Add this to PepsiCo’s conflict palm oil file: we’ve just released a report that ties the snack food giant to massive-scale deforestation in Indonesia.
PepsiCo has knowingly persisted in conducting business with the Salim Group, a company tied to reckless palm oil producers responsible for the destruction of nearly 10,000 hectares of Borneo’s pristine peat forests––an area bigger than Manhattan!
Meanwhile, PepsiCo kept on promising that it’s working towards a truly sustainable palm oil policy, making commitments to human rights and zero deforestation. But this new report leaves no doubt: this whole time, PepsiCo’s palm oil promises have been nothing but smoke and mirrors.
As PepsiCo rolls out its “Pepsi Generation” campaign to celebrate 120 years of doing business, we need your help to put an end to generations of deforestation at the hands of PepsiCo’s irresponsible palm oil sourcing and partnerships.
While PepsiCo makes profits cutting corners in its palm oil policy, people and the planet are paying a steep price. Tropical rainforests are falling at increasing rates for new palm oil plantations — pushing endangered species like Borneo’s pygmy elephant to the brink of extinction.
Field investigations and satellite analysis show that palm oil companies tied to the Salim Group have continued to destroy carbon-rich peat forests in Borneo for five years straight. The destruction has continued in defiance of Indonesian laws, fueling the fires that rage each year, accelerating climate change, and causing a health crisis for local communities.
Why did PepsiCo partners engage in such reckless practices? It’s the cheapest way to clear a forest for a palm oil plantation.
We won’t take any more of PepsiCo’s empty promises while it continues to work with repeat offenders who destroy rainforests and exploit workers. PepsiCo wants to brand itself as a generations-old, socially responsible, progressive company — but we’re exposing the truth.
PepsiCo is responsible for generations of deforestation, exploitation, climate emissions and species extinction. It’s time for PepsiCo to stop being complicit and put its money where its mouth is.
In 2015, SumOfUs members demanded action and PepsiCo responded to the pressure by adopting a palm oil policy. We need you to raise your voice again so that PepsiCo knows it must stop its partner from wreaking havoc on people and the planet.