It’s now or never for Indonesia’s orangutans

This pack focused on the orangutans of Indonesia hanging on for dear life. The Indonesian rainforest where they live is being torn to pieces for profit from massive palm oil plantations – producing oil that’s in the products we use every day.

What

For big brands like Unilever, Nestle and Mondelez, palm oil is wonderful stuff. It’s cheap, easy to process and a great alternative to animal fat. It’s so good for industry that global demand has skyrocketed over the last 20 years. You’ll find it in around half of all products on supermarket shelves.

But for the rainforest, palm oil has been a disaster. Palm oil can be produced without destroying the rainforest. The big brands know this, and they’ve promised in NDPE policies (no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation) that their products will be free of ‘dirty’ palm oil by 2020. But with time running out, nothing is happening. Companies are still destroying the rainforest to grow palm oil. And Greenpeace knows that it’s being used by the very same brands who are claiming to be squeaky clean.

An area the size of 146 football pitches is being destroyed every single hour across Indonesia alone. The rainforest and the amazing species that have their home there are irreplaceable.
Orangutans are our closest relatives, sharing 97 per cent of our DNA. These incredible creatures are only found in Indonesia and Malaysia and yet we are losing 25 orangutans every day.

How

Greenpeace launched an integrated campaign, including direct mail, to existing cash and direct debit supporters.

Greenpeace wanted to bring awareness to an escalating issue, they didn’t want supporters to boycott products which contained palm oil. Instead if a supporter was able, a donation or an increase to an existing direct debit, Greenpeace could investigate and expose how the rainforest is being destroyed for big brands’ palm oil. It could support frontline work, blocking rainforest bulldozers and stop palm oil shipments.

Finally, it could help Greenpeace lobby companies to ensure there is no dirty palm oil in their products.

Outcome

The plight of the orangutan and the deforestation from palm oil plantations captured the attention of the UK. This appeal became one of the most responsive in recent times for Greenpeace, especially its upgrading of direct debit supporters. We’re on the cusp of losing the iconic orangutan in its natural habitat so the urgency is clear for all to see.