Greenpeace Uses Giant Banner to Protest Deforestation

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (Antara) - Greenpeace Indonesia has spread a giant banner in front of a palm oil company, which is allegedly contributing to deforestation in Central Kalimantan's rainforests. Greenpeace Indonesia campaign coordinator, Wirendro Sumargo, said in South Kalimantan on Tuesday that his organization had spread the banner on March 10 in front of PT Multi Persada Gatramegah (MPG), a palm oil supplier for multinational corporation Procter and Gamble (P&G), the producers of "Head & Shoulders" shampoo. "Kalimantan is a haven for orangutans and other protected animals. But, P&G has destroyed it by allowing a non-environmentally friendly company like MPG into Muara Taweh in Central Kalimantan," Wirendro said. Dozens of Greenpeace activists, together with the indigenous community of Karumuan Village in North Barito, Central Kalimantan, spread a banner that read, "Head & Shoulders Removes Dandruff and Eliminates Rainforests by Land Clearing for Palm Oil Plantation." According to Greenpeace, in 2012, a Landsat satellite detected deforestation on PT MPG concession land. This had further expanded to encompass the High Conservation Value area, which is a habitat for some protected animals. Greenpeace accused the palm oil company of being irresponsible with the use of resources for production and violating the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil framework. It alleged that the company had destroyed 150 thousand hectares per year of peat lands and rainforests in Kalimantan and had caused the extinction of the orangutan. Greenpeace has asked P&G to clean up its act and desist from dealing with irresponsible suppliers and sellers such as MPG and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad. Wirendro stressed that Greenpeace believed that palm oil plantations could be sustainably developed by implementing a strict policy of zero deforestation. "National palm oil plantation development will not cause deforestation and conflict within the local community if a non-deforestation policy is strictly implemented. This is being followed by committed multinationals such as Golden Agri-Resources, Unilever, Nestle, and L'Oreal," Wirendro pointed out. (*)