despite the suspension of sourcing by some of the Snack Food 20: companies who once relied on this bad actor for cheap Conflict Palm Oil for years even after having made commitments to halt deforestation for candy.
Companies cannot pretend that Indofood’s palm oil is sustainable. Joint venture partners, brands, palm oil traders and financiers must take further action to send Indofood the message that its exploitative practices are not acceptable. Here is who has yet to cut ties to this notorious food giant.
RAN and our partners — TuK Indonesia and WALHI — have been investigating a giant logging and palm oil company called Korindo, which has been cutting down rainforests in Indonesia. Korindo’s timber supply chain extends into some of the most biodiverse tropical ecosystems in the world, including the home of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan.
Today, Indonesia’s largest food company, Indofood, was SANCTIONED by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the world’s largest certification system for “sustainable” palm oil. Demand that buyers, joint venture partners, and financiers end all business with Indofood until the company adopts a comprehensive “No Deforestation, No Peatland Destruction, No Exploitation” policy and implementation plan.
In our last blog, we asked YOU: what are fun alternatives to problematic candy this Halloween? Most of us love chocolate, but too many candymakers are more concerned about profits than about rainforests being destroyed by Conflict Palm Oil (which is found in their chocolate!).
GPS: 2°51’33.54”N, 97°54’07.98”E PT. Indo Sawit Perkasa (PT. ISP) has continued to clear critically important lowland rainforests in its palm oil concession. Between June 2016 and September 2018, 125 hectares of forests were destroyed within the PT. ISP concession. Approximately 100 hectares alone have been cleared since January 2018, indicating an increase in destruction over the past nine months. This destruction was done in violation of a circular letter issued by a former governor of Aceh in June 2016 that instructed all palm oil companies to cease forest clearance.
We answer questions about what to do with Conflict Palm Oil in candy and how we can demand more of the companies that still have it in their supply chains. We ask YOU for Halloween alternatives … stay tuned for your answers in our next blog!
Candymakers Nestlé, Mars, Hershey’s, and Mondelēz are still sourcing Conflict Palm Oil from PT SPS II, a company destroying habitat and rainforest in the orangutan capital of the world. Demand they put an end to the curse of Conflict Palm Oil.
