I'm happy to tell you that Tesco have announced that they
are to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. This
follows a concerted campaign in which over 90 local groups
have been involved in.
Friends of the Earth launched our Oil for Ape Scandal report
in October 2005, which drew the world's attention for the
first time to the link between palm oil production and the
steep decline in orangutan numbers. It was followed by a
hugely successful day of action by local groups, email actions
and widespread media coverage.
Tesco's decision to join the Roundtable now brings the
total number of British supermarkets that have joined in
the last six months to six, including the Co-op, M&S, Waitrose,
Sainsbury's and Asda. The only major supermarket which still
resists is Morrisons. They are now very isolated.
Despite this important success we must remember that at
heart the supermarkets are still deeply unsustainable. They
are too big, too powerful, destroy local communities and
mercilessly exploit suppliers and small farmers. There are
also over 500 companies in the UK that trade in palm oil
and less than 30 have joined the Roundtable. This is one
of the reasons why Friends of the Earth will continue to
use the palm oil case study as a good example of why the
Company Law Reform Bill, which is now going through Parliament,
must be strengthened to ensure UK companies act far more
responsibly.
In the meantime however we must take heart that on the
specific issue of palm oil, Tesco has finally caved in.
Congratulations are in order for all those fantastic local
groups who took part in the day of action (and many subsequent
actions since then) and all those members of staff who have
contributed to the success of this campaign.
We couldn't have done it without you. Truly a Friends of
the Earth team effort.
Ed Matthews - FoE spokesperson on Palm Oil issues
