The French giant behind deforestation

  Deforestation threatens helpless Indigenous people and the unique ecosystems in which they live. French banking giant, BNP Paribas, finances the reckless companies responsible for this ecological disaster: the soybean traders. BNP even brands itself as a leader in "zero-deforestation" finance, which is why we need you to expose its empty promises and push its money where its mouth is. Tell BNP Paribas to stop funding deforestation! [Amazonia burning] [ SIGN THE PETITIONÂ]( {NAME}, It’s an area 115 times the size of Manhattan that disappears each year. More than half of the Cerrado savanna in Brazil, one of the world's most precious ecosystems, has been torn apart to make way for continuously expanding soy farms. This carnage is funded by a French giant: BNP Paribas. In spite of its great speeches on climate, BNP remains one of the world’s largest funders of deforestation. A few days ago, during a “zero-carbon” event in Paris, BNP boasted about implementing binding policies to stop deforestation caused by the soy industry. But it was all lip service. It is time to bring BNP's hypocrisy to light through mass mobilization. Facing a major public relations crisis, BNP will have no other choice but to put an end to its shameful complicity to save the face. [{NAME}, tell BNP to stop funding deforestation by imposing strict “zero-deforestation” policies on soy traders!]( Recently published investigative reports* exposed BNP Paribas’s bankrolling of soy traders to the tune of billions over the past four years. These investments are costly to the Indigenous populations who pay the price with their own lives. Big soy companies are destroying everything at a breakneck pace: their way of life, their rivers and their forests as well as all the biodiversity they harbor. But the disappearance of the Cerrado, of its unique biodiversity and Indigenous populations is avoidable! Bankers, insurers and investors can transform the soy industry to achieve “zero-deforestation”. Even when faced with the hard cold facts, BNP is still refusing to adopt binding measures that would forbid the importation of soy grown from deforestation. The bank, which built so much of its brand on its “climate friendly” image, will have to make a change if you force it to. [Tell BNP to stop funding deforestation by imposing strict “zero-deforestation” policies on soy traders!]( Two months ago, during Climate Finance Day, your efforts forced top financial players to acknowledge their responsibility in deforestation caused by soy. And now, we are pushing the worst financial player of them all, BNP, into action. When it comes to the fight against deforestation, you have already pushed giants like PepsiCo and McDonald's to change their practices. Without your help, {NAME}, BNP will go unchecked, ignoring the alarm raised by the Indigenous communities, NGOs and other environmentalists, fighting to save our planet and its people. [Tell BNP to stop funding deforestation by imposing strict “zero-deforestation” policies on soy traders!]( [ SIGN THE PETITIONÂ]( Thanks for all that you do, Leyla and the team at SumOfUs * [Database from Forests & Finance]( (in French) [Soja & deforestation: stop financial actors' complicity]( Report from Reclaim Finance, Canopée, SumOfUs, Mighty Earth. October 2020 (in French) [Ending soybean imports issued from the conversion of natural ecosystems in South America]( from Canopée. September 2020 [Feeding the European appetite for soy]( Rainforest Foundation Norway. November 2020 [France falls short in ending deforestation linked to imported soy]( Mongabey. 20 November 2020 [Banks urged to combat deforestation and halt biodiversity crisis]( Independent. 12 January 2021.[The role of French banks in global forest destruction]( Witness. 10 February 2020.     --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](  Â