Finance giants fuel $8.9 trillion deforestation economy

Global Canopy’s Forest 500 report reveals that 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries during 2024, with six out of ten firms lacking any public deforestation policies. The analysis tracked $8.9 trillion in direct and indirect financial support for 500 companies exposed to forest-risk commodities including palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa, and timber, with $864 billion going to businesses making no public commitments against deforestation. Financial titans Vanguard, BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase alone accounted for more than one-fifth of total funding at $1.6 trillion. The EU’s upcoming Deforestation Regulation #EUDR will ban imports of products linked to forest destruction from December 30, potentially locking out companies without robust policies. Urgent action needed to redirect finance away from forest destruction and toward Indigenous-led forest protection. Support a strong and strict EUDR to safeguard forests, be vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

💰☠️ $8.9 TRILLION funds deforestation! BlackRock, Vanguard, JPMorgan lead with $1.6T funding #palmoil, #soy and #meat #deforestation 🌴🔥 Support the #EUDR ban Dec 30 ⛔️ #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/17/finance-giants-fuel-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy/

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Sustainable Times. (2024). Global finance giants under fire for fueling an $8.9 trillion ‘deforestation economy’ in 2024. Sustainable Times. https://www.sustainabletimes.co.uk/post/global-finance-giants-under-fire-for-fueling-an-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy-in-2024

The world’s largest financial institutions Vanguard, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase are bankrolling a massive $8.9 trillion deforestation economy whilst offering minimal safeguards against forest destruction, according to explosive new research that exposes the banking sector’s complicity in global environmental destruction.

Global Canopy’s comprehensive Forest 500 report tracked investments from 150 of the planet’s biggest financial institutions throughout 2024, revealing systematic funding of industries driving tropical rainforest annihilation across palm oil, soy, beef and timber sectors. The scale of financial exposure proves staggering, with institutions providing $8.9 trillion in direct and indirect support for 500 companies engaged in forest-risk commodities.

The research exposed catastrophic policy failures across the financial sector. Six out of ten institutions reviewed maintain no publicly stated deforestation policies whatsoever, representing only marginal improvement from the previous year when two-thirds lacked such protections. Even more alarming, fewer than four in ten financial giants openly acknowledge that deforestation poses business risks to their portfolios.

Three financial behemoths dominate the destruction economy. Vanguard, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase “alone were responsible for more than one-fifth of the total” funding, collectively channelling $1.6 trillion toward forest-risk industries. Their enormous market influence means policy changes from these titans “could trigger rapid change across the global financial system,” according to Global Canopy analysts.

The geographic concentration of destruction finance reveals systematic patterns. Beyond the United States, “China and France also emerged as central hubs of financial flows into deforestation-linked industries.” This concentration demonstrates how relatively few financial centres drive global forest destruction through investment decisions.

Perhaps most damning, nearly $864 billion flowed directly to companies making zero public commitments against deforestation. This represents “almost one in every ten dollars” of total financing going to businesses with no safeguards protecting tropical forests from destruction for palm oil plantations, cattle ranches, or soy cultivation.

Global Canopy researchers emphasised the sector’s transformative potential, stating: “Unless financial institutions engage portfolio companies to act on deforestation risk – for instance, through strong stewardship of investee companies – their financing activities will undermine the positive impact of any transition finance they provide.” However, they noted these “financial heavyweights could use their investment strategies to drive better practice and transform commodity supply chains for the better.”

The European Union’s new Deforestation Regulation dramatically increases pressure on financial institutions to implement robust policies. Beginning December 30, the EU “will ban large businesses from importing beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy, or wood if these products are linked to deforestation.” The ban will eventually extend to smaller businesses, creating comprehensive market exclusions for forest-destructive products.

This regulatory shift creates urgent risks for financial institutions backing non-compliant companies. “Without robust policies, they will find themselves backing companies that are locked out of key markets,” the report warns. Financial institutions face the prospect of massive portfolio devaluations as their investee companies lose access to lucrative European markets.

A handful of progressive institutions demonstrate viable alternatives. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Deutsche Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group represent “the only institutions shown to be screening and monitoring all the highest-risk commodities.” Their comprehensive approaches “provide a blueprint for others to follow” in developing effective deforestation policies.

Global Canopy outlined essential components for credible deforestation policies extending “well beyond a vague pledge.” Effective policies require “clear standards for screening clients and portfolio holdings, active engagement to bring non-compliant firms into line, and strict deadlines for divestment if companies fail to improve.” Additionally, institutions must maintain “transparent reporting of progress and commitments to human rights safeguards.”

The analysis examined nine critical forest-risk commodities: “beef, cocoa, coffee, leather, palm oil, pulp and paper, soy, rubber, and timber.” Each sector drives habitat destruction threatening wildlife populations whilst displacing Indigenous communities dependent on intact forests for survival.

The report concludes that financial institutions possess “immense influence over whether deforestation is curbed or allowed to spiral further out of control.” Current investment patterns tell “a troubling story, but with the right commitments, banks and investment firms could become powerful drivers of change” toward forest protection rather than destruction.

Sustainable Times. (2024). Global finance giants under fire for fueling an $8.9 trillion ‘deforestation economy’ in 2024. Sustainable Times. https://www.sustainabletimes.co.uk/post/global-finance-giants-under-fire-for-fueling-an-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy-in-2024

ENDS

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Finance giants fuel $8.9 trillion deforestation economy

Forest 500 report shows 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries. Support EUDR!

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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Greenwashing Tactic 9: Partnerships, Sponsorships and Research Funding

Greenwashing Tactic:

Partnerships, Sponsorships & Research Funding

Definition: Using corporate and NGO partnerships, sponsorships and research funding to give a commodity, an industry, ecolabel or company a ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly’ reputation

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#Partnerships between Zoos or NGOs and big brands leads to #greenwashing and deception. Commodities: #Palmoil, #meat #sugar causing #ecocide or health problems gain a reputation boost. One example: “Sustainable” #palmoil. #BoycottPalmOil @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/10/14/greenwashing-tactic-9-partnerships/

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#Greenwashing tactic: When #corporate #partnerships and funding is given to a brand or an industry #ecolabel like RSPO in order to foster a ‘greener’ reputation for #palmoil which is bad for #health and the #environment #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/10/14/greenwashing-tactic-9-partnerships/

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Orangutan Land Trust funded by rainforest destroying palm oil co. Kulim Malaysia Berhad

Orangutan Land Trust funded by Agropalma: during decades-long destruction of the Amazon for palm oil

Orangutan Land Trust and New Britain Palm Oil (NBPOL): Deep financial links

Greenwashing Partnership: Orangutan Land Trust, Ferrero & Chester Zoo

Greenwashing Partnership: WWF

Greenwashing Partnership: WAZA

Greenwashing Partnership: Chester Zoo & the RSPO

Greenwashing Partnership: Sustainable Palm Oil Cities

Greenwashing Partnership: Mobile apps

Greenwashing Research

Reality: Human rights abuses, land-grabbbing by RSPO members

Reality: Chester Zoo promoting “sustainable” palm oil and connected to slavery

Reality: RSPO 14 Years of Failure by Friends of the Earth and 100 other NGOs

Reality: Associated Press Investigation into RSPO members

Reality: Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) Investigation RSPO plantations on fire

Explore the Series

Further reading: greenwashing and deceptive marketing

Say thanks for this guide by donating to my Ko-Fi

Greenwashing through partnerships

Greenwashing occurs when private companies and global multinational corporations leverage the reputation of NGOs, researchers and ecolabels in order to greenwash their own murky and ambiguous reputation.

“A concern of [private corporations] is the absence of legitimacy, which can come with government action. Thus, private companies can choose to engage in partnerships with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for their actions to have a legitimacy framework.”

Isabelle Hayes, NGO Partnerships Providing Legitimacy to Private Environmental Governance, 42 Pace Env’t L. Rev 254 (2025) https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol42/iss2/2/

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Orangutan Land Trust funded by rainforest destroying palm oil co. Kulim Malaysia Berhad

Orangutan Land Trust accepts a cheque for $500,000 for ‘worthy organisations on the ground’ from Kulim Malaysia Berhad, a palm oil company that is a corporate partner of Orangutan Land Trust as well and that has deforestation in their supply chain.

Kulim Malaysia Berhad provides Orangutan Land Trust with a $500,000 USD cheque.

BSI, a company that conducts audits for the RSPO is a corporate partner of Orangutan Land Trust. BSI approved the certification of another one of Orangutan Land Trust’s partners Kulim Malaysia Berhad recognising them as being ‘sustainable’ according to the RSPO

In 2015, Orangutan Land Trust listed Kulim Malaysia Berhad, a palm oil company as one of their corporate partners on their website.

Orangutan Land Trust Corporate Sponsors Partrners Oct 2015

“Responsible and committed companies like Kulim ensure that no orangutan habitat is affected by their operations while also supporting conservation efforts outside their concession areas,” said Michelle Desilets, Executive Director, Orangutan Land Trust.

Michelle Desilets, quoted in Merdeka, Sept 2015

https://twitter.com/orangutans/status/649498074797240320?s=20

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund drops Kulim Malaysia Berhad over deforestation’ – Mongabay

A few months later in March 2016, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), which manages $828 billion worth of funds, revealed that they had dropped Kulim Malaysia Berhad from their investment portfolio because Kulim were involved in ‘severe environmental damage and ecocide’ ‘World’s largest sovereign wealth fund just dropped 11 companies over deforestation’ – Mongabay.

The HAZE Elimination Team Facebook group asked Michelle Desilets to reveal who specifically received the funds. She did not provide funding recipients. See thread on Facebook and news story in Indonesian.

A Facebook group called the HAZE Action Team posted this about Orangutan Land Trust accepting the cheque for 500K from Kulim, a palm oil company that was disgraced in the same year for deforestation.

Again in 2019 on Twitter, Michelle Desilets was asked who received the money in Kalimantan. She did not answer. She has since been asked many times and only ever provided evasive answers about who exactly received the 500K from Kulim Malaysia Berhad

https://twitter.com/oliverinstead/status/1193563172814364675?s=20

https://twitter.com/oliverinstead/status/1193810838035013633?s=20

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Orangutan Land Trust funded by Agropalma: during their decades-long destruction of the Amazon for palm oil

Orangutan Land Trust mentions fellow RSPO member Agropalma as being a sponsor and funder on their website and annual ACOP ( a report given to the RSPO) in 2014. Agropalma are listed on the OLT website until 2019.

“With Agropalma’s generous support, we can enable conservation activities in Indonesia and Malaysia that will not only help to protect the orangutan, but also all the biodiversity that shares its rainforest habitat”.

Michelle Desilets of Orangutan Land Trust, quoted in the 2015 Agropalma Sustainability Report and on the Agropalma website, their full sustainability report is here.

From 2014- 2022 Orangutan Land Trust promote Agropalma on Twitter and elsewhere as offering “sustainable” palm oil \

https://twitter.com/orangutans/status/515812062585298944?s=20&t=NrgnxE2LYTY4UJU6IlUDhQ

https://twitter.com/orangutans/status/535240403843579905?s=20&t=NrgnxE2LYTY4UJU6IlUDhQ

https://twitter.com/orangulandtrust/status/1020445479753142283?s=20&t=NrgnxE2LYTY4UJU6IlUDhQ

https://twitter.com/orangutans/status/1022764387986227200?s=20&t=NrgnxE2LYTY4UJU6IlUDhQ

https://twitter.com/orangutans/status/1140649377654067201?s=20&t=NrgnxE2LYTY4UJU6IlUDhQ

A report by the Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG) on their website between 2014-2020 reveals that Agropalma have been paying Orangutan Land Trust 10,000 GBP per quarter. Read report

In 2022, Agropalma were the subject of a 2022 Global Witness report into the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and violence against indigenous land defenders. Read report

Between 2015 -2020, Agropalma were assessed by the RSPO’s Complaints Panel for human rights abuses. This panel includes Orangutan Land Trust’s Executive Director Michelle Desilets as a decision maker.

RSPO case

In 2020, the RSPO ruled in favour of Agropalma and against the human rights defenders and closed the case. Read letter

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Orangutan Land Trust and New Britain Palm Oil (NBPOL): Deep financial links

There are deep financial and management links between the NGO Orangutan Land Trust, the RSPO, and palm oil company New Britain Palm Oil.

In 2012, in addition to receiving funds from Agropalma – Orangutan Land Trust received funds from palm oil company New Britain Palm Oil, while Michelle Desilets (and others) made decisions on the RSPO’s Complaints Panel about human rights cases related to New Britain Palm Oil. Read original document

In 2012 Michelle Desilets and Simon Lord went onto TV to spruik the benefits of the RSPO and sustainable palm oil together. See original

https://youtu.be/mQz1fWgEsIk

Concurrently from 2012-2017 Simon Lord was the Sustainability Manager for New Britain Palm Oil as well as being the registered Director of Orangutan Land Trust during the period where cash donations were made from New Britain Palm Oil to Orangutan Land Trust.

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Greenwashing:

Orangutan Land Trust, Ferrero & Chester Zoo

Global brands and RSPO members Ferrero and Wilmar (linked to extensive human rights abuses and deforestation) work together with Chester Zoo, Orangutan Land Trust and the RSPO to promote sustainable palm oil

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Political lobbying by Orangutan Land Trust, Ferrero and Chester Zoo means the UK government removes all tariffs on UK palm oil imports

In April 2023, Ferrero, Chester Zoo Orangutan Land Trust met with members of the UK Parliament. A few days later, UK MP Kemi Badenoch’s announced that the UK would be removing all tariffs on the import of palm oil. This move makes it straightforward for unchecked dirty palm oil to make its way into the UK, all of it directly linked to deforestation and human rights abuses. This shocking decision by the UK government was met with enormous opposition by media and environmental and human rights groups in the UK and all over the world.

https://twitter.com/FerreroUK/status/1641809530043375616?s=20

Michelle Desilets of Orangutan Land Trust pushing “sustainable” palm oil at a Ferrero corporate event in 2016

https://youtu.be/oG1D_rpfK_8

https://twitter.com/JustHungryE/status/1432221681511112706?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/1183789005298642945?s=20

https://twitter.com/VolacWilmar/status/1446135374317690881?s=20

https://twitter.com/BettyShmem/status/1433333955063918593?s=20

https://www.efeca.com/our-work/dorset-sustainable-community/useful-resources-for-champions/

Greenwashing:

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

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WWF provides an annual Palm Oil Scorecard which ranks supermarket brands (RSPO members) providing consumers with baseless reassurances of palm oil sustainability.

WWF’s Palm Oil Scorecard ranks RSPO members (supermarket brands) such as: Tesco, Nestle, Ferrero, Unilever, Pepsi, CocaCola, Hersheys, Colgate-Palmolive, L’Oreal, Avon, Johnson&Johnson, Mondelez, PZ Cussons, Mars. This score card omits deforestation, fires, human rights abuses, illegal landgrabbing, violence and ecocide caused by these same RSPO members, by using ‘green’ words and design.

A founding member of the RSPO, WWF adds legitimacy and is a well-known global conservation brand. Their mission of saving animals has been overtaken by corporate interests and the need for corporate funding.

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/796539575522889732?s=20

https://twitter.com/orangulandtrust/status/1393889886780940289?s=20

https://twitter.com/Ferrero_EU/status/1181857138202808320?s=20

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Greenwashing:

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)

Zoos around the world promote the use of RSPO ‘sustainable’ palm oil

Despite clear, long-term evidence of indigenous land-grabbing, human rights abuses, ecocide, violence and deforestation by RSPO members

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Chester Zoo provides educational and marketing resources to the Zoo network. The RSPO members (supermarket brands) provide sponsorship and funding in exchange for the promotion of sustainable palm oil.

https://twitter.com/CheyenneMtnZoo/status/1447986675557208071?s=20

https://twitter.com/ActforWildlife/status/1093547007900295170?s=20

https://twitter.com/TheTorontoZoo/status/1447952220239114244?s=20

https://twitter.com/ColumbusZoo/status/1290673775416094721?s=20

https://twitter.com/EPOA_EU/status/1006881349121269760?s=20&t=OHvbIfRXvQyDlMKMU1Ih1A

https://twitter.com/BIAZA/status/920936314178064384?s=20&t=hoWnT_T-BarKZ5cG8xLK2w

https://twitter.com/BIAZA/status/1447955396229050371?s=20

https://twitter.com/ElephantsIEF/status/1430878013617496068?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/989461599676190720?s=20&t=OHvbIfRXvQyDlMKMU1Ih1A

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Read more: WAZA Palm Oil waza-palm-oil-guide_finalDownload

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Greenwashing:

Chester Zoo & the RSPO push ‘sustainable’ palm oil in UK schools

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Chester Zoo and the RSPO promote educational resources and marketing materials about ‘sustainable’ palm oil to children and teens across the UK

https://twitter.com/HaltonLibraries/status/1164903994210304000?s=20

https://twitter.com/buttonlane_/status/1128291851365244928

https://twitter.com/LearnatCZ/status/1049600907036553216?s=20

https://twitter.com/SJPHeadTeacher/status/1407262083004223495?s=20

https://twitter.com/sizeofwales/status/1446089633306226693?s=20

This term, Year 6 have been studying deforestation and the need for sustainable palm oil in our everyday items. Our research of products, sustainable sources and the effect on wildlife culminated in a group being invited to deliver a presentation at @chesterzoo for @LearnatCZ

Originally tweeted by St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School (@stjosephsbh) on October 21, 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFDhzax7Cbc

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Greenwashing:

Sustainable Palm Oil Cities

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Chester Zoo, Ferrero, Orangutan Land Trust and the RSPO push sustainable palm oil to city councils in the ‘Sustainable Palm Oil Cities’ initiative.

https://twitter.com/MargotLogman/status/1059546861810401281?s=20

https://youtu.be/8FECPNmy5t0

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Greenwashing:

Mobile apps are promoted by zoos and the RSPO to push sustainable palm oil

The Giki Earth, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo app and Impact Score App promote ‘sustainable’ palm oil to consumers, giving them the reassurances of ‘orangutan safe’ and ‘sustainable’ choices in the supermarket

https://twitter.com/orangulandtrust/status/1443882347783507968?s=20

https://twitter.com/newquaysspo/status/1164792405586919425?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/1207670820102901760?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/1210579888366854144?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/1380416451069247488?s=20

https://twitter.com/orangulandtrust/status/1369967792800333826?s=20

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/1207670820102901760?s=20

‘Orangutan Friendly’ recommendations in the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo app include all RSPO ‘certified sustainable’ members linked to deforestation, ecocode and human rights abuses for palm oil

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Greenwashing:

Research that examines the RSPO’s ‘sustainability’ is funded by the RSPO and industry, i.e. global food companies

Pictured: Dr Jennifer Lucey presents on findings of the SEnSOR programme @SensorProgramme via @SEARRP on Twitter

Original tweet

https://twitter.com/SEARRP/status/1062260582894596102?s=20

SEnSOR (Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Oil palm Research) is a research programme set-up to examine the environmental and social impact of the RSPO. However, as this photo from Twitter reveals, it is funded by the RSPO, along with the industry – meaning global supermarket brands and palm oil companies that are part of the RSPO. No specific mention of industry funding is present on any research papers, the university websites, the SEnSOR website or anywhere else.

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The SEnSOR project receives funding from the RSPO but is still apparently able to release findings that are independent and critical of the certification scheme.

Funding relationships with the RSPO are left off the University of York’s website. There is no mention at all of palm oil research or of SEnSOR project on the University of Oxford’s website either.

https://twitter.com/danielarancibia/status/666115310978621440?s=20

In research published by the SEnSOR project, authors declare that they have done work for palm oil companies and/or the RSPO.

Ethics declaration: Meijaard, E., Brooks, T.M., Carlson, K.M. et al. The environmental impacts of palm oil in context. Nat. Plants 6, 1418–1426 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00813-w

Research papers produced by the SEnSOR programme analysing the RSPO’s sustainability and effectiveness – paid for by the RSPO and industry

See detail of funding sources on the UKRI website and here.

The results of SEnSOR’s research studies reveal that RSPO certification is ineffective at stopping deforestation, loss of biodiversity and improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Read more.

Wilmar International : And Searrp Collaborate For Scientific Research In Forest Rehabilitation

04/18/2022 | 05:34am EDT

Wilmar and SEARRP have worked together since 2006 where the collaboration between both parties to support academic research has shed light on the impact and role of sustainably managed palm oil plantations in supporting and maintaining forest biodiversity in and around the plantations.

Among the key findings of the research were a proposed forest patch size that is viable for biodiversity conservation, the importance of forest quality to increase viability for conservation and the position of a conservation area in relation to other intact forest areas in the landscape.

The partnership had also culminated in a workshop organised in 2015 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, entitled “Enhancing biodiversity conservation in the oil palm industry: Translating science into action”. Read more

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These same researchers act as public campaigners and spokespeople for ‘sustainable’ palm oil

https://twitter.com/PalmDoneRight/status/1425392987014578178?s=20

To be successful in avoiding biodiversity losses RSPO plantations need to demonstrate avoided deforestation, and reduced fragmentation with higher forest cover and connectivity within their concession areas.

The Potential for Oil Palm Landscapes to Support At-Risk Species

https://twitter.com/RSPOtweets/status/931250878195159040?s=20

Dr Jennifer Lucey’s research, which is funded by the RSPO and industry sets out the minimum amount of rainforest that can be left over for endangered species by the palm oil industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHh8MJ7w3BM

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Dr Eric Meijaard is the Chair of the IUCN Palm Oil Taskforce

He produces research about sustainable palm oil that is either ambiguous and inconclusive or positive about the effect that ‘sustainable’ palm oil plantations have on biodiversity and ecology. He publicly promotes the idea of sustainable palm oil, despite its links to ecocide, deforestation and human rights abuses associated with RSPO members (supermarket brands, palm oil traders and producers).

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Reality

Human rights abuses, land-grabbbing by RSPO members

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We find positive effects on prices and income from sale of certified products. However, we find no change in overall household income and assets for workers. The wages for workers are not higher in certified production.

Oya, C., Schaefer, F. & Skalidou, D. The effectiveness of agricultural certification in developing countries: a systematic review. World Dev. 112, 282–312 (2018).

We find that, while sustainability standards can help improve the sustainability of production processes in certain situations, they are insufficient to ensure food system sustainability at scale, nor do they advance equity objectives in agrifood supply chains.

Meemken, EM., Barrett, C.B., Michelson, H.C. et al. Sustainability standards in global agrifood supply chains. Nat Food (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00360-3

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Chester Zoo: promoting “sustainable” palm oil and connected to slavery

Chester Zoo has a ‘Modern Slavery’ act on their website which prohibits slavery in their suppliers and partners. Yet they are a public partner of the RSPO, an industry certification scheme deeply embedded in ecocide, corruption, deforestation, human rights abuses. They also partner with Ferrero and receive funding from them – a global food company and RSPO member involved in slavery, deforestation and human rights abuses.

Yet Chester Zoo partners with and promotes RSPO members and receives funding from Ferrero, a global food company and RSPO member with links to child slavery and deforestation.

A 2021 Investigation by Global Witness finds that palm oil companies in Papua New Guinea are alleged to have been involved in corruption, child labour, apparent tax evasion, deforestation, worker deaths and paying police to assault villagers.

The palm oil from these mills is used by RSPO members Colgate-Palmolive, Kelloggs, General Mills, Nestle, Hersheys, Danone, PZ Cussons – finds its way into our weekly supermarket shop.

Read report

A 2021 campaign by Sum of Us delivers 260,000 signatures on a petition to the US government to order Ferrero to stop sourcing palm oil.

Ferrero’s palm oil used in products like Ferrero Rocher and Nutella. Their palm oil is linked to child slavery, violence, human rights abuses and deforestation.

Read more

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RSPO: 14 years of failure to eliminate violence and destruction from the industrial palm oil sector

Friends of the Earth and 100 other human rights and environmental NGOS co-signed this letter in 2018

Read original letter

Letter

During its 14 years of existence, RSPO – the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil – has failed to live up to its claim of “transforming” the industrial palm oil production sector into a so-called “sustainable” one. In reality, the RSPO has been used by the palm oil industry to greenwash corporate destruction and human rights abuses, while it continues to expand business, forest destruction and profits.

RSPO presents itself to the public with the slogan “transforming the markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm”. Palm oil has become the cheapest vegetable oil available on the global market, making it a popular choice among the group that dominates RSPO membership, big palm oil buyers.

They will do everything to secure a steady flow of cheap palm oil. They also know that the key to the corporate success story of producing “cheap” palm oil is a particular model of industrial production, with ever-increasing efficiency and productivity which in turn is achieved by:

  • Planting on a large-scale and in monoculture, frequently through conversion of tropical biodiverse forests
  • Using “high yielding” seedlings that demand large amounts of agrotoxics and abundant water.
  • Squeezing cheap labour out of the smallest possible work force, employed in precarious conditions so that company costs are cut to a minimum
  • Making significant up-front money from the tropical timber extracted from concessions, which is then used to finance plantation development or increase corporate profits.
  • Grabbing land violently from local communities or by means of other arrangements with governments (including favourable tax regimes) to access land at the lowest possible cost.
  • Those living on the fertile land that the corporations choose to apply their industrial palm oil production model, pay a very high price.

    Violence is intrinsic to this model:

    • violence and repression when communities resist the corporate take over of their land because they know that once their land is turned into monoculture oil palm plantations, their livelihoods will be destroyed, their land and forests invaded. In countless cases, deforestation caused by the expansion of this industry, has displaced communities or destroyed community livelihoods where
    • companies violate customary rights and take control of community land;
    • sexual violence and harassment against women in and around the plantations which often stays invisible because women find themselves without possibilities to demand that the perpetrators be prosecuted;
    • Child labour and precarious working conditions that go hand-in-hand with violation of workers’ rights;
    • working conditions can even be so bad as to amount to contemporary forms of slavery. This exploitative model of work grants companies more economic profits while allowing palm oil to remain a cheap product. That is why, neither them or their shareholders do anything to stop it.
    • exposure of workers, entire communities and forests, rivers, water springs, agricultural land and soils to the excessive application of agrotoxics;
    • depriving communities surrounded by industrial oil palm plantations of their food sovereignty when industrial oil palm plantations occupy land that communities need to grow food crops.

    RSPO’s proclaimed vision of transforming the industrial oil palm sector is doomed to fail because the Roundtable’s certification principles promote this structural violent and destructive model.

    The RSPO also fails to address the industry’s reliance on exclusive control of large and contingent areas of fertile land, as well as the industry’s growth paradigm which demands a continued expansion of corporate control over community land and violent land grabs.

    None of RPSO’s eight certification principles suggests transforming this industry reliance on exclusive control over vast areas of land or the growth paradigm inherent to the model.

    Industrial use of vegetable oils has doubled in the past 15 years, with palm oil being the cheapest. This massive increase of palm oil use in part explains the current expansion of industrial oil palm plantations, especially in Africa and Latin America, from the year 2000 onward, in addition to the existing vast plantations areas in Malaysia and Indonesia that also continue expanding.

    On the ground, countless examples show that industrial oil palm plantations continue to be synonymous to violence and destruction for communities and forests. Communities’ experiences in the new industrial oil palm plantation frontiers, such as Gabon, Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Peru, Honduras, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, are similar to past and ongoing community experiences in Indonesia and Malaysia.

    RSPO creates a smokescreen that makes this violence invisible for consumers and financiers. Governments often fail to take regulatory action to stop the expansion of plantations and increasing demand of palm oil; they rely on RSPO to deliver an apparently sustainable flow of palm oil.

    For example, in its public propaganda, RSPO claims it supports more than 100,000 small holders. But the profit from palm oil production is still disproportionally appropriated by the oil palm companies: in 2016, 88% of all certified palm oil came from corporate plantations and 99,6% of the production is corporate-controlled.

    RSPO also claims that the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is key among its own Principles and Criteria. The right to FPIC implies, among others, that if a community denies the establishment of this monoculture in its territory, operations cannot be carried out. Reality shows us, however, that despite this, many projects go ahead.

    Concessions are often guaranteed long before the company reaches out to the affected communities. Under these circumstances, to say that FPIC is central to RSPO is bluntly false and disrespectful.

    RSPO also argues that where conflicts with the plantation companies arise, communities can always use its complaint mechanism. However, the mechanism is complex and it rarely solves the problems that communities face and want to resolve.

    This becomes particularly apparent in relation to land legacy conflicts where the mechanism is biased against communities. It allows companies to continue exploiting community land until courts have come to a decision. This approach encourages companies to sit out such conflicts and count on court proceedings dragging on, often over decades.

    Another argument used by RSPO is that industrial oil palm plantations have lifted millions of people out of poverty. That claim is certainly questionable, even more so considering that there is also an important number of people who have been displaced over the past decades to make space for plantations.

    Indigenous communities have in fact lost their fertile land, forests and rivers to oil palm plantations, adversely affecting their food, culture and local economies.

    The RSPO promise of “transformation” has turned into a powerful greenwashing tool for corporations in the palm oil industry. RSPO grants this industry, which remains responsible for violent land grabbing, environmental destruction, pollution through excessive use of agrotoxics and destruction of peasant and indigenous livelihoods, a “sustainable” image.

    What’s more, RSPO membership seems to suffice for investors and companies to be able to claim that they are “responsible” actors. This greenwash is particularly stunning, since being a member does not guarantee much change on the ground. Only recently, a company became RSPO member after it was found to deforest over 27.000 hectares of rainforest in Papua, Indonesia.

    Certification is structurally dependent on the very same policies and regulation that have given rise to the host of environmental devastation and community land rights violations associated with oil palm plantations. These systemic governance issues are part of the destructive economic model, and embedded in state power.

    For this reason, voluntary certification schemes cannot provide adequate protection for forests, community rights, food sovereignty and guarantee sustainability. Governments and financiers need to take responsibility to stop the destructive palm oil expansion that violates the rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples.

    As immediate steps, governments need to:

    • Put in place a moratorium on palm oil plantations expansion and use that as a breathing space to fix the policy frameworks;
    • Drastically reduce demand for palm oil: stop using food for fuel;
    • Strengthen and respect the rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples to amongst others, self-determination and territorial control.
    • Promote agro-ecology and community control of their forests, which strengthens local incomes, livelihoods and food sovereignty, instead of advancing industrial agro-businesses.

    Signatures

    • Aalamaram-NGOAcción Ecológica, Ecuador
    • ActionAid, France
    • AGAPAN
      Amics arbres
    • Arbres amics
    • Amis de la Terre France
    • ARAARBA (Asociación para la Recuperación del Bosque Autóctono)
    • Asociación Conservacionista YISKI, Costa Rica
      Asociación Gaia El Salvador
    • Association Congo Actif, Paris
    • Association Les Gens du Partage, Carrières-sous-Poissy
    • Association pour le développement des aires protégées, Swizterland
    • BASE IS
    • Bézu St Eloi
    • Boxberg OT Uhyst
    • Bread for all
    • Bruno Manser Fund
    • CADDECAE, Ecuador
    • Campaign to STOP GE Trees
    • CAP, Center for Advocacy Practices
    • Centar za životnu sredinu/ Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • CESTA – FOE El Salvador
    • CETRI – Centre tricontinental
    • Climate Change Kenya
    • Coalición de Tendencia Clasista. (CTC-VZLA)
    • Colectivo de Investigación y Acompañmiento Comunitario
    • Collectif pour la défense des terres malgaches – TANY, Madagascar
    • Community Forest Watch, Nigeria
    • Consumers Association of Penang
    • Corporate Europe Observatory
    • Cuttington University
    • Down to Earth Consult
    • El Campello
    • Environmental Resources Management and Social Issue Centre (ERMSIC) Cameroon
    • Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria
    • FASE ES , Brazil
    • Fédération romande des consommateurs
    • FENEV, (Femmes Environnement nature Entrepreneuriat Vert).
    • Focus on the Global South
    • Forum Ökologie & Papier, Germany
    • Friends of the Earth Ghana
    • Friends of the Earth International
    • GE Free NZ, New Zealand
    • Global Alliance against REDD
    • Global Justice Ecology Project
    • Global Info
    • Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampís , Peru
    • GRAIN
    • Green Development Advocates (GDA)
    • CameroonGreystones, Ireland
    • Groupe International de Travail pour les Peuples Autochtones
      Grupo ETC
    • Grupo Guayubira, Uruguay
    • Instituto Mexicano de Gobernanza Medioambiental AC Instituto Mexicano de Gobernanza Medioambiental AC
    • Integrated Program for the Development of the Pygmy People (PIDP), DRC
    • Justica Ambiental
    • Justicia Paz e Integridad de la Creacion. Costa Rica
    • Kempityari
    • Latin Ambiente, http://www.latinambiente.org
    • Les gens du partage
    • LOYOLA SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, MANILA
    • Maderas del Pueblo del Sureste, AC
    • Maiouri nature, Guyane
    • Mangrove Action Project
    • Milieudefensie – Friends of the Earth Netherlands
    • Movimento Amigos da Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho
    • Muyissi Environnement, Gabon
    • Nature-d-congo de la République du Congo
    • New Wind Association from Finland
    • NOAH-Friends of the Earth Denmark
    • Oakland Institute
    • OFRANEH, Honduras
    • Ole Siosiomaga Society Incorporated (OLSSI)
    • ONG OCEAN : Organisation Congolaise des Ecologistes et Amis de la Nature et sommes basés en RD Congo.
    • OPIROMA, Brazil
    • Otros Mundos A.C./Amigos de la Tierra México
    • Paramo Guerrrero Zipaquira
    • PROYECTO GRAN SIMIO (GAP/PGS-España)
    • Quercus – ANCN, Portugal
    • Radd (Reseau des Acteurs du Développement Durable) , Cameroon
    • Rainforest Foundation UK
    • Rainforest Relief
    • ReAct – Alliances Transnationales
    • RECOMA – Red latinoamericana contra los monocultivos de árboles
    • Red de Coordinacion en Biodiversidad , Çosta Rica
    • REFEB-Cote d’Ivoire
    • Rettet den Regenwald, Germany
    • ROBIN WOOD
    • Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia)
    • Salva la Selva
    • School of Democratic Economics, Indonesia
    • Serendipalm Company Limited
    • Sherpa , The Netherlands
    • SYNAPARCAM, Cameroon
    • The Corner House, UK
      Towards Equitable Sustainable Holistic Development
    • TRAFFED KIVU ,RD. CONGOUNIÓN UNIVERSAL DESARROLLO SOLIDARIO
      University of Sussex, UK
    • UTB ColombiaWatch Indonesia!
    • WESSA
      World Rainforest Movement
    • Youth Volunteers for the Environment Ghana

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    Associated Press investigation (2020) finds widespread violence, rape and slavery of women by RSPO members: Colgate-Palmolive, L’Oreal, Avon, Unilever, Johnson&Johnson, for palm oil that ends up in beauty brands

    https://twitter.com/AP/status/1330163571951611906?s=20

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    Dayak Indigenous Ethnographer Dr Setia Budhi: In His Own Words

    “The expansion of oil palm plantations has created many detrimental environmental impacts, such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity, land conflicts, labour conflicts, and social conflicts around plantations.

    “Environmental damage and social injustice were reasons why the global palm oil certification, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established.

    “In practice, requirements for oil palm certifications are easily violated. Lots of things are problematic.”

    Dr Setia Budhi, Dayak Ethnographer, In His Own Words.

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    Global corporates are responsible for the majority of palm oil production and deforestation risk, not smallholder farmers

    The three biggest palm oil traders: Sinar Mas, Wilmar and Musim Mas – all RSPO members, also have the biggest deforestation risk. Deforestation goes against the RSPO’s rules.

    Source: Insights: Indonesian Palm Oil. Trase Earth (2018)

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    Burning Questions – Credibility of sustainable palm oil still illusive – Environmental Investigation Agency (2021) Read report Dying for a cookie: How Mondelez’s Dirty Palm Oil is feeding the climate and extinction crisis by Greenpeace (2019) Read report Who Watches the Watchmen Part 2: The continuing incompetence of the RSPO’s assurance systems (2019) Read report The RSPO: 14 Years of Failure by Friends of the Earth International and Co-signed by 100 Indigenous and Human Rights Organisations (2014) Read report Destruction Certified by Greenpeace (2021) Read report Trading Risks ADM and Bunge and failing land and environmental rights defenders in Indonesia (2021) Read report Keep the Forests Standing: Exposing the brands driving deforestation – RAN (2020) Read report License to Clear Dark Side of Permitting in West Papua by Greenpeace (2021) Read report FMCG’s Zero-Deforestation Challenges and Growing Exposure to Reputational Risk. Chain Reaction Research (2020) Read report Plantation Life Corporate Occupation in Indonesia’s Oil Palm Zone (2021) Read report Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up In Everything and Endangered the World by Jocelyn Zuckerman (2021) Read report Rethinking Dayak Identity Dr Setia Budhi Read report Read report Adina Renner, Conradin Zellweger, Barnaby Skinner. ‘Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil? Satellite images show protected rainforest on fire’. (May 2021) https://www.nzz.ch/english/palm-oil-boom-threatens-protected-rainforest-in-indonesia-ld.1625490 Read report The True Price of Palm Oil: How global finance and household brands are fuelling deforestation, violence and human rights abuses in Papua New Guinea Read Report

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    Reality

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) Investigation RSPO plantations on fire

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    Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil? Satellite images show protected rainforest on fire – Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)

    Certification had no causal impact on forest loss in peatlands or active fire detection rates.

    Kimberly M. Carlson, Robert Heilmayr, Holly K. Gibbs, Praveen Noojipady et al. Effect of oil palm sustainability certification on deforestation and fire in Indonesia, PNAS January 2, 2018 115 (1) 121-126 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704728114

    No significant difference was found between certified and non-certified plantations for any of the sustainability metrics investigated, however positive economic trends including greater fresh fruit bunch yields were revealed. To achieve intended outcomes, RSPO principles and criteria are in need of substantial improvement and rigorous enforcement.

    Morgans, C. L. et al. Evaluating the effectiveness of palm oil certification in delivering multiple sustainability objectives. Environ. Res. Lett. 13, 064032 (2018).

    The Neue Zuercher Zeitung used several cases to highlight where slash-and-burn techniques continue on RSPO-certified land, and where new plantations are threatening important ecosystems. These examples are representative of the huge gap between the need for environmental protection and the ever-increasing global demand for palm oil.

    Adina Renner, Conradin Zellweger, Barnaby Skinner. ‘Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil? Satellite images show protected rainforest on fire’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (May 2021) (In English)

    Swiss multinational Nestlé received hundreds of thousands of alerts of forest clearing near its palm oil suppliers in 2019 via satellite monitoring.

    Nestlé identified over 1,000 cases of deforestation per day in palm oil areas. SwissInfo (2020).

    https://twitter.com/adinarenner/status/1392148610448568329?s=20

    Fire outbreaks in and around palm oil concessions (often starting from slash-and-burn fires to clear land for plantations).

    Thousands of fire alerts recorded by Chain Reaction Research on RSPO member palm oil plantations

    The top ten palm oil traders and refiners in Indonesia all had thousands of alerts for fires in their palm oil plantations – all are RSPO members

    https://youtu.be/jdYT_g9ENxw?t=1346

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    Explore the series

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    Join the #Boycott4Wildlife

    fight greenwashing and deforestation by using your wallet as a weapon!

    Find out more

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    Further reading on palm oil ecocide, greenwashing and deceptive marketing

  • A Brief History of Consumer Culture, Dr. Kerryn Higgs, The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-brief-history-of-consumer-culture/
  • A Deluge of Double-Speak (2017), Jason Bagley. Truth in Advertising. https://truthinadvertising.org/blog/a-deluge-of-doublespeak/
  • Aggarwal, P. (2011). Greenwashing: The darker side of CSR. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 4(3), 61-66. https://www.worldwidejournals.com/indian-journal-of-applied-research-(IJAR)/article/greenwashing-the-darker-side-of-csr/MzMxMQ==/?is=1
  • Anti-Corporate Activism and Collusion: The Contentious Politics of Palm Oil Expansion in Indonesia, (2022). Ward Berenschot, et. al., Geoforum, Volume 131, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.03.002
  • Armour, C. (2021). Green Clean. Company Director Magazine. https://www.aicd.com.au/regulatory-compliance/regulations/investigation/green-clean.html
  • Balanced Growth (2020), In: Leal Filho W., Azul A.M., Brandli L., özuyar P.G., Wall T. (eds) Responsible Consumption and Production. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham
  • Berenschot, W., Hospes, O., & Afrizal, A. (2023). Unequal access to justice: An evaluation of RSPO’s capacity to resolve palm oil conflicts in Indonesia. Agriculture and Human Values, 40, 291-304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-022-10360-z
  • Carlson, K. M., Heilmayr, R., Gibbs, H. K., Noojipady, P., et al. (2018). Effect of oil palm sustainability certification on deforestation and fire in Indonesia. PNAS, 115(1), 121-126. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704728114
  • Cazzolla Gatti, R., Liang, J., Velichevskaya, A., & Zhou, M. (2018). Sustainable palm oil may not be so sustainable. Science of The Total Environment, 652, 48-51. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30359800/
  • Changing Times Media. (2019). Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is ‘greenwashing’ labelled products, environmental investigation agency says. Changing Times Media. https://changingtimes.media/2019/11/03/roundtable-on-sustainable-palm-oil-is-greenwashing-labelled-products-environmental-protection-agency-says/
  • Client Earth: The Greenwashing Files. https://www.clientearth.org/projects/the-greenwashing-files/
  • Commodifying sustainability: Development, nature and politics in the palm oil industry (2019). World Development, Volume 121, September 2019, Pages 218-228. https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v121y2019icp218-228.html
  • Contrasting communications of sustainability science in the media coverage of palm oil agriculture on tropical peatlands in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (2020). Liu, F. H. M., Ganesan, V., Smith, T. E. L. Environmental Science & Policy, 114. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343772443_Contrasting_communications_of_sustainability_science_in_the_media_coverage_of_palm_oil_agriculture_on_tropical_peatlands_in_Indonesia_Malaysia_and_Singapore
  • Cosimo, L. H. E., Masiero, M., Mammadova, A., & Pettenella, D. (2024). Voluntary sustainability standards to cope with the new European Union regulation on deforestation-free products: A gap analysis. Forest Policy and Economics, 164, 103235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103235
  • Dalton, J. (2018). No such thing as sustainable palm oil – ‘certified’ can destroy even more wildlife, say scientists. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/palm-oil-sustainable-certified-plantations-orangutans-indonesia-southeast-asia-greenwashing-purdue-a8674681.html
  • Davis, S. J., Alexander, K., Moreno-Cruz, J., et al. (2023). Food without agriculture. Nature Sustainability. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01241-2
  • EIA International. (2022). Will palm oil watchdog rid itself of deforestation or continue to pretend its products are sustainable? EIA International. https://eia-international.org/news/will-palm-oil-watchdog-rid-itself-of-deforestation-or-continue-to-pretend-its-products-are-sustainable/
  • Environmental Investigation Agency. (2019). Palm oil watchdog’s sustainability guarantee is still a destructive con. EIA International. https://eia-international.org/news/palm-oil-watchdogs-sustainability-guarantee-is-still-a-destructive-con/
  • Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Green Guides. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising/green-guides
  • Fifteen environmental NGOs demand that sustainable palm oil watchdog does its job (2019). Rainforest Action Network. https://www.ran.org/press-releases/fifteen-environmental-ngos-demand-that-sustainable-palm-oil-watchdog-does-its-job/
  • Friends of the Earth International. (2018). RSPO: 14 years of failure to eliminate violence and destruction from the industrial palm oil sector. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/rspo-14-years-of-failure-to-eliminate-violence-and-destruction-from-the-industrial-palm-oil-sector/
  • Lang, Chris and REDD Monitor. Sustainable palm oil? RSPO’s greenwashing and fraudulent audits exposed. The Ecologist. https://theecologist.org/2015/nov/19/sustainable-palm-oil-rspos-greenwashing-and-fraudulent-audits-exposed
  • Gatti, L., Pizzetti, M., & Seele, P. (2021). Green lies and their effect on intention to invest. Journal of Business Research, 127, 376-387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.028
  • Global Witness. (2023). Amazon palm: Ecocide and human rights abuses. Global Witness. https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/amazon-palm/
  • Global Witness. (2021). The True Price of Palm Oil. Global Witness. https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/true-price-palm-oil/
  • Grain. (2021). Ten reasons why certification should not be promoted in the EU anti-deforestation regulation. Grain. https://grain.org/en/article/6856-ten-reasons-why-certification-should-not-be-promoted-in-the-eu-anti-deforestation-regulation
  • Green Clean (2021). Armour, C. Company Director Magazine.
  • Green marketing and the Australian Consumer Law (2011). Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Green%20marketing%20and%20the%20ACL.pdf
  • Greenwash and spin: palm oil lobby targets its critics (2011). Helan, A. Ecologist: Informed by Nature. https://theecologist.org/2011/jul/08/greenwash-and-spin-palm-oil-lobby-targets-its-critics
  • Greenwashing: definition and examples. Selectra https://climate.selectra.com/en/environment/greenwashing#:~:text=Greenwashing%20is%20the%20practice%20of,its%20activities%20pollute%20the%20environment.
  • Greenwashing of the Palm Oil Industry (2007). Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2007/11/greenwashing-the-palm-oil-industry/
  • Group Challenges Rainforest Alliance Earth-Friendly Seal of Approval (2015). Truth in Advertising. https://www.truthinadvertising.org/group-challenges-rainforest-alliance-earth-friendly-seal-of-approval
  • Helan, A. (2011). Greenwash and spin: palm oil lobby targets its critics. Ecologist: Informed by Nature. https://theecologist.org/2011/feb/15/greenwash-and-spin-palm-oil-lobby-targets-its-critics
  • Hewlett Packard. (2021). What is Greenwashing and How to Tell Which Companies are Truly Environmentally Responsible. Hewlett Packard. https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/what-is-greenwashing-environmentally-responsible-companies
  • Holzner, A., Rameli, N. I. A. M., Ruppert, N., & Widdig, A. (2024). Agricultural habitat use affects infant survivorship in an endangered macaque species. Current Biology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38194972/
  • How Cause-washing Deceives Consumers (2021). Truth in Advertising. https://truthinadvertising.org/resource/how-causewashing-deceives-consumers/
  • International Labour Organization. (2020). Forced labor in the palm oil industry. ILO. https://www.ilo.org/topics/forced-labour-modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking
  • Jauernig, J., Uhl, M., & Valentinov, V. (2021). The ethics of corporate hypocrisy: An experimental approach. Futures, 129, 102757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2021.102757
  • Kirby, D. (2015). Sustainable Palm Oil? Who Knows, Thanks to Derelict Auditors. Take Part. https://www.yahoo.com/news/sustainable-palm-oil-knows-thanks-derelict-auditors-200643980.html
  • Li, T. M., & Semedi, P. (2021). Plantation life: Corporate occupation in Indonesia’s oil palm zone. Duke University Press. https://www.dukeupress.edu/plantation-life
  • Liu, F. H. M., Ganesan, V., & Smith, T. E. L. (2020). Contrasting communications of sustainability science in the media coverage of palm oil agriculture on tropical peatlands in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Environmental Science & Policy, 114. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343772443_Contrasting_communications_of_sustainability_science_in_the_media_coverage_of_palm_oil_agriculture_on_tropical_peatlands_in_Indonesia_Malaysia_and_Singapore
  • Meemken, E. M., Barrett, C. B., Michelson, H. C., et al. (2021). Sustainability standards in global agrifood supply chains. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00299-2
  • Miles, T. (2019). Study in WHO journal likens palm oil lobbying to tobacco and alcohol industries. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1P21ZR/
  • Nygaard, A. (2023). Is sustainable certification’s ability to combat greenwashing trustworthy? Frontiers in Sustainability, 4, Article 1188069. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2023.1188069
  • Oppong-Tawiah D, Webster J. Corporate Sustainability Communication as ‘Fake News’: Firms’ Greenwashing on Twitter. Sustainability. 2023; 15(8):6683. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6683
  • Pabon, J. (2024). The great greenwashing: How brands, governments, and influencers are lying to you. Anansi International. https://www.vitalsource.com/products/the-great-greenwashing-john-pabon-v9781487012878
  • Podnar, K., & Golob, U. (2024). Brands and activism: Ecosystem and paradoxes. Journal of Brand Management, 31, 95–107. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41262-024-00355-y
  • Rainforest Action Network. (2019). Fifteen environmental NGOs demand that sustainable palm oil watchdog does its job. RAN. https://www.ran.org/press-releases/fifteen-environmental-ngos-demand-that-sustainable-palm-oil-watchdog-does-its-job/
  • Renner, A., Zellweger, C., & Skinner, B. (2021). ‘Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil? Satellite images show protected rainforest on fire’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. https://www.nzz.ch/english/palm-oil-boom-threatens-protected-rainforest-in-indonesia-ld.1625490
  • Saager, E. S., Iwamura, T., Jucker, T., & Murray, K. A. (2023). Deforestation for oil palm increases microclimate suitability for the development of the disease vector Aedes albopictus. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 9514. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-35452-6
  • Southey, F. (2021). What do Millennials think of palm oil? Nestlé investigates. Food Navigator. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/08/12/What-do-Millennials-think-of-palm-oil-Nestle-investigates
  • Transparency International. (2023). Transparency international report: Corruption and corporate capture in Indonesia’s top 50 palm oil companies. Transparency International. https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/05/14/transparency-international-report-corruption-and-corporate-capture-in-indonesias-top-50-palm-oil-companies/
  • Truth in Advertising. (2022). Companies accused of greenwashing. https://truthinadvertising.org/articles/companies-accused-greenwashing/
  • Truth in Advertising. (n.d.). How causewashing deceives consumers. https://truthinadvertising.org/resource/how-causewashing-deceives-consumers/
  • Tybout, A. M., & Calkins, T. (Eds.). (2019). Kellogg on Branding in a Hyper-Connected World. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Kellogg+on+Branding+in+a+Hyper-Connected+World-p-9781119533184
  • Wicke, J. (2019). Sustainable palm oil or certified dispossession? NGOs within scalar struggles over the RSPO private governance standard. Bioeconomy & Inequalities: Working Paper No. 8. https://www.bioinequalities.uni-jena.de/sozbemedia/WorkingPaper8.pdf
  • World Health Organisation. (2019). The palm oil industry and noncommunicable diseases. World Health Organisation Bulletin, 97, 118-128. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30728618/
  • World Rainforest Movement. (2021, November 22). Why the RSPO facilitates land grabs for palm oil. https://wrm.org.uy/articles-from-the-wrm-bulletin/section1/why-the-rspo-facilitates-land-grabs-for-palm-oil/
  • Zuckerman, J. (2021). The Time Has Come to Rein In the Global Scourge of Palm Oil. Yale Environment 360, Yale School of Environment. https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-time-has-come-to-rein-in-the-global-scourge-of-palm-oil
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    Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

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    #advertising #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #brand #brandBoycotts #branding #commodity #consumerRights #corporate #deforestation #ecocide #ecolabel #environment #Fightgreenwashing #funding #greenwashing #health #HumanRights #industry #meat #OrangutanLandTrust #palmoil #partnerships #research #RSPO #RSPOGreenwashing #sponsorships #sugar #UniversityOfOxford

    Les produits écolos sont rarement plus chers, d’après l’Ademe

    > D’après une étude de l’Agence pour la transition écologique (Ademe), choisir des produits meilleurs pour l’environnement n’est pas nécessairement mauvais pour votre porte-monnaie.
    https://reporterre.net/D-apres-l-Ademe-les-produits-ecolos-sont-rarement-plus-chers-Les-produits-ecolos-a-des

    #Ademe #Ecolabel #FdC #RevueDePresse

    Moet dit niet 'minder slecht voor het milieu' zijn? Of ben ik dan een zeikerd. #EcoLabel #Milieu #WcPapier

    MSC and RSPO Absolutely Untrustworthy, Greenpeace Report

    A landmark Greenpeace report reveals that more than 25% of food labels fail to meet trustworthy sustainability standards. Clear and severe failures in ecolabel effectiveness were awarded to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (#RSPO) which certifies palm oil as “sustainable” and Marine Stewardship Council which certifies seafood as “sustainable”. Consumers are increasingly sceptical, with 62% expressing concerns that these labels are a form of #greenwashing. Greenpeace is calling for stricter regulations and transparency in the use of terms like “sustainable” or “climate-friendly” to prevent misleading environmental claims. #Greenwashing #ConsumerRights #Transparency. If you want to resist and fight against greenwashing, adopt a #vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.

    Read Greenpeace report in German

    @Greenpeace report finds #seafood certified by #MSC 🐠 and #palmoil certified by #RSPO is “absolutely untrustworthy” in 2025. Resist the #ecocide and #greed. Adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife when you shop @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-am5

    Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter

    Greenwashing Exposed: MSC and RSPO mislead consumers on seafood and palm oil

    Environmental organisation Greenpeace Austria has analysed 42 of the most widely used food labels and found that over 25% of them are unreliable. The findings highlight growing consumer concerns over greenwashing in the food industry.

    Consumers Losing Trust

    A representative survey by the research institute Integral found:

    • Importance of Food Labels: 64% of respondents consider food labels important when shopping.
    • Greenwashing Concerns: 62% worry that food labels are misleading and serve as greenwashing tools.
    • Impact on Purchasing Behaviour: 40% of those who distrust food labels now pay less attention to them when making shopping decisions.

    Criticism of Specific Labels

    Greenpeace has singled out certain labels, such as the MSC certification for fish and the RSPO label for palm oil, as potentially harmful to environmental goals. Meanwhile, some labels remain credible, including Demeter, “Prüf nach!” and Bio Austria.

    Call for Stricter Regulations

    Greenpeace is demanding that terms like “sustainable” or “climate-friendly” only be used when backed by scientific evidence and transparent certification standards. The upcoming EU Green Claims Directive aims to prevent companies from making false or exaggerated environmental claims without scientific proof.

    Time for Real Change

    Consumers are calling for honest and transparent labelling, while environmental advocates warn that without stricter regulations, greenwashing will continue to deceive shoppers.

    Read the full English article on Kronen Zeitung and the report (in German) on the Greenpeace website.

    Greenpeace’s Guide to Quality Labels for Food

    The report itself is in German and can be read here. The RSPO and MSC sections have been machine translated below for your convenience. Greenpeace considers both MSC and RSPO ecolabels to be “absolutely untrustworthy” for consumers in 2025.

    Which quality labels and organic brands can I trust?

    Austria has a jungle of quality seals, certification labels, and brand or quality marks. Hundreds of them appear on products when shopping in supermarkets. But which ones are truly trustworthy?

    Greenpeace has examined the quality labels in the food sector. The alarming result: more than a quarter of the 42 certification labels are not or only moderately trustworthy. Some are even detrimental to achieving environmental goals – such as the MSC fish label or the RSPO palm oil label.

    Quality Seals, Certification Labels, and Organic Brands

    The analysis of quality labels and brands, particularly those relevant to climate and the environment, focused on four key areas:

    • Standards and scope of requirements
    • Labelling and distinguishability
    • Traceability, transparency, and control
    • Trustworthiness and credibility

    Based on these criteria, the labels were categorised into:

    • Highly trustworthy and particularly environmentally friendly
    • Trustworthy and environmentally friendly
    • Conditionally trustworthy with moderate environmental benefits
    • Barely trustworthy with little or no environmental benefits
    • Absolutely untrustworthy and contributing to environmental destruction

    Labels and Certifications for Other Areas

    For certification labels that do not primarily focus on environmental standards but instead prioritise animal welfare, social standards, or other aspects, a broader classification was used. This evaluation focused on:

    • Environmentally relevant standards and the scope of requirements
    • Transparency and control mechanisms
    • Trustworthiness and credibility

    The categories for these labels were:

    • Trustworthy and environmentally friendly
    • Moderately trustworthy with limited environmental benefits
    • Not trustworthy, contributing to environmental destruction

    REPORT : https://greenpeace.at/uploads/2025/02/greenpeace-guetezeichen-guide-lebensmittel-2025.pdf

    RSPO:

    The label of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an association comprising producers, traders, banks, investors, and some NGOs.

    NEGATIVE ASPECTS:

    • On paper, the environmental and social standards appear relatively strict, but their implementation has serious shortcomings.
    • Although there is now a ban on new plantations on peatlands and a prohibition on slash-and-burn clearing for new plantations, the standard does not require the restoration of the millions of hectares of already drained peatlands where oil palm plantations currently stand. However, in the face of the climate crisis, this restoration would be crucial.
    • Toxic pesticides are allowed on RSPO-certified plantations.
    • Over the years, numerous reports have surfaced detailing human rights violations, including child labour, forced labour, and breaches of RSPO’s minimum standards.

    ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUSTWORTHY

    RSPO’s criteria are too weak to genuinely protect rainforests and are frequently not enforced. Despite RSPO certification, forests continue to be destroyed, and human rights continue to be violated. Greenpeace classifies the RSPO label as absolutely untrustworthy.

    WARNING: GREENWASHING

    Many food products carry labels such as “certified palm oil” or “sustainable palm oil,” which are often RSPO-certified. However, from an environmental perspective, the term “sustainable” is misleading in this context. Greenpeace considers this to be greenwashing.

    MSC:

    The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was founded in 1997 by Unilever and WWF as an initiative for responsible fishing. However, little remains of its once ambitious goals.

    NEGATIVE ASPECTS:

    • Even fisheries that use bottom trawling, which causes long-term destruction of the seafloor ecosystem, can receive MSC certification.

    • MSC certification is still granted even when fisheries target species that are scientifically recognised as endangered. For example in Australia, the endangered orange roughie was certified as “sustainable” by MSC despite their population that is in grave peril.

    NOT TRUSTWORTHY

    Neither MSC nor other certification schemes apply the precautionary principle, which is essential for protecting marine life. Instead of addressing the real issues in global fisheries, MSC gives the destructive fishing industry a greenwashed image.

    This is particularly alarming given that MSC’s own website acknowledges that fishing is the greatest threat to endangered marine species. Greenpeace considers this label to be untrustworthy.

    WARNING: GREENWASHING

    The MSC label is widely used and serves primarily as a marketing tool to boost fish product sales, claiming to be an “eco-label for wild-caught fish” and a seal of approval for sustainable fisheries. However, our oceans are already severely overfished. The only truly sustainable choice is to stop buying and consuming seafood and predatory fish altogether.

    Greenpeace. (2025, February 13). Greenwashing & Co.: Ein Viertel der Gütesiegel ist nicht vertrauenswürdig. Kronen Zeitung. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.krone.at/3688558.

    Greenpeace. (2025, February). Greenpeace quality label guide: Food products 2025. Greenpeace Austria. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://greenpeace.at/uploads/2025/02/greenpeace-guetezeichen-guide-lebensmittel-2025.pdf.

    ENDS

    Read more about RSPO greenwashing and learn how you can #Boycottpalmoil, #Boycott4Wildlife

    Family Ties Expose Deforestation and Rights Violations in Indonesian Palm Oil

    An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…

    Read more

    Corporate Control of Food Harms Us All

    Around 800 million people in our world go hungry each day. Yet around the globe we have enough food to go around. So why the discrepancy? Market concentration and corporate monopoly of our…

    Read more

    MSC and RSPO Absolutely Untrustworthy, Greenpeace Report

    Greenpeace report reveals severe failures of ecolabel RSPO certifying palm oil and FSC certifying seafood. Consumers are being greenwashed. Boycott palm oil!

    Read more

    Research: Climate Change Collapsing Insect Numbers by 63%

    The world may be facing a devastating “hidden” collapse in insect species due to the twin threats of climate change and habitat loss. #Palmoil 🪔 #soy #meat 🥩 and #cocoa 🍫 #agriculture along…

    Read more

    How banks and investors are bankrolling extinction and ecocide

    This article highlights the significant role that banks and investors play in fuelling a global biodiversity crisis – particularly in relation to palm oil, meat, soy and timber deforestation.

    By financially supporting…

    Read more

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    Take Action in Five Ways

    1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

    ✓ Subscribed

    2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

    Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

    Read more

    Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

    Read more

    Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

    Read more

    Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

    Read more

    The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

    Read more

    How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

    Read more

    3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

    https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

    https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

    https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

    4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

    5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

    Pledge your support

    #Boy #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #consumerBoycott #consumerRights #ConsumerRights #diet #ecocide #ecolabel #EU #EUDR #govegan #greed #Greenpeace #greenwashing #MarineStewardshipCouncil #MSC #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #plantBasedDiet #RSPO #RSPOGreenwashing #seafood #Transparency #vegan

    RT by @EU_ENV: Today is #WorldEcolabelDay💚

    The EU #Ecolabel is a voluntary label that has been rewarding products & services of environmental excellence since 1992, helping consumers make greener choices.

    ➡️ Here are 5 reasons why it's good for people and planet: https://www.beuc.eu/brochure/five-reasons-why-ecolabel-great-deal-people-and-planet

    [2024-10-10 08:32 UTC]

    Five reasons why the Ecolabel is a great deal for people and planet

    The EU Ecolabel is an EU-wide voluntary label that rewards non-food products and services of environmental excellence. Since 1992, it has helped consumers and businesses make greener choices, while setting a benchmark for EU sustainability policies.

    BEUC

    La comunidad #KDE no para y en KDE España intentamos seguirle el ritmo. En este caso con el episodio 34 de #KDEexpress en el que se mencionan noticias de:

    #EcoLabel #BlueAngel, #Accesibilidad, #KDEGears, #Tellico, #Plasma6.2, #Donaciones, @slimbook y #Agricultura

    Gracias a @raivenra por si impagable labor en la edición.

    Y como siempre las notas del programa las tenéis en https://kdeexpress.gitlab.io/

    CC @6571346 @kde-express @DavidMarzalC @adrianmarzal

    SI sabía que el podcast tiene subtítulos
    14.3%
    NO sabía que el podcast tiene subtítulos
    85.7%
    Poll ended at .
    Podcast KDE Express

    Noticias, charlas y reflexiones sobre Software/Cultura Libre en general y KDE en particular

    KDE Express

    "What's New In The Revised Blue Angel Criteria" 💙

    Learn about what the changes mean for #KDE / #FOSS:

    https://eco.kde.org/blog/2024-08-26-revised-blue-angel-criteria/

    The Blue Angel #ecolabel is the official #environmental label awarded by the German government.

    Now #smartphone apps & client-server systems can be certified as #sustainable 🌻, along with desktop software like #Okular as before. And more!

    #BlueAngel #BlauerEngel #GermanEnvAgency #UBA #BMUV #KDEEco #sustainability #ecology #FreeSoftware #OpenSource

    @kde
    @cschum

    What's New In The Revised Blue Angel Criteria

    The criteria for the Blue Angel for resource- and energy-efficient software have been updated. What has changed and what does that mean for KDE?

    KDE Eco
    Mi ero appena convertito all'uso dei prodotti #Coop, certificati #EcoLabel, che aggiornano etichette e, a quanto pare, anche il prodotto, perdendo proprio l'indicazione in etichetta. Ma cavolo!