Washington, DC, October 6, 2020 — Today, Mars, Incorporated issued an update to its Palm Positive Plan with an aim to deliver a deforestation-free supply chain.
In response, Diana Ruiz, Greenpeace USA Senior Forests Campaigner, said:
“Big brands like Mars have been promising to stop forest destruction for a decade. During this time 50 million hectares of forest have been lost to commodities, such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, meat, and dairy. Deforestation for palm oil and soy goes hand-in-hand with forest fires, and has created a recurring public health emergency in Indonesia and Brazil, further increasing greenhouse gas emissions and threatening the lives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
“It is no surprise that companies like Mars are looking to reduce their exposure to forest destruction. But simplifying supply chains for global customers is not going to clean up the commodities trade. It’s like trying to fix a leaky faucet in a burning building.
“Companies must demand complete transparency from their suppliers as a condition of trade by only sourcing commodities from suppliers that can prove they are clean, which will inevitably mean reducing the volumes they bought. For global companies to really tackle the ecological and climate breakdown, they must drastically reduce overall consumption of commodities linked to land-use change, such as palm oil, meat and soy, and transition to a just food system that puts people and nature first.”
Contact:
Katie Nelson, Strategic Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (678) 644-1681, [email protected]
