It is not mandatory to label palm oil on product labels in Australia, yet palm oil is contained in 40 per cent of products found on Australian supermarket shelves.
An area of rainforest the equivalent of 300 football fields is cleared every hour to make way for palm oil production. This large-scale deforestation is pushing many species to extinction, and findings show that species like the orangutan could become extinct in the wild within the next 5-10 years, and Sumatran tigers less than 3 years if nothing is done to halt the clearing.
Indonesia has the second highest rate of deforestation in the world and clearing forest for palm oil plantations is the leading cause. At least 50 orangutans die every week as a result.
There is an alternative. Australian companies can source Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, which is planted on land that is already degraded. The Australian government can make labelling mandatory so consumers can choose to support companies that source Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
Please sign the petition and demand the Australian Government makes palm oil labelling mandatory.
