This report examines the case of the vast Malaysian State of Sarawak, which is developing large-scale plantations at breath-taking speed having overexploited its timber resources and depleted its forests. Sarawak plans to more than double its 2007 levels of oil palm acreage by 2010, taking it to a total of 1.3 million hectares.
European Commission plans to sacrifice forests for biofuels
Brussels, February 3 – A leaked document from the European Commission reveals plans to allow the controversial use of palm oil as a biofuel by redefining palm plantations as ‘forests’. The expansion of palm plantations is a major cause of tropical rainforest destruction. The draft Commission guidance for EU countries also states that cutting down …
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‘Sustainable palm oil’ advert false, says watchdog
BRUSSELS (Belgium) / LONDON (UK), 9 January 2008 – Friends of the Earth Europe has welcomed a ruling today by the UK advertising watchdog that describing palm oil as “sustainably produced” is false advertising. The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling followed a Friends of the Earth Europe complaint against an advert by the Malaysian …
Biofuels – Handle with care
This analysis of EU biofuel policy highlights the failure of EU law to account for the environmental impact of indirect land use change when calculating the greenhouse gas benefits of biofuels meaning there is a substantial risk that current EU biofuel policy will cause more harm than good. The report also warns that current EU …
Gone to Waste: The valuable resources that European countries bury and burn
Despite progress in recent years countries across the European Union (EU), including the United Kingdom (UK), are continuing to dispose of significant amounts of valuable recyclable materials to landfill or incineration. This analysis examines this disposal in more depth, in an attempt to provide a reasonable estimate of the amount of different recyclable materials that …
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Too Green to be True: IOI Corporation in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan
This report reveals that the Malaysian showcase company IOI Group does not live up to its environmental promises in newly established plantations in the Ketapang district – the Indonesian part of Borneo. Glossy CSR policies, engagement in multi-stakeholder initiatives and the possession of certificates from the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil do not offer …
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