'Monkeys' protest against Unilever

Protestors dressed as orangutans staged demos at Unilever’s HQ in London and at another of its sites in the UK to draw attention to the conglomerate’s alleged role in the destruction of the Indonesian rain forest.

“Unilever is contributing to one of the greatest environmental crimes happening in the world right now,” Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said. According to Greenpeace, Unilever is contributing to the destruction the habitat of the orangutans by buying palm oil from companies that are “systematically destroying the rainforests of Indonesia”.

Unilever  uses palm oil in brands from Dove soap to margarine but insists it is leading the charge in making palm oil production more sustainable.

“We share the same concerns as everyone else about the expansion of palm oil production,” the company said. “The problem is simply that demand of palm oil has exploded. This is due partly to growing demand from India and China and also due to the use of palm oil as a feedstock for biofuels in the energy sector. “It is essential that all those involved sign up to agreed criteria to make sustainability work on the ground - but this is not an easy process and is taking longer than we would all like. Nevertheless, we remain absolutely committed to finding a solution.”