European families help protect Asian elephant

European families help protect Asian elephant habitat
The threat of palm oil plantations
Palm oil is a key ingredient in hundreds of supermarket products,
including chocolate, margarine and cream cheese. As the demand
for palm oil increases, many palm oil suppliers clear forest
unsustainably to make way for plantations, tearing into the heart of
elephant habitat and forcing stressed and hungry Asian elephants
out of the forests and into conflict with humans.
Palm oil can be farmed sustainably without destroying more and
more forest. Food manufacturers were under no obligation to
list whether palm oil was an ingredient let alone if it was sourced
sustainably. The first step was to enlist public support and then
lobby the European Union for new legislation to force food
manufacturers to list palm oil as an ingredient.
Elephant Family conservation strategy
In partnership with Sumatran Orangutan Society, Orangutan
Foundation, Save the Rhino, Ape Alliance, The Jane Goodall Institute
UK, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Elephant
Family launched the ‘Clear Labels, Not Forests’ campaign raising
awareness with consumers of the common use of palm oil and the
need for labelling and ultimately a sustainable supply.
Forest destruction for new palm
oil plantation
Elephant Family conservation success
The response to the ‘Clear Labels, Not Forests’ campaign was
phenomenal. Thousands of people spoke up to show that they do
not want to consume forest-destroying palm oil.
As a direct result of the campaign new European Union legislation
passed in December 2014 now mandates that food manufacturers
include palm oil in ingredients labelling from 2015. European families
will be able to make informed choices about what they buy.
© Ulet Ifansasti
Palm oil plantation cutting into
elephant forest habitat
www.elephantfamily.org