Oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Malaysian palm oil giant Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) has joined a growing list of companies committing to zero deforestation for commodity production. On Monday,…
Recent large-scale clearance of peatland forest inside a PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (PT RAPP) pulpwood concession on Pulau Pedang. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace. Asia Pacific Resources International…
Peat forest in Riau, Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A Butler. New Indonesian president Joko Widodo has ordered the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to review licenses for companies that have…
APP acacia plantation in Riau in January 2014. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) appears to have enough plantation fiber to operate existing mills as well…
Lone Brazil nut tree standing in an area recently cleared for soy in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in 2009. Photos by Rhett A. Butler The Brazilian soy industry…
Oil palm fruit. Photos by Rhett Butler Home products giant IKEA has made a time-bound commitment for eliminating palm oil linked to deforestation and human rights abuses from its supply…
Screenshot of the mapping function of the Sustainable Palm Oil Transparency Toolkit, powered by ESRI. Click image to enlarge. A new initiative ranks the world's 25 largest publicly listed palm…
Editor's note: shortly after posting, PepsiCo's response to the campaign was added to this story. Pepsi True A campaign launched by environmental activists is killing Pepsi's launch of a new…
Excavator preparing to replant an oil palm plantation in Sumatra. Cargill will use Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 'solar-powered, satellite-connected remote sensor networks' to monitor compliance with its new zero…
Illegal deforestation for oil palm within the Leuser Ecosystem. Photo by Rhett Butler. Palm oil giant Musim Mas Group has suspended purchases from the PT Pati Sari mill over allegations…
Note: this is the first draft of a commentary I submitted to Yale Environment 360 last month. A final first-person version is available at A Conservationist Sees Signs of Hope…
Note: this post was originally titled "75% of world's traded palm oil now bound by zero deforestation commitments" before it became apparent that IOI's parent corporation has not signed a…
Deforestation for pulp and paper production in Indonesia. Photo by Rhett Butler. Some of the world's largest companies are making progress in disclosing and addressing deforestation risk within their commodity…
Adult male Sumatran orangutan in Gunung Leuser NP. Photos by Rhett Butler. A forest that is the only place where rhinos, tigers, elephants, and orangutans coexist is under threat from…
Pulp and paper plantation in Sumatra. Photo by Rhett Butler. Several more clothing companies have committed to eliminate fiber produced via destruction of endangered forests, adding momentum to a zero…
Deforestation for palm oil production in Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett Butler. Agribusiness giant Bunge has joined the growing ranks of companies that have established zero deforestation policies for their…
Indonesian govt won't allow palm oil companies to protect forests Oil palm plantation in Borneo. A law passed by the Indonesian government last month makes it even more difficult for…
Report argues that a jurisdiction-based approach could be a solution if commodity certification fails to reduce deforestation Cattle pasture and a forest reserve in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Photo by Rhett…
Rainforest clearing for oil palm in Aceh Province, Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler A new report published by Forest Heroes, an advocacy campaign pushing for an end to deforestation,…
Peat forest clearing for oil palm in Central Kalimantan. Photo by Rhett A. Butler The Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan is moving forward on an oil palm plantation monitoring system…
"Oil palm fruit. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Malaysian palm oil company Genting Plantations is continuing to destroy forests despite a high-profile pledge by one of its customers to eliminate…
Cleared timber plantation and peat forest in Indonesia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Dozens of companies, non-profit organizations, and governments pledged to work together to halve forest loss by 2020…
Destruction of rainforest in Malaysia for palm oil production. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Cargill, one of the world's largest agricultural companies, has extended its zero deforestation commitment for palm…
Illegal forest for an oil palm plantation within a protected area in Indonesia Five of the world's largest palm oil producers have announced an immediate moratorium on palm oil sourced…
Fire burning on an oil palm plantation in Malaysia Two of the world's largest doughnut brands this week committed to sourcing safeguards that move them toward eliminating deforestation from their…
Deforestation for oil palm in Sumatra A group of palm oil and timber companies that have pledged to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains have agreed to establish a standard…
The Bukit Batabuh tiger corridor within the RIMBA Corridor. Courtesy of Tiger in your tank? Major palm oil suppliers may be continuing to buy tainted palm oil despite high-profile commitments…
APP supplier concession in Riau Province, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler Indonesian forestry giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) won't need to clear additional forests to meet pulp requirements…
Forest conversion for an oil palm plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett Butler. U.S. food giant ConAgra has adopted a new sourcing policy that will exclude palm oil produced…
An illegal oil palm plantation established within a protected forest area in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett Butler. Seven palm oil giants have agreed to fund a study that will…
