Our Soap Helps Save Lives
We use sustainable palm oil in our soaps, helping save precious rainforests, and the lives of endangered animals.
What is palm oil?
Palm oil is one of the world's most popular vegetable oils. It is used in thousands of everyday products, from margarine to soap, and is consumed by over a billion people.
The palm oil industry is now considered by scientists to
be the biggest threat to orang-utans, and could lead to their
extinction within 12 years. 90% of orang-utan's
habitat has been destroyed in the last 20 years with
the survival of tens of thousands of
other species also at stake.
90% of the world's palm oil is exported from the plantations of
Malaysia and Indonesia. The very lowland forest that the palm oil
industry favours is the only remaining habitat of
orang-utans. Conditions for people working in these
plantations and the indigenous people in surrounding communities
are harsh and often result in conflict over land and human rights
violations.
Did you know?
Around 1.3m hectares of rainforest will be cleared this year in
Borneo alone to allow for new plantations. That is the
equivalent of around six football pitches per
minute.
What is The Body Shop doing?
Since we became aware of the issue, we have
worked tirelessly to help the workers, communities and animals
affected. We are now committed to converting all our soaps to use
only sustainable palm oil.
Our efforts have been recognised and supported by Friends
of the Earth and we are a leading figure on the global Roundtable
on Sustainable Palm Oil, which is endorsed by Oxfam and the World
Wildlife Fund.
When we first joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in
2004, memberships numbered just 10 organisations. Three years
later, over 250 organisations have committed to finding solutions
to palm oil production.
We acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done, but
together we're already making a difference.
We applaud the pioneering role The Body Shop has taken in
helping formulate strong palm oil production
standards.
Matthias Diemer, Palm Oil Expert, WWF
Switzerland
You too can make a difference
By choosing products from a sustainable source, you too are helping
to make a difference. Taking this stand will force other retailers
to take note, get involved, and make a life-saving
change.
You can also help orang-utans directly by supporting the Borneo
Orang-utan Survival Foundation. Visit
www.orangutan.or.id
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The Body Shop would like to thank Borneo Orangutan Survival
Foundation for the use of their beautiful photography in supporting
this important story. As one of human's closest relatives it is
especially poignant that we find them on the brink of extinction
due to the depletion of their natural habitat at the hands of
humankind. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is a
not-for-profit organisation working under an official agreement
with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry for the conservation of
orangutans and their ecosystems by involving and educating local
people.
For more information visit
www.savetheorangutan.co.uk.