Indonesian oil palm plantations are quickly replacing its rainforests, and devastate the indigenous wildlife. One species that has been profoundly affected by the massive loss of habitat is the orangutan, found only on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. As the rainforests are disappear from these islands, so do the orangutans.
Oil palm plantations destroy the orangutan's rainforest habitat, hinder migration patterns, and block travel corridors. Roads and plantations fragment the rainforest, facilitate encroaching settlements, and make orangutans accessible to poaching. If they enter plantations while searching for food outside the rainforest, they may be killed by workers.
Palm oil is commonly used in products like cookies, crackers, chips, cosmetics, and soap. One company that uses palm oil in its products is Pepperidge Farm.
Please sign this petition to ask Pat Callaghan, President of Pepperidge Farm, to stop using palm oil in his products! You can also help protect orangutans and other Indonesian wildlife by checking the ingredients on products you purchase. For more information on the adverse effects of oil palm plantations and a list of products containing palm oil, visit the following site:
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/palmoilproducts/We the undersigned would like to express our concern about the use of palm oil in Pepperidge Farm products. Oil palm plantations are devastating the rain forests of Indonesia, including the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. These islands are the last remaining habitats of the endangered Borean orangutan and the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan.
Oil palm plantations employ a "slash-and-burn" technique to prepare plots for planting. The fires are poorly managed and often burn a greater area than intended. The smoke from these fires also create hazardous conditions for local residents and wildlife.
As the demand for palm oil grows, the hope for the survival of the orangutan in the wild shrinks. Unless corporations like Pepperidge Farms limit their use of this ingredient, orangutans will be extinct in the wild by 2020. As consumers, we the undersigned advocate the use of alternative ingredients in place of palm oil.
Thank you for your consideration.
