Kit Kat Responsible For Orangutan Killings and Forest Destruction

Posted on Mar 31, 2010

Environmental group Greenpeace strongly criticized PT Nestle Indonesia continuation to buy its material from PT Sinar Mas which is one of the largest, publicly-listed, integrated palm-based consumer companies in Indonesia. Greenpeace urges PT Nestle to immediately cease all cooperation with PT Sinar Mas, suspected to be the largest peat soil destroyer in Indonesia.

Greenpeace Activist in Nestle Kit Kat Office

This demand was carried out by Greenpeace activists when visiting PT Nestle Indonesia office in Jalan TB Simatupang, South Jakarta. They perform theatrical action at Nestle office on Wednesday (24/3/2010). “We strongly urge Nestle that the Kit Kat producers immediately cut all ties with Sinar Mas, including purchasing from third parties, such as Cargill and Loders Croklan,” said Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaigner team leader.

Bustar explained earlier, that his group had submitted their investigative report on destruction activities undertaken by PT Sinar Mas. As a result of that Nastle has ceased to purchase their material directly from Sinar Mas. However, he believes that Nestle working around the problem by buying it from a third party.

“Cancellation of the direct purchasing contract with Sinar Mas by Nestle is not enough. They also have to stop buying Sinar Mas products from third party such as Cargill and Loders Croklan,” says Bustar.

In the theatrical action performed in front lobby Nestle Office, Jalan TB Simatupang, South Jakarta, two Greenpeace activists appeared in orangutans’ costume. Both “orangutan” is clad with a large pack of Kit Kat products. However, the words “Kit Kat” on the wrapper were changed to “Killer”. Bustar explain, this theatrical action shows that there are Nestle and its KitKat products are responsible of the killings of many orangutans, forest destruction and deforestation through it ties with PT Sinar Mas.

Bustar stated that his investigation of forest clearing activities conducted by the Sinar Mas shows that PT Sinar Mas is the main actors of forests and peat lands destruction of in Kalimantan and Papua.

“Nestle is one of the Sinar Mas deforestation ‘crime partner’ because Kit Kat product from Nestle is a major palm oil purchaser from the PT Sinar Mas,” explained Bustar.

In addition to Nestle, there are also several other companies who purchase palm oil from PT Sinar Mas, among others, Unilever, Kraft, and Shell. Bustar said, those companies have stop their contract with PT Sinar Mas.

Greenpeace also called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to implement a moratorium (suspension) of destruction of valuable forests to make room for the implementation of long-term forest protection program.

“This kind of moratorium could also encourage investment in the improvement of existing plantation areas. Especially palm plantations owned by small-scale farmers and plantation in the non forest area,” he said.