This Action Alert has expired and can no longer be sent. Many thanks to those who participated.
Outcome
The alert was successful and the project stopped.
Read more!
Action Alert: Unilever Threatens Côte d'Ivoire's Primary Rainforests, Showing Promises of "Sustainable" Palm Oil Meaningless
Leading global consumer products company poised to destroy Ivory Coast's rainforests as both investor and customer, pushing three primates to extinction, just after its future commitment to rainforest protection and certified oil palm in 2015 was much heralded by some
By
Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet
-
June 2, 2008
Share on Facebook
1.) Inform Yourself
NOTE: This is a protest, not a petition, sending emails to many real decision makers on matters vital to the Earth.
Caption:
Species extinction is too high of price to pay for Unilever's oil palm rich consumer products (link)
One of Côte d'Ivoire most important primary rainforests is to be cleared by
global consumer product company Unilever and others, despite Unilever's recent
promises to buy only "sustainable" palm oil from lands not cleared of
rainforests for their production. Tanoé Swamps Forest in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is one of the last remaining old growth forests in the country and the
last refuge for three highly endangered primates -- the Miss Waldron's Red Colobus,
the Geoffroy's colobus and the Diana roloway -- as well as home to many
endangered plant species.
Tanoé Forest is thought to contain the last remaining population of
Piliocolobus waldronae (known as Miss Waldron's Red
Colobus). This is a species formerly widespread in Côte
d'Ivoire and Ghana, but hunted to extinction over most of
its range and declared extinct in 1998; yet a freshly shot
specimen was found, in the early 2000s, having been hunted
in the Tanoé Forest. If Unilever goes ahead with this
project, it may be the first time in history that any company has deliberately profited from the extinction of a species.
Despite international protests, the palm oil company PALM-CI has just begun destroying
this 6,000 hectare forest to convert it to oil palm plantations. They are currently building drainage systems at the
periphery and, once the rainy season is over, they intend to clearcut all of the
forest. If the forest is destroyed, the three primate species as well as many
plant species will almost certainly become globally extinct. Large amounts of
carbon dioxide will be released from the carbon-rich swamp forests.
Unilever -- one of the world's leading food and personal care consumer brands --
is one of the main companies behind PALM-CI and the destruction of the Tanoé
Swamps Forest. They have been a long-term investor in PALM-CI and are
represented on the company's board. They are stakeholders in a joint venture,
Newco, which is the main customer of PALM-CI. Unilever publicly presents
themselves as a 'responsible' palm oil company, being chair of the Roundtable
for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). They have recently publicly told Greenpeace
that they will support a moratorium on rainforest and peatland destruction in
Indonesia, and intend to only buy palm oil certified as sustainable. Apparently
Africa's rainforests are less important than Indonesia.
Despite years of
membership in the RSPO and proclamations about 'sustainability', they have not
so far stopped purchasing palm oil grown on deforested land, drained peatland,
or at the expense of communities and food production. Unilever continues to
profit from the expansion of palm oil monocultures, which is intrinsically
unsustainable, and "certified" palm oil is unsubstantiated greenwash.
Despite an international petition with around 8,000 signatures calling for the
protection of Tanoé Swamps Forest, they have so far done nothing to stop the
destruction. The government of Côte d'Ivoire has refused to protect the forest,
despite its high biodiversity, and against calls from many conservation NGOs.
Throughout West Africa only 3-4 million hectares of old-growth forest remain,
out of 50 million hectares a century ago, and deforestation has accelerated
since 2000. Deforestation has had disastrous impacts on communities, soil, water
and regional and global climate change.
Please take part in this email alert to
request that Unilever stop the destruction of Tanoé Swamps Forest and
immediately finance and implement a programme to undo the damage that PALM-CI
has caused in recent weeks. After sending the first protest email, you will be
forwared to a second protest email asking the government of Côte d'Ivoire to
ensure that the forest and the communities that depend on it are fully
protected.
Sample Email Sent
An EIA cannot make clearcutting ancient rainforest for palm oil environmentally acceptable
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am very concerned to hear that Unilever is deeply
involved with palm oil company PALM-CI, who is preparing to
destroy Côte d'Ivoire's Tanoé Swamps Forest, despite
international protests. This 6,000 hectare forest is the
largest remaining old-growth forest in south-eastern Côte
d'Ivorie, a relatively large remnant of the much diminished
West African rainforests, and home to three primate species
which are likely to become globally extinct unless this
forest is protected.
Selling Unilever's stake in PALM-CI still means you are an
ultimate customer for ill-gotten palm oil that is driving
primates to extinction. And no Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) can make clearfelling of ancient
biodiversity rich rainforests for toxic plantation
monocultures environmentally acceptable. Stop the
greenwashing please, and stop Unilever's complicity in this
environmental disaster. We will make you pay for this.
Tanoé Swamps Forest is thought to contain the last
remaining population of Piliocolobus waldronae (known as
Miss Waldron's Red Colobus). This is a species formerly
widespread in Côte d'Ivorie and Ghana, but hunted to
extinction over most of its range and declared extinct in
1998; yet a freshly shot specimen was found, in the early
2000s, having been hunted in the Tanoé Swamps Forest. If
Unilever goes ahead with this project, it may be the first
time in history that any company has deliberately profited
from the extinction of a species.
Unilever has been a long-term investor in PALM-CI and is
represented on that company's board. Your company is also a
stakeholder in a joint venture, Newco, which is the main
customer of PALCM-CI. Unilever can thus determine whether
Tanoé Swamps Forest will be destroyed or protected. So far,
despite strong and growing international calls for the
protection of the forest, I understand that your company
has not intervened to stop the destruction. This is
unacceptable and makes you complicit in extinction for palm
oil.
I am aware of Unilever's pledges to only use sustainable
oil palm by 2015, and to not buy oil palm from deforestated
areas in Indonesia. Does this pledge mean you will run
roughshod through rainforests elsewhere for the next eight
years? This would seem to suggest you view African
rainforests as being of lesser value. Why is it Ivory
Coast's rainforests that hold three endangered primate
species will be cleared, but not in Indonesia?
Unilever has made many claims about being interested in
sustainability, including as chair of the Roundtable for
Sustainable Palm Oil. Your company's direct involvement in
the destruction of Tanoé Swamps Forest as a shareholder and
customer is completely incompatible with any promises
Unilever has made about protecting rainforests and
communities. Your secretive efforts to profit in the Ivory
Coast from primary rainforest destruction, so soon after
receiving accolades for promises to protect Indonesian
rainforests, makes you pledges of sustainability
meaningless.
I demand that Unilever urgently intervene in Tanoé Swamps
Forest and use their influence as a shareholder and
customer to stop the destruction of the forest, as well as
financing and implementing a programme to repair the
damage, including drainage that has already been done in
recent weeks. Otherwise we will ensure your company and
your brands become synonymous with extinction and
destruction of a biodiverse rainforest for consumer
products. Your actions are having devastating consequences
for communities, for soil and water in the region and for
regional and global climate.
It is completely unacceptable for Unilever to profit from
investments that destroy rainforests for oil palm and
result in species extinction and climate change. The world
is watching, and will not accept cavalier promises of
sustainability years down the road, as you continue to
plunder rainforests in poor countries for ill-gotten
profits. Continue and you will pay a high price in terms of
negative public relations for your predatory practices.
With grave concern,
** This alert requires JavaScript, and currently Firefox and Internet Explorer are the only tested browsers. Please
let us know immediately if you are having difficulties sending the alert