Palm oil victory!

This is big. Orangutans, the rainforest and palm oil workers have new protections.   {NAME}, BREAKING: we won on palm oil -- again! SumOfUs members like you just persuaded the global palm oil regulator, the RSPO, to strengthen its rules against deforestation and worker exploitation. That’s another win for orangutans, our rainforests and palm oil workers! Thousands of you emailed and tweeted at the RSPO, ahead of a crucial vote this week at the palm oil event of the year -- held in the heart of orangutan territory, in Malaysian Borneo. Together, we persuaded the RSPO’s membership of civil society organizations, palm oil traders, growers, and big brands, to improve the industry standards. That’s a huge win for people power. However, without proper enforcement, these new ‘Principles & Criteria’ won’t be worth more than the paper they're printed on. We need to continue to pressure the RSPO and its members to walk the talk and produce truly sustainable palm oil. [Can you help hold the industry to its promises -- by chipping in monthly to the campaign?]( [The successful vote at the RSPO this week [image]]( 212 voted in favor of improving industry standards! We’ve been challenging the RSPO to be more than a talking shop for years. This summer, thousands of you emailed into a consultation telling the industry body to raise its standards, and stop certifying companies that destroy the rainforests and exploit workers. More of you chipped in for a hard-hitting video online, and tweeted ahead of this week’s conference vote. And it worked! RSPO members overwhelmingly voted to adopt “No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation” standards. Now companies that destroy orangutan habitat, clear carbon-rich peatland for plantations, and mistreat workers - like paying women less than men and denying them social security - should be stripped of their certification and denied membership of the RSPO. But this isn’t the end. Our next challenge is to make sure the industry actually enforces these new, better rules. It’s something they’ve not done well in the past -- which is why we need people-power to hold them to account. First, we need to get the RSPO to kick out Pepsi’s business partner, and conflict palm oil grower, Indofood -- to build on the sanctions we helped win against Indofood this month. Can you chip in a small amount each month to help sustain this winning campaign, so we can hold the industry to its promises? [Yes - I’ll chip in monthly to ensure the rainforest, orangutans and palm oil workers are protected from rogue palm oil companies]( Unchecked demand for cheap palm oil has decimated Indonesia and Malaysia’s precious rainforests, and annihilated the orangutans, elephants, rhinos and tigers that call it home. More than 69% of Sumatran elephant habitat has been destroyed within one generation, and there are fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild. That’s why SumOfUs members won’t give up until we have a truly sustainable palm oil industry, that doesn’t break it’s promises. You can help us achieve even more by chipping in the cost of a cup of coffee each month, so we can plan to hold some of the biggest brands in the world -- like palm oil guzzlers Pepsi and Procter & Gamble -- to account. Will you set up a monthly donation? [Yes - I’ll chip in monthly to ensure the rainforest, orangutans and palm oil workers are protected from conflict palm oil]( [ Chip in MonthlyÂ]( Thanks for all that you do, Rebecca, Fatah and the team at SumOfUs More information: [RSPO Members Agree on New Palm Oil Standard to Halt Deforestation and Improve Human Rights Protection]( RSPO, 15 November 2018 [Palm oil producers are wiping out orangutans – despite multinationals’ promises]( The Guardian, 10 May 2018 [The Human Cost of Conflict Palm Oil: Indofood, PepsiCo’s Hidden Link to Worker Exploitation in Indonesia]( Rainforest Action Network, June 2016    --------------------------------------------------------------- SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when they don’t. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3 [Chip in $3]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. | [Unsubscribe](